Flickering Shadows - The Missing Lady!

Monogram made three Shadow movies in 1946 starring Kane Richmond as the pulp hero. Of the three The Missing Lady is the best, but in a weird way. The series was designed to be light-hearted crime detection with large doses of comedy sprinkled in. I get a real Thin Man vibe off the first movie The Shadow Strikes as Lamont Cranston (Richmond) and Margot Lane (Barbara Reed) verbally spar while attempting to unravel a mystery. In the second movie Behind the Mask, we get a better effort to deliver some film noir, an ideal atmosphere for the Shadow, but that falls aways much to quickly and we have some truly absurd comedy completely derailing the movie to the point where the solution to the mystery doesn't even seem to matter all that much. This movie keeps the comedy much more at bay. 

The missing lady of the title is a jade statue stolen when its owner was murdered. Despite headlines about the unsolved case, the police don't seem to know the statue was taken despite the insurance company being interested. That's how Cranston gets involved. There's some really edgy violence in this one, surprising after seeing the benign way the previous films handled such things. Reed's Margot Lane is kept out of the story much more and the times she's used seem less intrusive. That said, the jealousy which motivates her actions gets really tiresome after more than a few movies of it. She's a screwball dame in a noir mystery and as such has not that much to offer. Other dames do and its from them we get some heat, if only the kind approved by 1940's censors. 

Needless to say Cranston wins the day. I say Cranston instead of the Shadow because after some excellent scenes early in the movie featuring the personal, the Shadow disappears from the doings. This movie is the most convincing with the Shadow but does too little of it. I cannot say this is a great flick, but it's better than its predecessors and that's not nothing. 

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Flickering Shadows - Behind The Mask!

Kane Richmond returns as Lamonrt Cranston the Shadow in Behind the Mask, and he brings back with him Barbara Reed as his fiance Margot Lane. The two are on the cusp of marriage when someone kills a reporter and frames the Shadow for the crime. Needless to say the need for Cranston to clear his name creates some tension and is the ensuing jealousy when he encouters other good looking dames is the crux of what passes for comedy in this second Shadow movie from Monogram. 

Actually I had very high hopes for this movie as it begins following a reporter who visits three different establishments and collecting blackmail money. The first fifteen minutes of this movie is exceedingly noir and promises some rough and tough action, something sorely missing from the first installment of his series. Sadly, that promise is broken as the movie delivers more than a few comedy set pieces which kill the intensity of the mood. Much of the comedy is delivered by George Chandler who takes over the Shrevvie role and his girlfriend Jennie played by Dorthea Kent. Barbara Reed delivers some sequences which reminded me of the I Love Lucy show. 

The Shadow works hard with much interference from his lady and her friends to clear his name. But it's a tough for the viewer after the first half hour. It's a shame and even the solution to the mystery (not much of one since I spotted the killer the first time they showed up) is muddied by more ham-fisted comedy. This one had a chance. 

There is one more movie in this short series. Look for that review later today. 

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Flickering Shadows - The Shadow Returns!

I wish The Shadow Returns was a better movie, but I can't say it is. A Shadow movie must be atmospheric with a feeling of impending dread. This movie is a light comedy with Lamont Cranston and Margot Lane doing a Nick and Nora Charles imitation. Both actors are good enough in their roles but alas the roles are wrong for the source material. I had high hopes with Kane Richmond as both Cranston and the Shadow, and he does a pretty good job as the former but his time as the Shadow is mostly wasted. 

It doesn't help that the plot makes little sense as it tumbles along a timeline, I was frankly unable to decode. It begins in a graveyard with the exhumation of a corpse and the discovery of some gems, but from that moment on it tumbles off the rails. Richmond's and Reed's banter as Lamont and Margot is frothy but lacks originality. They are not helped by the fact that Shrevvy was reduced to pure comedy and reminded me often of Shemp of the Three Stooges. Burbank and Hawkeye put in appearances, but the former is an older private dick and Hawkeye is his aid. They add almost nothing in the two scenes they have. Weston is doting on Cranston who claims to be training to be a criminologist, but he's given quite a bit of guff from Cardona who leads the investigation and finds Lamont a pain. 

The baddies are pretty lackluster and mill around most of the movie with a few getting knocked off here and there. The manner in which the murders were committed is somewhat clever but like many a movie solution, doesn't do well if you dwell on it. I cannot recommend this movie unless you are in the mood for a light-hearted Shadow misadventure. 

This movie has a sequel, and that review will appear here at the Dojo later today. 

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Spy Smasher!

At long last I have gotten to see the Republic movie serial Spy Smasher. I've long read that this was perhaps the best serial ever produced. The Fawcett comic characters were served quite well by the serials of the time, with Captain Marvel being another serial which is held in extremely high regard. After seeing this epic adventure I can attest that it is a cracking good yarn with some of the absolute best action I've ever seen in any serial, or any movie actually.

Spy Smasher is played by serial veteran actor Kane Richmond who does a masterful job of filling in a costume which is remarkably accurate to the comic. Admittedly the costume is one of the easier ones to recreate, but it's always nice to see fidelity to a source when it's feasible. Spy Smasher battles Nazi spies, specifically a mastermind named either "The Mask" or "M1" depending on the circumstance. This villain is a Nazi U-Boat commander who communicates with a network of domestic henchmen who perform various villainous acts in the twelve chapters of this story.

And each chapter is an absolute hoot with some creative threats to democracy well established and eliminated thanks to the bravery of Spy Smasher Alan Armstrong and his twin brother Jack. The weakness in this serial is that while the individual chapters are as exciting as can be, the overall story is exceedingly episodic without a strong unifying thread which builds throughout. The villain is no mystery, which is the usual chicanery that ties the chapters as in Captain Marvel, but this time we get the visual trick of two heroes who look exactly the same. It comes into play in several chapters and is ultimately key, but is not necessarily a core thread throughout.

 

The Spy Smasher serial is a wild and raucous romp with some stellar action. Republic is properly renowned for its fisticuffs and this one might be the best I've ever seen with the stuntmen supplying some of the most nimble and athletic battles I've witnessed on screen. (And all done in camera. Amazing!) Add to that some really dangerous leaps and motorcycle riding and you have a hectic but satisfying adventure.

One clever irony is that the spies use a television station (led by serial vet Tris Coffin) to spy on the government officials, especially since TV is what killed off the serials in the end. Television a tool of the Nazis? No commentary there of course.

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The Lost City!

The Lost City is a 1935 independent movie which pitted a stalwart hero against a mad scientist on the Dark Continent. The relative unknown of Africa is the setting of this twelve-part serial film starring Kane Richmond and George (Not-Yet-Gabby) Hayes. The big name on the all the advertising is Willaim "Stage" Boyd, who plays the depraved villain Zolok. If you want to check out this movie see this link.

I forget now when I first became aware of it, but it seemed at the time similar to the later Flash Gordon, a favorite of mine, and so I took a gamble and picked up the VHS tapes. It's surely a product of its time, filled with run-of-the-mill racism and oh-so-typical sexism, but nonetheless is a full-blooded adventure in the grand old style.

What I did not know until recently was that the movie had been adapted to comics form in 1941, several years after the film first showed up on screens. I can find evidence of two installments in two comics from Great Comics Publications.

The first installment appeared in the third and final issue of Great Comics.

And was followed by a second installment in the third and final issue of Choice Comics. No further installments were published, at least none I can locate. Neither can I find any credits for the artwork or script.

If anyone knows more, please give me a heads up.

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Spy Smashing!

Spy Smasher is one of those movie serials I've long heard is really outstanding, perhaps the best serial of all time. I've never seen it myself, never being able to find it nicely priced. But I need to rectify that and now I can. Here's a link to the complete flick. Above is a 1942 issue of the comic featuring the hero battling a dragon of sorts - a "Jap Devil Dragon". Sheesh!


Kane Richmond who plays the Fawcett WWII "superhero" is an outstanding action star in the movies I have been able to catch from that era. He's certainly the most dashing. This issue features Richmond in a photo on the cover.


Nice poster art!


Perhaps it will give me as much pleasure as Spy Smasher #7 seems to be giving to the famous comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy.

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Brick Bradford!

I finished up the 1947 Columbia serial Brick Bradford yesterday. I want to be relatively kind in this review because the VHS copy of the serial that I watched was perhaps the grungiest I've ever tried to view. I don't know the condition of the source materials, but this was washed out and thrashed together. For what I paid for it, I'm not going to complain, but I do want it known that I didn't see the serial under ideal conditions.

This serial is structured like no other that I've come across. It's really three stories in one, three different types of serial in one package. The first five chapters introduce Brick Bradford (Kane Richmond) and his sidekick Sandy Sanderson (Rick Vallin) as well as the striking Doctor Tymak (John Merton) and his two assistants. Also on hand are Professor Salsbury (Pierre Watkin) and his daughter June, Brick's girlfriend. Tymak's scientific breakthroughs are at once the maguffins of these stories as well as the means by which they unfold.

Dr.Tymak
The first several chapters introduce us to Tymak's cosmic door which can transport someone to its counterpart which has been flown to the dark side of the Moon. Tymak goes there to escape the villain Laydron (Charles Quigley) and his henchmen. There Tymak finds a society of Earth colonists who have broken into two groups, one democratic and the other under the heel of a tyrant and a token queen. Soon enough Brick and his associates show up and there is much activity in a distinctly Flash Gordon style.

Brick & June
But then suddenly the story shifts gears and Brick and his amigo find themselves in the Time Top headed back two hundred years to get a treasure from some pirates. They run into some natives, fight some grizzled pirates and get the treasure. When they return the story shifts yet again.

This time the story becomes a more traditional crime serial with a few sci-fi touches such as an invisibility gadget. There is a great deal of running around the countryside and eventually as it must in all serials the situation is put to rights. There are a few twists and turns, but overall this is a pretty predictable story.

And alas I have to say, a pretty dull one. The pacing is the problem here for sure. As in all serials there is a lot of running about, but here that takes a long time it seems and long stretches go on where little if anything is accomplished.

Brick & Sandy Meet Lois Lane
There are a few neat suprises such as Noel Neill showing up in the middle of the story as a native girl. She doesn't get any lines, but she sure is pretty.

The Time Top is a keen gimmick and a wonderful prop/set. It's too bad they didn't focus on it more in the last few chapters where most of the dullness sets in. The movie seemed to lack some funds. It had a pretty large cast overall, but some of the costuming was pretty meager.

Kane Richmond does his usual as a hero, but there's surprisingly little for him to do. The fights are pretty ho-hum and as I said, a lot of the time of this serial was taken up by running to and fro.

Brick Bradford might be better under ideal viewing circumstances, but the big storytelling issues aren't going away. It's only marginally recommended for serial purists.


If you're interested in the comic strip by William Ritt and Clarence Gray that inspired this serial, check out this link.

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Rin Tin Tin Cinema!

Rin Tin Tin is a most famous name and at one time a powerhouse at the box office. But by the 1930's the original star was getting a bit long in the fang and soon his mantle would be taken up by Rin Tin Tin Jr.

The Legend of Rin Tin Tin features four serials starring both of these dogs. The first two star the original Rinty and the last two Rinty Jr. alongside Rex The Wonder Horse. All four of these movies are Mascot Serials, the company that would form the basis for Republic.


The Lone Defender was apparently one of the very first full-sound serial films. It's a solid story about a gold mine and the furious activity on the part of the badguys to make off with the claim. A young woman named Valdez loses her father, but the secret of the mine is etched in a watch and in the memory of Rinty her father's faithful dog. The baddies want to snatch both but are fended off by Buzz a young fellow who helps Miss Valdez and a mysterious character named Ramon, who many think is a villain named "The Cactus Kid". This serial is full of riding and Rin Tin Tin fights three other dogs in some rather intense sequences. The movie falls silent for long stretches, a common feature in early sound flicks, and there are some overly long sequences in sandstorms that are pretty difficult to follow. But overall it's an enjoyable journey with a few not-terribly-surprising twists to freshen things.


The Lightning Warrior is the second Rin Tin Tin sound serial. The plot is pretty straightforward, or at least I think so. A group of miners are being scared away from their claims by the threat of Indians stirred up by a mysterious cloaked figure called "The Wolfman" (this movie pre-dates the Universal flick by many years) and the government sends some men to investigate. A boy loses his father, the owner of the richest mine and a G-Man's brother is killed. Rin Tin Tin belongs to the dead brother but hooks up with the boy and they romp through the story escaping some pretty neat cliffhangers. Rin Tin Tin is the "Lightning Warrior" we learn about half way through, it being a nickname given to him by the Indians. It's a great title for a serial, but the explanation is pretty weak. There's other stuff, like a woman who has a father framed for murder who was raised by the sheriff. All of these guys including a few others look good to be the Wolfman. The story doesn't really make sense if you pay too close attention, but I found it had a good momentum and held my attention pretty well.


The Law of the Wild stars Rin Tin Tin Jr. and is a straightforward modern western with cars and horses chasing along the same backroads raising dust and doing damage. A wild stallion named "Rex" by our hero played by Bob Custer turns out to be a desirable racehorse and so gets stolen by veteran serial baddie Richard Alexander. Then the villains struggle with the hero for possession of a bill of sale and the horse is stolen and re-stolen over and over again as the action and the story unfold. The story frankly could use a few more maguffins to keep it fresh in the middle where it sort of bogs down a bit. Ben Turpin, a silent comedy star famous for his crossed eyes supplies the light moments and gets a lot of screen time. Rinty and Rex are a good team in this saga with Rex portraying a very convincing dangerous stallion. Rinty gets hurt a lot in this one, getting shot at least twice and thrown out of several cars and off horses. He must have some healing factor though as he keeps coming back for more.


The Adventures of Rex and Rinty stars Kane Richmond alongside Rin Tin Tin Jr. and Rex the Wonder Horse. This is a pretty good serial with a decent amount of variety in the action. Rinty is a dog possessed of "near human intelligence" who is a stray fending for himself in the world. Rex is a god-horse of Sujan a distant island kingdom who gets stolen by the badguys and ends up through a bunch of coincidences in the stables operated by Kane Richmond's girlfriend's daddy. Richmond plays an expert polo player who trains Rex in that sport. Meanwhile the baddies led by an evil polo player try to steal Rex over and over again. Often it is Rinty to the rescue and the pair have more than a few adventures on their own apart from the main plot. The save some animals and even a lost little boy from an evil human predator. Ultimately of course all is made well and the horse gets back to Sujan, but then you knew that all ready.

All in all these are a fun batch of movies. The quality of the movies is suspect, but I've come to expect that with older flicks. This is not great cinema, but it is fun cinema for sure.

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