RADAR PATROL VS. SPY KING

Plane trouble: Jean Dean and Kirk Alyn

RADAR PATROL VS. SPY KING (12 chapter 1949 Republic serial). Director: Fred C. Brannon. COLORIZED.  

Franklyn Lord (Tristram Coffin) assigns two of his best agents -- Chris Calvert (Kirk Alyn) and Joan Hughes (Jean Dean) -- to track down the so-called Spy King, a man named Baroda (John Merton). Now that the war is over Baroda is trying to build an anti-radar device that he can sell to the highest bidder, and Chris and Joan -- along with Lt. Manuel Agura (George J. Lewis) -- are out to stop him. Baroda has several evil associates, the worst of whom is Nitra (Eve Whitney), although Ricco (Anthony Warde) is also pretty nasty. Along the way there are traps consisting of explosions, deadly gas, cars driving off of cliffs, and a closed laundry basket that rolls out of the back of a truck with Joan (supposedly) inside it. There's even a remote control truck with no driver. 

John Merton and Eve Whitney hold Jean Dean captive

Radar Patrol vs. Spy King is a lot of fun, moves at an extremely brisk pace., and has a great, exciting score by Russell Garcia and Stanley Wilson that embellishes each and every sequence. Alyn and Dean make assured and capable agents, and Joan can be as feisty as she needs to be, clobbering bad guys with her purse and shooting with the best of 'em. Although John Merton is rather colorless as Baroda, Eve Whitney makes one stylish and sophisticated she-spy. Five years later she sort of played herself as a model who comes to the Ricardo's home and inspires jealousy in Lucy and Ethel on the classic I Love Lucy episode "The Charm School." Actually this and Lucy were probably Whitney's largest roles, as most of her film appearances were uncredited bits. This is too bad, as Whitney makes a positive impression in Radar Patrol. Anthony Warde makes a highly capable gunsel as usual. The hideout used by Nitra and Baroda is a plane hidden in the forest. 

Colorized serials on youtube are hit or miss, as sometimes the original print is too poor to work well with the colorizing process. Fortunately, this print is pretty clear and very watchable, even if it isn't remastered. Although this print contains the entire serial, the credits -- aside from the opening -- have been edited out so the serial proceeds at a really rapid pace. 

Verdict:  Eve Whitney steals the show! ***