Production
King of the Rocket Men was budgeted at $164,984 although the final negative cost was $165,592 (a $608, or 0.4%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1949.
It was filmed between 6 April and 27 April 1949. The serial's production number was 1704.
Republic liked naming their heroes "King" in order to use the title "King of..." The studio had found success with this naming scheme following the adaptation of Zane Grey's King of the Royal Mounted. The main character in this serial was Jeff King, otherwise known as Rocket Man. The flight gimmickry was inspired by the Buck Rogers comic strip.
Two streamlined, bullet-shaped prop helmets were used with the Rocket Man costume: The first was made of lighter weight materials and worn only during the various stunt action scenes; during filming, the visors on both helmets frequently warped and would stick open or closed.
King of the Rocket Men was more cheaply made than the previous Republic serials, and the casting is also less starry. Tristram Coffin was a typical "dress heavy" of the period, complete with pencil-thin mustache, and it was a real stretch even for serial audiences of the day to accept him as the hero. Even stranger was the casting of nearly forty-year-old Mae Clarke as the damsel in distress. The serial also lacks a colorful villain along the lines of The Crimson Ghost. The Deluge footage, though spectacular, had previously been used by the studio in Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941).
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