THE SECRET CODE

The Black Commando

THE SECRET CODE (15 chapter Columbia serial/1942). Director: Spencer Gordon Bennett. 

Lt. Dan Barton (Paul Kelly) is framed for sabotage and goes on the run. He tries to ingratiate himself with a gang of Nazi saboteurs and prove that he is trustworthy. Putting on a mask and dark outfit, he also runs about as the Black Commando, doing things he can't do as Barton. A sticky situation develops when the one man on the force who knows the truth about Barton is killed, but he still has supporters, including Sgt. Pat Flanagan (Clancy Cooper) and reporter Jane Ashley (Anne Nagle), who suspects Barton is the Commando. In both guises, Barton tries to foil the nefarious plots of the saboteurs while remaining close enough to get the information he requires to stop them. 

Anne Nagel and Paul Kelly

A superior Columbia chapterplay, The Secret Code has lots of action and exciting cliffhangers: Dan trapped by a deadly gas which causes an explosion; a fall off a skyscraper; trapped in webbing on a dock and nearly crushed by falling crates; and forced to shoot Flanagan in chapter thirteen. The bad guys employ a desk that lowers into the floor to reveal their secret headquarters, and at one point try to use radio bombs in one of their nasty schemes. Stalwart Paul Kelly and the fruity-voiced Anne Nagel give very good performances, handling this material with just the right touch. Trevor Bardette [Jungle Girl] plays the secret leader of the spies. Spencer Gordon Bennett also (co) directed The Purple Monster Strikes and many other serials.

Verdict: Snappy serial material. ***1/4.