MYSTERIOUS DR. SATAN

Robert Wilcox as the Copperhead

MYSTERIOUS DR. SATAN (15-chapter Republic serial/1940). Directors: John English; William Witney. Colorized version. 

Dr. Satan (Eduardo Ciannelli of Monster from Green Hell) wants to conquer the world by use of robots, but for that to happen he first has to wrest away a special remote control device from a scientist named Scott (C. Montague Shaw), who has no interest in giving it to him. Satan eventually kidnaps Scott and gives him a drug to make him compliant, even as attempts at a rescue are made by Bob Wayne (Robert Wilcox); Scott's daughter, Lois, a reporter (Ella Neal); and Scott's plucky secretary, Alice (Dorothy Herbert); not to mention Lois' associate, Speed (William Newell). 

Eduardo Ciannelli as the scheming Dr. Satan

Governor Bronson (Charles Trowbridge) is murdered by Satan, but not before he tells Bob Wayne that he is the son of a late misunderstood vigilante named the Copperhead. As Bronson was like a father to Bob, he takes up the mantel of the Copperhead by literally donning the copper mesh headpiece once worn by his real father to tackle Dr. Satan. Satan is an utterly ruthless sociopath, ensuring the loyalty of his men by forcing them to wear chest devices via which he can electrocute them at will. He also employs a gun that can fire needles containing a fast-acting poison. Ciannelli underplays and is all the more effective for it. 

Lois, Bob and Dr. Satan -- in disguise

For fifteen chapters the heroic gang -- the two women are brave and resourceful -- try to outwit Dr. Satan, rescue Professor Scott, and save themselves from a variety of dire fates. The Copperhead races to get Lois and others off of a ship before the villain can explode it in chapter one. Bob and Lois are trapped in a leaking diving bell in chapter three, and Bob is nearly immolated by a rush of fire streaming from a gas truck on the highway in another chapter. Bob uses his wits to get out of another trap -- the walls of an underground cell closing in to crush him -- in chapter eleven. A suspenseful bit of business occurs in chapter 12 when the villain uses Scott's remote control device to take over a plane and tries to bring it down in order to stop another ally of the Copperhead. A box which presumably has the Copperhead inside it is placed inside a furnace in a later chapter, and the final chapter features a host of agents and police officers being snared by Satan's doom traps in his mansion. 

The Copperhead: stand-in for Superman

Mysterious Dr. Satan, like most of Republic's serials, is fast-paced and full of action and furious, furniture-breaking fight sequences. The Copperhead literally throws himself at his adversaries. As usual there are some absurd moments, such as when a gunsel standing on the sidewalk fires his gun and actually hits an associate who is on the roof of a skyscraper, and an amusing moment when Satan, swathed in bandages, claims his burns are superficial (and yet looks like the Mummy!). Dr. Satan was originally to be an adversary for Superman, but DC Comics withdrew their permission and gave it to Columbia. Republic cobbled together the Copperhead character, who has no powers and is nothing like the Man of Steel, and the following year adapted Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel for another excellent serial. As for Robert Wilcox, he had a difficult marriage to fellow alcoholic Diana Barrymore, and died of a heart attack in his forties. 

Verdict: Fun, fast cliffhanger serial with a diabolical, classy bad guy and an interesting good guy. ***1/4.

THE SHADOW (1940)

The Shadow on the prowl!

THE SHADOW (15 chapter Columbia serial/1940). Director: James W. Horne. COLORIZED.

A gang headed by the mysterious Black Tiger is causing havoc in the city as well as conniption fits in some of the most prominent civic leaders, members of the Committee. The Black Tiger is using a special ray to bring down plane after plane as well as targeting railroad trains and other industries. Police Commissioner Weston (Frank LaRue) brings in criminologist Lamont Cranston (Victor Jory) for help -- along with his assistant Harry Vincent (Roger Moore) and secretary Margo Lane (Veda Ann Borg of Accomplice) --  but doesn't realize that Cranston's alter ego, the masked and cloaked crimefighter the Shadow, is also on the case. But Weston comes to believe that the Shadow and the Black Tiger are one and the same, which means Cranston has to fight off cops as well as gunsels!

Victor Jory

The Shadow, one of the best of Columbia's chapterplays, has its flaws -- there aren't that many decent cliffhangers and way too many explosions which the Shadow simply gets up and walks away from -- but in general it's fast-paced and vastly entertaining. Shadow purists have already complained that the Shadow doesn't use his ability to cloud men's minds or seemingly turn invisible -- not to mention that "Lamont Cranston" was also a fake identity -- but he does dress in his cloak and takes on the bad guys with aplomb. While the fight scenes may not achieve the level of operatic -- or acrobatic -- intensity of the Republic serials, they are still quite lively and well-done. The more memorable cliffhangers include Margo being caught below a descending freight elevator, the Shadow falling onto tracks with a train rapidly approaching, and Margo and two others held captive as a sizzling laser beam inexorably pivots in their direction.

Veda Ann Borg as Margo Lane

Then there's Victor Jory, who is perfect casting as Cranston/ the Shadow, a fine actor who adds that touch of class to the proceedings. He also gets the Shadow's taunting, sinister laugh down pat. Jory also scores as the Oriental Ling Chan, another of Cranston's disguises, which he uses to infiltrate the mob. Borg, Moore, LaRue are all on target, and there is notable work from Philip Ahn as Wu Yung, who also assists Cranston, and especially Jack Ingram as Flint Williams, the Black Tiger's main henchman. Richard Cramer does the amusing, terminally grumpy voice of the Black Tiger, who can seemingly become invisible and talks through the replica of a tiger's head. 

Cranston faces the Committee: who is the Black Tiger?

I found this colorized version of The Shadow on youtube and quickly pounced. Although some sections of the serial are not as clear as I might like (I'd rather watch a clear black and white print than a murky colorized one), the color does add to the enjoyment, although some might suggest that a character like the Shadow belongs in black and white. This version is also edited, which means you get the entire serial (not an 80-minute "feature" version like they used to show on television) with the credits, aside from the first chapter, excised. Some might miss those dramatic and fun cliffhanger closings, but this way you get all of the thrills and don't have to sit through the credits over a dozen times. This is not the first or last serial to utilize a grouping or committee of civic leaders, one of whom is intimated to be the master criminal, but The Shadow certainly keeps you guessing as to which one, as the members of the committee are rather numerous. James W. Horne also co-directed Flying G-Men. 

Verdict: Suspenseful and thrilling Columbia serial is a lot of fun! ***1/2. 

RIVER'S END

RIVER'S END (1940). Director: Ray Enright. 

Sgt Derry Connison (Dennis Morgan) of the mounties takes off after escaped convicted murderer John Keith (also Dennis Morgan), who happens to look quite a bit like him. When the former lies dying of exposure, he suggests that Keith, whom he believes to be innocent, take his place in the Mounties and solve the murder for which he was accused. When Connison's sister (Elizabeth Earl) shows up thinking Keith is her brother, he finds himself falling for her. Talk about a sticky situation! Georgie Tobias is Keith's Pal, Andy, and Steffi Duna is Cheeta, who has an unaccountable yen for him. Victor Jory is wasted as a witness at the trial who comes back into the scene. Although the premise is intriguing, this is not a very good picture. 

Verdict: Two Dennis Morgans for the price of one! **.
 

THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES

THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES (1940). Director: Nick Grinde. 

Dr. Leon Kravall (Boris Karloff) was a leader in the field of "frozen therapy" in which cells and people are frozen for allegedly beneficial results, but he disappeared ten years ago. Aha -- it turns out that the good doctor and several others were actually accidentally frozen in a cavern in his basement. Thawed out, the megalomaniacal Kravall insists on doing things his way whether everyone agrees with him or not. Karloff is fun, Jo Ann Sayers is fine as the nurse Judith, and there are some okay ideas and moments in the movie, but overall this doesn't add up to all that much. Still, Karloff is always watchable and so is the film. 

Verdict: Just don't expect too much. **1/2.

 

BEFORE I HANG

BEFORE I HANG (1940). Director: Nick Grinde.

Boris Karloff plays a physician who is not only convicted of a mercy killing but improbably gets the death penalty because of it. He has developed a serum which will reverse the aging process, and he uses it on himself some hours before his scheduled execution. But then the governor commutes his sentence to life imprisonment. The serum makes Karloff look a bit younger and gives him vigor, but it also has an unfortunate, violent side effect. Karloff is fine and restrained in the picture, and frankly he deserved a much better script. Before I Hang doesn't do nearly enough with its premise and actually amounts to very little. Bruce Bennett plays the boyfriend of Karloff's daughter, Martha (Evelyn Keyes).

Verdict: Not much in this cheapie creepy. *1/2. 

CALLING PHILO VANCE

James Stephenson as Philo Vance

CALLING PHILO VANCE (1940). Director: William Clemens. 

Philo Vance (James Stephenson) is sent on assignment to Vienna to investigate an airplane manufacturer named Archer Coe (Richard Kipling), who may be selling important designs to the axis powers. Before Philo can get anywhere he is arrested -- as if anyone could believe Stephenson was an American newspaperman -- and sent back to New York, where he continues his investigation at Coe's townhouse when the man is found murdered. The suspects include the victim's niece, Hilda (Margot Stevenson), who hated her uncle; her boyfriend, Tyler (Ralph Forbes); Coe's associate, Philip (Donald Douglas), who is in love with Hilda; a neighbor named Doris (Sheila Bromley) who is covering for someone; the maid Ling Toy (Bo Ling), who acts suspiciously; and even the butler, Gamble (Martin Kosleck).  Helping or hindering Philo in his investigation are the dyspeptic cop Ryan (Edward Brophy), Chief Inspector Markham (Henry O'Neill), and Philo's Scotch terrier, MacTavish. Then Coe's brother, Brisbane (Wedgwood Nowell), also turns up dead.

Calling Philo Vance is a remake of The Kennel Murder Case, which starred William Powell as Philo Vance. Stephenson could be a fine actor -- he was terrific in The Letter with Bette Davis -- but he has trouble making an impression in the wake of Powell. There are some mildly clever aspects to the murder plot, but the movie has little atmosphere or suspense. Philo Vance was also played by Alan Curtis in two films. William Hopper of Perry Mason and George Reeves of Superman have very small parts in this. 

Verdict: Not Philo's best. **.