Jeff King in his experimental rocket suit battles the evil Dr. Vulcan.Jeff King in his experimental rocket suit battles the evil Dr. Vulcan.Jeff King in his experimental rocket suit battles the evil Dr. Vulcan.
Marshall Bradford
- Prof. Graftner
- (uncredited)
Arvon Dale
- Chairman's Aide [Ch. 12]
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was another of Republic's titles to use a play-on-words for "King of..." "King" was actually the name of the main character.
- GoofsConway is murdered by having a knife thrown into the middle of his back, yet Glenda accepts his death as a suicide (and wonders why he'd kill himself before ending his suicide confession/note).
- Quotes
Glenda Thomas: Am I glad you caught up with me again.
Jeffrey King: It's getting to be a habit that I'd like to break.
Glenda Thomas: Well, I was only trying to help.
Jeffrey King: The best you can do is help yourself to a ride back to town. The highway is right over there.
- Alternate versionsThis Republic serial was edited down to a feature film and released under the title "Lost Planet Airman."
- ConnectionsEdited into Lost Planet Airmen (1951)
Featured review
In this 12-chapter action serial from Republic Pictures and director Fred C. Brannon, the mysterious Dr. Vulcan is responsible for a series of murders of prominent scientists, as well as the theft of their scientific breakthroughs, which he sells to foreign powers. It's up to Jeff King (Tristram Coffin), a member of the Science Associates, a gathering of America's greatest thinkers, to discover the identity of Dr. Vulcan and bring him to justice. King is assisted by plucky reporter Glenda Thomas (Mae Clarke) and Associates member Burt Winslow (House Peters Jr.), as well as by the believed-dead Professor Millard (James Craven). Millard has developed a prototype rocket-suit that will allow the wearer to fly through the air at great speeds. Jeff King dons the apparatus to become...King of the Rocket Men!
This was more cheaply produced than the other Republic serials, utilizing much stock footage, and even padding most of one chapter with clips from earlier chapters. Still, this was a big enough hit to spawn a few more "Jet-Pack" serials in the years to come. The final chapter is quite epic, even if a lot of it is repurposed scenes from older movies. Most of the action scenes are the usual fist-fights and driving off of cliffs. It's all entertaining, in a simple way, but not one of the more memorable serials in Republic history, outside of the Rocket Man's image.
This was more cheaply produced than the other Republic serials, utilizing much stock footage, and even padding most of one chapter with clips from earlier chapters. Still, this was a big enough hit to spawn a few more "Jet-Pack" serials in the years to come. The final chapter is quite epic, even if a lot of it is repurposed scenes from older movies. Most of the action scenes are the usual fist-fights and driving off of cliffs. It's all entertaining, in a simple way, but not one of the more memorable serials in Republic history, outside of the Rocket Man's image.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der König der Raketenmänner
- Filming locations
- Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Science Associates headquarters, etc.)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $165,592 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 47 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was King of the Rocket Men (1949) officially released in India in English?
Answer