Irishman wrote:
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According to this site, the Rocketeer was first a comic book originated in 1981. (Warning: page loads with music.) The movie is definitely a direct descendant of the comic book - the look is the same, and the creator is credited on the movie.
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I must disagree. The Rocketeer is a direct descendant of the "Commander Cody" movie serials of the early 50s. Cody was "The Rocketman" and had a rocket pack, helmet, and flying suit very similar to that worn by "The Rocketeer" in the 1991 movie and the comic book cited earlier. Unfortunately, I am old enought to have seen the serials as a kid at the Saturday Matinees. Twenty cents got you a chapter of a serial, 10 cartoons, and a feature movie (usually 3d run).
The 1950 idea of flight control was a bit unsophisticated. Cody had a control box strapped to his chest. It had a toggle switch marked "ON --OFF," and a rotary switch marked "UP --DOWN." No avionics!