Special News Bulletin! Normally my blog entries appear magically every Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern time. But I just couldn’t wait to give you the great news.
Commando Cody, Sky Marshall of the Universe is now out on DVD and Blu-ray. And it’s an official release, licensed from Paramount Home Entertainment by Olive Films. Yeah, I know there have been bootleg “gray-market” DVDs available before, but they had substandard picture and sound. Now, you can get the best version possible, all cleaned up and restored. No specks of dirt. No scratches in the film. Looks to be from a 35mm print.
I just got my copy on DVD today (Sept. 12, 2016) and have watched well into episode 4 before writing this. What a joy it is to watch again. I can only imagine that the Blu-ray version is even better, being in high-def. It may not be perfect, so you perfectionists take note. There are a few scenes in which the film seems a bit overexposed… and if I were remastering the video, I would have adjusted the brightness and contrast a little. The audio is slightly low, but it’s nice and clear. While it may not be perfect, it’s head and shoulders above any other copy you’ve got. Trust me!
You’ll be getting the 30-minute theatrical versions, not the shorter TV versions. Yes, they released two versions. You can read all about Commando Cody, Sky Marshall of the Universe in my posting dated Nov. 27, 2015. But for now, I’m going to keep this posting short. It’s just to apprise you that the 1952 serial is now out and looking great. You can order it from Olive Films for $18.99 for DVD or $21.99 for Blu-ray. For me, this is a dream come true! Commando Cody, Sky Marshall of the Universe! (turn on the reverb effect)
The Commando Cody series was the main inspiration for Dave Stevens’ “Rocketeer” comics. Stevens in fact practically cribbed the jetpack for his own hero!
I never read the Rocketeer comics, but I loved the Disney movie. Does that count? Maybe I should go back and get a set of old comics at the local comic book shop.