George Wallace, 88, Veteran Actor Known for ‘Radar Men’
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Actor George Wallace, who is best known for his role as Commando Cody in the film serial “Radar Men from the Moon,” died July 22 at a Los Angeles hospital.
He was 88 years old, and died of consequences of a fall he suffered while vacationing in Pisa, Italy.
Born in New York City in 1917, Wallace moved to McMechen, W.Va., where he worked in the coal mines and, while still a teenager, joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1936, he began a four-year stint in the Navy, which he rejoined during World War II.
The one-time lumberjack was tending bar in Hollywood in the late 1940s when gossip columnist Jimmie Fidler discovered him and helped launch his 50-year career in show business.
Wallace appeared in a few films and on TV but landed the starring role of Commando Cody in the 1952 motion picture serial “Radar Men from the Moon.”
He played a scientist who wore a leather jacket, a bullet-shaped silver helmet, and an atomic-powered rocket pack.
Wallace also performed on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Pipe Dream.”
