History Film / ZombiesOfTheStratosphere

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Plenty of UsefulNotes/ColdWar paranoia in this script: H-bombs threatening TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, treacherous scientists selling atomic secrets to hostile foreign powers, and an AnAesop just before TheEnd reminding the audience of the need for constant vigilance against the "power-mad zombies" who threaten us all (even though none of the 'zombies' were interested in power--they were trying to save their own planet).

* TheQuisling: Dr. Harding is blackmailed into helping Marex, who knows he's been selling atomic secrets to an [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection "unfriendly foreign power".]] Marex says that exposure would be worse than going along with his EvilPlan, but seeing as the latter involves exile for life on Mars while everyone Harding knows on Earth dies, that's hard to believe. What motivates Roth and Shane is unknown; they're being paid a lot of money, but it's going to be [[WorthlessYellowRocks worthless after the world is destroyed]].

* RecapEpisode: "Chapter 10: Flying Gas Chamber" recaps events before the final two episodes, as Larry hashes over recent events with Mr. Steele to try and work out what the villains are up to. They don't.

* PlanetaryRelocation: The Martians plan to detonate hydrogen bombs on Earth and Mars to make them swap positions so Mars will be closer to the sun. Why they don't just put Mars in Earth's orbit on the other side of the sun is not mentioned, but then there would be no reason for our heroes to oppose them.

* DeusExNukina: The detonation of a hydrogen bomb at the right place is enough to change the orbit of entire planets.

* AlmostDeadGuy: Averted as some dialogue at the end shows the injured Narab survived after telling Larry about the H-bomb.

Another Creator/RepublicPictures FilmSerial starring a JetPack-wearing hero, ''Zombies of the Stratosphere'' was produced in the lengthy production hiatus between episodes 3 and 4-9 of ''Film/CommandoCodySkyMarshalOfTheUniverse''. It was meant as a sequel to the Commando Cody adventure ''Film/RadarMenFromTheMoon'', but for reasons unknown the hero's name was changed from "Commando Cody" to the bland "Larry Martin".

* TinCanRobot: The Republic Robot appears again, when the Martians build a remotely-controlled "mechanical man" to rob a bank. Cue StockFootage from ''Mysterious Doctor Satan''. At least Republic Pictures got their money's worth from the walking water heater.

* TheQuisling: Dr. Harding is blackmailed into helping Marex, who knows he's been selling atomic secrets to an [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection "unfriendly foreign power".]] Marex says that exposure would be worse than going along with his EvilPlan, but seeing as the latter involves exile for life on Mars while everyone Harding knows on Earth dies, that's hard to believe. What motivates Roth and Shane is unknown; they're being paid a lot of money, but it's going to be worthless after the world is destroyed.

** Larry, Bob and Sue (and their boss Mr. Steele) are the heroes trying to stop them. Supposedly Larry Martin works for the [[SpacePolice Inter-Planetary Patrol]], so what are they doing about these Martians? None calls in the US Air Force to intercept the Martian rocketship, or the police to set up roadblocks whenever the villains steal something. When a foreign submarine is detected offshore, our heroes go out in a motorboat to sink it instead of calling in the Navy. And what about a team of Navy UDT's to properly search the flooded mine shaft? (Larry does think of that, but only in the final chapter when it's almost too late).

* ScienceHerosBabeAssistant: Aline Towne's character is a lot less active than in ''Sky Marshal of the Universe'' where she was at least allowed to pilot the rocketship and did a lot more investigative work--here she's little more than a [[BridgeBunnies glorified radio operator]]. However she's not a NeutralFemale. When the villains take Larry prisoner and break into his office the gun is quickly shot from Sue's hand when she confronts them, but she knocks the gun from the hand of the man holding Larry at gunpoint and tries to wrestle with a mook until knocked unconscious.

* RetroRocket: The Martian's finned rocketship, that backfires and spouts steam. Maybe they bought it from a used-rocket dealer on Mars?

** This movie is not a zombie film. And for a Rocketman-type serial, most of the action takes place on the ground rather than high up in the stratosphere.

** Uranium is stored in a warehouse and shipped in wooden crates like you normally do with radioactive materials.
** Forget NoSeatbelts--the chairs on the Martian rocketship aren't even attached to the floor, sending the crew tumbling across the cabin when Larry opens fire on them.

** A mere three Martians are used for a crucial mission to save their planet. They enlist the help of a blackmailed Earth scientist and some hired thugs, and their only resources are a rocketship, a ray gun, a truck, and whatever they can steal on Earth. On one hand they're trying to act covertly, but their criminal acts also attract attention. It could be that the Martians are a small group of fanatics, operating on limited resources without the support of their own government, but if so we never hear this.
** Larry, Bob and Sue (and their boss Mr. Steele) are the heroes trying to stop them. Supposedly Larry Martin works for the [[SpacePolice Inter-Planetary Patrol]], so what are they doing about these Martians? None calls in the US Air Force to intercept the Martian rocketship, or the police to set up roadblocks whenever the villains steal something. When a foreign submarine is detected offshore, our heroes go out in a motorboat to sink it instead of calling in the Navy. And what about a team of Navy UDT's to properly search the flooded mine shaft? (Larry does think of that, but only in the final chapter when it's almost too late).

** A mere three Martians are used for a crucial mission to save their planet. They enlist the help of a blackmailed Earth scientist and some hired thugs, and their only resources are a rocketship, a ray gun, a truck, and what they can steal on Earth. On one hand they're trying to act covertly, but their criminal acts also attract attention. It could be that the Martians are a few small group of fanatics, operating on limited resources without the support of their own government, but if so we never hear this.
** Larry, Bob and Sue (and their boss Mr. Steele) are the heroes trying to stop them. Supposedly Larry Martin works for the [[SpacePolice Inter-Planetary Patrol]], so what are they doing about these Martians? None calls in the US Air Force to intercept the Martian rocketship, or the police to set up roadblocks whenever the villains steal something. When a foreign submarine is detected offshore, our heroes go out in a motorboat to sink it instead of calling in the Navy. And what about a team of Navy UDT's to properly search the flooded mine shaft? (Larry does think of that, but only in the final chapter when it's almost too late).

** The final chapter is called "Tomb of the Traitors" even though only one traitor dies in that chapter. One assumes Marex is acting under the orders of the Martian authorities--at least we're never told otherwise.

* OddlySmallOrganisation: An infamous version even by film serial standards. Larry, Bob and Sue (and their boss Mr Steele) are the heroes trying to stop a mere trio of Martians and a few hired gangsters from destroying the Earth. Supposedly Larry Martin works for the [[SpacePolice Inter-Planetary Patrol]], so what are they doing about this interplanetary genocide? None calls in the US Air Force to intercept the Martian rocketship, or the US Navy to deal with the submarine lurking offshore, or a team of Navy UDT's to thoroughly search the flooded mine shaft, or the police to set up roadblocks every time the villains steal something.

Known among Trekkies as TheOneWith Creator/LeonardNimoy, who plays Narab, one of the eponymous 'zombies'. It also has Creator/JohnCrawford as Roth, a gangster working for the Martians.

->"I had a very important job in what we used to call a serial. Each Saturday afternoon, a 50-minute with a cliffhanger at the end. The hero or the heroine is in terrible trouble--come back next week and see what happens. And I was in one of those, I was very important in it, and I thought it would rocket me to stardom. It was called ''Zombies of the Stratosphere''. And I was one. One of four that came from Mars. We stole a pickup truck and a revolver, and we were going to take over Earth."

* The final chapter is called "Tomb of the Traitors" even though only one traitor dies in that chapter. One assumes Marex is acting under the orders of the Martian authorities--at least we're never told otherwise.

* LaQuisling: Dr. Harding is blackmailed into helping Marex, who knows he's been selling atomic secrets to an [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection "unfriendly foreign power".]] Marex says that exposure would be worse than going along with his EvilPlan, but seeing as the latter involves exile for life on Mars while everyone Harding knows on Earth dies, that's hard to believe. What motivates Roth and Shane is unknown; they're being paid a lot of money, but it's going to be worthless after the world is destroyed.

** Forget NoSealtbelts--the chairs on the Martian rocketship aren't even attached to the floor, sending the crew tumbling across the cabin when Larry opens fire on them.

* TinCanRobot: The Republic Robot appears again, when the Martians build a remotely-controlled "mechanical man" to rob a bank. Cue StockFootage from ''Film/MysteriousDoctorSatan''. At least Republic Pictures got their money's worth from the walking water heater.