MYSTERY MOUNTAIN

Ken Maynard

MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (12 chapter Mascot serial/1934). Directors: Otto Brower; B. Reeves Eason. 

After her father's death Jane Corwin (Verna Hillie) wants to keep her transportation company going despite the competition from a new railroad that wants to tunnel through the nearby mountain. When a mysterious figure called the Rattler -- who wears a black cloak and glasses with a fake nose and mustache attached! -- begins acts of sabotage against the railroad, supervisor Frank Blayden (Edward Earle of Heartaches) blames Jane. Railroad detective Ken Williams (Ken Maynard) is called in to find out who the Rattler really is, and there are several suspects. The Rattler uses poison darts and other weapons against his enemies and to confound and confuse them puts on realistic masks of various people involved in the story. But can Ken ever unmask the Rattler?

The Rattler sneaks up on Breezy

Mystery Mountain is a fun if minor serial from Mascot, which almost always seems to have the villain using masks of his enemies and associates to cause dissension among the others. (A notion later stolen for the Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible movies.) Maynard, best-known as a big cowboy star (who was reportedly a real son of a bitch in real life), is more than competent as the hero, and Verna Hillie is both attractive and credible as the heroine. There is way too much of Syd Saylor as reporter and comedy relief Breezy Baker, who is as much screw-up as helpmate to Williams. Mystery Mountain can be both exciting and suspenseful, but it cries out for much more music. Another cast member is Ken Maynard's amazing horse Tarzan, who seems to be as smart as Roy Rogers' Trigger. B. Reeves Eason also directed Spy Ship. 

Verdict: Entertaining Mascot serial with good players. ***. 

SPY SHIP

Maris Wrixon and Craig Stevens

SPY SHIP (1942). Director: B. Reeves Eason. Colorized. 

Pam Mitchell (Irene Manning) works for a committee that wants to keep the United States out of WW2, but she is actually a spy for the Axis powers, paid good money by German agents operating out of a ship in New York's harbor. Her sister, Sue (Maris Wrixon), has no idea of this but disagrees with her public isolationist policy. Sue is the girlfriend of reporter Ward Prescott (Craig Stevens of The Hidden Hand), who has become suspicious of Pam's activities; Pam's father (George Irving) seems to actively hate her. Pam is stringing along a poor sap named Gordon (Tod Andrews of From Hell It Came) but is secretly in love with another traitor, Martin Oster (William Forrest), who is more interested in getting his hands on some incriminating letters he sent her. Then Koshimo Haru (Keye Luke) shows up on the ship to tell him that Japan is about to take certain steps -- the next day Pearl Harbor is bombed. 

Stevens on the story

Despite everything going on, including the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Spy Ship is dull and seems much, much longer than an hour. Irene Manning makes a good villainess, but the death of this horrible creature occurs off-screen, providing no catharsis for the audience. It is also unbelievable that Ward's editor (Frank Ferguson of The Big Night), would get so excited about covering her murder on the very day of Pearl Harbor -- that's all that anyone would be talking or reading about! Craig Stevens walks through the movie with one expression, and his character never seems to get all that excited about anything. Maris Wrixon is acceptable as the good sister, but she's too bland to be memorable. 

Verdict: Not even Keye Luke can save this. *1/2.