May 1 brings Radar Men from the Moon to Talking Pictures TV

This 1952 black & white serial about the adventures of Commando Cody (played by George Wallace) may seem a little more obscure than other news items, but bear with us… all shall be revealed.

What is Radar Men from the Moon?

The plot (according to wiki) is:

Commando Cody (George Wallace) is a civilian researcher and inventor with a number of employees. He uses a streamlined helmet and a sonic-powered rocket backpack attached to a leather flying jacket. Cody also uses a rocket ship capable of reaching the Moon.

When the U. S. finds itself under attack from a mysterious force that can wipe out entire military bases and industrial complexes, Cody surmises (correctly) that the Earth is coming under attack from our own Moon. He then flies his rocket ship there and confronts the Moon’s dictator, Retik (Roy Barcroft) who boldly announces his plans to both conquer Earth and then move the Moon’s entire population here using spaceships…

It’s familiar territory to anyone who’s seen the original Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon shows, once the staple of Saturday Morning Pictures.

Saturday Morning Pictures?

Between the 1920s and 70s, cinemas in Britain used to put on a special set of films for children, ranging from US shows such as those listed above to Children’s Film Foundation movies (home grown short films). At its height around 2,000 cinemas were involved but by the end it had dwindled to a few hundred.

Here’s where Talking Pictures TV comes in. They’ve been running their own Saturday Morning Pictures between 9am and 12pm. Radar Men from the Moon starts in May, but a look at this week’s schedule gives you a sense of things:

9:00 Popeye the Sailor

9:15 Zorro’s Black Whip

9:35 Operation Third Form

10:50 Champion the Wonderhorse

11:25 Flash Gordon conquers the Universe

11:50 Superman

If you can’t wait until May 1, you can watch a trailer for Radar Men from the Moon now.