DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE (1939)
(July 22, 2002)
From 1939, this is one of the most fondly remembered of the classic Republic cliffhangers, and one which holds up just fine to a viewing today. It has some imaginative chapter endings, a lot of excellent fights and vivid stunts (with none of the CGI and only one or two bluescreen-type effects* that make recent movies a bit unconvincing), and a stirring musical score (something which can make a good action movie seem sluggish or perk up one that's only okay ).
The basic storyline for DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE is a bit more complex than usual, especially compared to the average serial's simple cycle of chase and punch. An escaped convict known only by his number 39013 (pronounced as Thirty-Nine Oh Thirteen) is grimly determined to ruin Granville, the millionaire who was his former employer. Kidnapping the tycoon and holding him in a cell in the man's own mansion, 39013 disguises himself as his victim and proceeds to systematically destroy Granville's empire of oil wells and refineries, tormenting the man before ultimately killing him.
However, three young circus acrobats who survived a fire set by 39013 (a fire which did, however, claim the life of a little brother of one of them) are equally determined to track down the madman and make him sit in that chair where you don't get up by yourself. These three heroes are helped by a mysterious person or persons who leaves them notes signed with a red circle (hence, the title. I always thought it was a Western about three cowboys defending a ranch called the Red Circle).
So it's an interesting tug of war, as 39013 (in his disguise as Granville) always knows what the Daredevils are planning, but our heroes are also getting tip offs from the Red Circle, who seems to know a lot about the situation.
The three acrobatic avengers are Charles Quigley (also the hero of THE CRIMSON GHOST), Herman Brix (excellent in FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN) and David Sharpe (who did fantastic stunts in, well, you name a classic Republic serial from 1939 to 1942). Playing Granville's granddaughter Blanche, who has a few tricks up her sleeve, is the always appealing Carole Landis (one of the rare toilers in cliffhangers who went on to genuine stardom, although it was sadly cut short). Miles Mander did a nice performance as both Granville and the lunatic impersonating him, not an easy acting job to tackle without overdoing it.
But one of the biggest assets to this serial is the actor playing 39013 with serious malevolence and an unforgettable scowl, Charles Middleton. I would place him with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone among my all time favorite villainous voices. 39013 is not only intent on stealing Granville's fortune and estate, he's really making the guy suffer being eventually murdering him. When this deranged mastermind gets what's coming to him, it's a well deserved twist of fate indeed.
The only part of the serial which is not really appealing is the appearance of Snowflake, a black servant who is simpleminded, easily frightened, slow moving and mush-mouthed. Well, we all know by now that pulp novels and movies of that era featured stereotypes--- not just of black people, but of every minority. You just have to take it in context, and luckily Snowflake's comic relief is minor and easily skipped.
This serial also has some elaborate traps, including one of Republic's many death rays (in this case, a therapeutic electric stimulator which has been cranked up a bit too high), and the heroes invariably free themselves with their quick thinking and physical abilities, something much more satisfying than simply jumping out of that speeding car before it goes over the cliff once again.
Dir: William Witney and John English
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*Back then, of course it was rear-projection, even more bogus-looking.
DARKEST AFRICA (1936)
(May 9, 2003)
From 1936, this was the first Republic serial. (Nat Levine had merged the earlier Mascot studio with two small companies to create Republic.) It may seem a bit crude compared to what Republic would be turning out a few years later, but DARKEST AFRICA is a lot of fun.
The serial has a dozen elements of classic pulp adventure stirred and brought to life. There's Joba, the ancient city founded by Solomon in "darkest" Africa, an impressive array of palaces ruled by its evil High Priest (geez, were there any GOOD High Priests??). This guy is plotting to become a complete tyrant by placing a beautiful blonde goddess on the throne, an outsider named Valerie (Elaine Shepard, so charming that I felt strange stirrings during her close-ups). Her younger brother Baru sets off to get help, and who should he find but Clyde Beatty himself?
Beatty, like Frank Buck, was a celebrity in his day as a big game trapper and lion tamer. (Today's equivalent would be the rambunctious Crtocodile Hunter.) He's not a subtle stage actor, but Beatty is convincing enough as himself, and he proves pretty likeable the serial goes on. In his classic Doc Savage getup of riding boots, jodhpurs and long sleeved white shirt, Beatty immediately says, sure, he'll take on an entire city deep in the wilderness to save a blonde babe. A pair of shady ivory hunters follow to make trouble. And the fun begins.
There are many interesting and far fetched things on here. The chubby little Baru (did anyone think to put a shirt or something on this kid?) has been befriended by Pongo. As played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan in his beloved ape suit, Pongo is not only an intelligent gorilla who can follow conversations and who swings through the jungle on what must be very sturdy vines, he is the baddest beast around. This primate can panic an entire native village and scare off a lion; he has more charisma than many human actors.
Instead of the brawls and acrobatic fistfights that would become Republic's specialty, DARKEST AFRICA treats us to numerous encounters between Beatty and unfriendly lions and tigers. He beats them back with a stick, he wrestles them in the Tarzan tradition, he stares them down with sheer intimidation. Even that darn Baru (Manuel King, apparently an animal trainer himself) takes on a few big cats that I personally would only tackle from a helicopter.
But the coolest thing about this serial and probably the item most fans remember best are the Batmen. Yep, the city guard (in light armor and avian helmets), have actual bat wings and they take off and glide all over the place. In some shots, we see a squad of the flying warriors swooping over Joba. This was the first appearance of the technique devised by Howard Lydecker, where lifesize papier mache dummies are slung on thin wire and sent gliding along. The results are amazing for a film of that era and still look impressive. Okay, the Batmen only swoop in straight lines and don't move their arms or legs when flying, but they're still obviously solid figures chasing someone on the ground or circling the city. (To see some great use of this technique, check out ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL and KING OF THE ROCKETMEN.)
DARKEST AFRICA also has a potent theme song, simple but powerful in the cliche "African" style of that era, and the song sticks in your head after you turn the tape off to write a review. There are savage warriors, the Tigermen, chasing our heroes. There are close shaves and bladder bursting death traps. There's also the embarassing pantomime of the actor Hambone, whose overdone panic would, come to think of it, fit in pretty well with today's blatant Chris Rock style comedy. There's that ominous volcano just waiting for the adventure to reach its climax so it can erupt. It's all very upretentious entertainment and well worth a look.
DIR: B. Reeves Eason and Joseph Kane
DICK TRACY (1937)
(Sep 25, 2004)
This was the first of four Dick Tracy serials made by Republic, all starring Ralph Byrd, and it's so cool you can hardly stand it. This early in the game, the studio had not settled into the comfortable formula of the bad guy trying to obtain some hot potato (secret plans, a ray gun, a new explosive), while the hero kept interfering each chapter in dramatic fist fights which never really resolved anything until the final chapter.This serial has a much more linear plot. The cliffhangers are more imaginative and larger in scale than the constant 'cars roaring over cliffs' which we would see ten years later. (My favorite chapter ending here was where Tracy is racing in a little speedboat between two ocean liners which drift in toward each other to crush him. Ever see INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE? Although I also like the moment when Tracy gets his foot tangled in a rope and is dragged underwater behind a submerging submarine - sounds like the kind of thing that could happen to anyone.)
The hero is named Dick Tracy, but he has no connection to that Chicago police detective we saw in the daily comics, the one with a girlfriend named Tess Trueheart and a partner Sam Ketchum, or villains like the Brow or Pruneface or Flattop. Nope, this guy just happens to have the same name. (Okay with me, as I never was a fan of Chester Gould's weirdly flat and claustrophobic strip anyway.) This version of Dick Tracy is the FBI's ace investigator, as much at home analyzing obscure clues under a microscope as he is slugging it out with three thugs at once. He's a tricky cuss, too, planting fake evidence to mislead the crooks, arranging one gangster to escape so Tracy can hide in the trunk of the getaway car and find the headquarters.
Ralph Byrd portrays Tracy with tremendous conviction, acting as if he really is the character and his life is actually on the line (he looks believably alarmed when certain death is only seconds away). He also has a lot of energy, running up flights of stairs like a tiger, swinging on ropes, diving out of moving cars, running over rooftops as though he were training for the Olympics. I can see why Byrd became so closely identified with the role - if only all serial stars brought as much enthusiasm to their performances.
Talking about creepy fiends, the Lame One has got to qualify for a place on the list. Usually, all we see are a pair of limping feet - one big built-up shoe clumping along, the other one dragging. The few glimpses we see of the geek's face aren't exactly charming, either. Leader of the Spider Ring (and occasionally called the Spider himself), the Lame One has a number of criminal schemes in operation at one time. His trademark is that he projects the image of a small white spider on his victim's forehead just before shooting them. Frankly, it seems rather pointless; the victim can't see it and he's going to be killed in a second anyway, but the Lame One seems to get a kick out of it.
He has a couple of advantages your typical mastermind doesn't enjoy. One is the Wing, an advanced stratospheric aircraft that looks like a huge boomerang with propellers and is equipped with sonic destroyers capable of wrecking a bridge with concentrated sound waves. There later was a real plane called the Flying Wing, although it didn't work out too well in practice, and the design is also a bit familiar of today's stealth bombers. (Like most Republic props, the Flying Wing was re-used, and made a second appearance as the aircraft of the Lightning in THE FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS.)
Not enough vile villainy? Well, the Lame One has a surgeon named Moloch on his staff. (With a name like that, he was bound to go wrong, I suppose.) Dr Moloch has a severe hunchback problem, pets his beloved black cat in a most unsavory way and has devised a brain operation which can turn a man completely amoral. Kidnapping Dick's brother Gordon, Moloch operates on the younger Tracy and turns him into a heartless cold-blooded killer. (For some reason, the procedure also gives the man a thick white streak in his hair and excessive eyebrow make-up, who knows why?)
So, while Dick anxiously searches for his missing brother, he has no idea that Gordon has become a henchman in the service of the Lame One. In fact, as things get really desperate, our hero finds himself tied down to the operating table with Moloch preparing to do the same thing to HIM! What a mess. Will the next serial feature a new hero trying to track down the murderous fiend who used to be Dick Tracy?
The rest of the cast is okay but not memorable. I was startled to see Lee Van Atta (as Dick's orphan assistant Junior) because I had just seen the squirt a week ago helping Crash Corrigan in UNDERSEA KINGDOM. As kid sidekicks go, he's often useful and not too annoying. Smiley Burnette, on the other hand, as a simpleton adding a few slapstick touches is someone I wouldn't miss if he were edited out, and Dick's other assistants provide good support but don't really make an impression. Aside from Byrd as Tracy himself, the bad guys steal the show.
Dir: Ray Taylor and Alan James