THE CRIMSON GHOST -- IN COLOR!

The Crimson Ghost in costume

THE CRIMSON GHOST (12 chapter Republic serial/1946). Directors: William Witney; Fred C. Brannon. Colorized. 

The Crimson Ghost, as he calls himself, is one of the members of a scientific committee and is employed by a foreign government. The Ghost is after a "cyclotrode," a device which can "instantly stop any electrically-controlled mechanism," which he uses more than once. His nasty helpmates include Ashe (Clayton Moore of G-Men Never Forget) and Bain (Rex Lease), and the Ghost also employs special collars that sap the will of victims, force them to commit criminal acts, and can even kill them from afar. Aiming to stop him are Duncan Richards (Charles Quigley of The Iron Claw) and his efficient assistant, Diana (Linda Stirling of The Purple Monster Strikes).  

Quigley and Stirling

The Crimson Ghost is a whirlwind Republic serial with a generally good musical score and reasonably adept performances. The true identity of the Ghost is kept secret until practically the final minute of the serial. There are some decent cliffhangers -- a room fills with poisoned gas; a rope is cut, causing Duncan to fall towards the street below; a car smashes into the wall of a boathouse etc. -- although virtually all of them are "cheats," with the characters always jumping out of the way in the last second. However, this doesn't matter as the furious fisticuffs, the extreme nastiness of the villain, and the sheer fun of the serial makes it a winner. As usual, the color adds a new, welcome dimension. 

Verdict: Can't keep that Ghost down! ***. 

THE IRON CLAW

The Iron Claw looms in

THE IRON CLAW (15-chapter Columbia serial/1941). Director: James W. Horne. 

Old reprobate Anton Benson (Forrest Taylor) pretends to be ill in his sprawling mansion and jealousy guards knowledge of a cache of gold that everyone both within and outside of his family wants to get their hands on. Anton is assisted by the butler, Gyves (John Beck), who knows much more about what's going on than he reveals. Other greedy characters include Anton's jailbird brother, Roy (Norman Willis), Anton's daughter, Millie (Edyth Elliott), her husband Simon Leach (Allen Doone), Dr. James Benson (Alex Callam), and others. Anton's brother, Culver (James Metcalfe), is murdered in the first chapter. Gangster Silk Langdon (Charles King) and his cohorts are also after the treasure, as is a mysterious figure known only as the Iron Claw, who sneaks about the mansion's corridors and many secret passages. 

Joyce Bryant and Charles Quigley

Into this merry gathering come Anton's niece, Patricia (Joyce Bryant), reporter Bob Lane (Charles Quigley of Daredevils of the Red Circle), and his photographer, Jack "Flash" Strong (Walter Sande), with the hapless Captain Casey (James C. Morton) along for the ride. Much of the action shifts down to Mexico, where Anton -- and virtually everyone else -- go to find the treasure deep in a mine. The treasure winds up being tossed back and forth between participants while the final chapters take place both around and inside Anton's mansion. During all this the Iron Claw, who never really seems especially scary, seems to become a guest-star in his own serial, as there are far too many players to keep track of. Cliffhangers include explosions, cave-ins, a pit filled with spikes, a room with hot jets of burning steam, and so on, all recorded at a breathless pace. 

Sinister shadow of the Iron Claw

There are times when The Iron Claw resembles nothing so much as a screwball comedy, and there's too much alleged comedy relief. The fight scenes, which occur frequently, can best be described as riotous, with each melee a free-for-all in which lots of furniture is gleefully smashed along with heads and faces. These almost approach the level of the fisticuffs in later serials from Republic. Super-fast-paced and generally entertaining, it's a shame that there is no great copy of The Iron Claw in existence, to my knowledge. A copy in four parts on youtube is better than a copy I have on DVD -- at least you can see what's happening in the night-time sequences -- but there are still gaps, sound distortions, a murky visual quality and so on. The cast is certainly enthusiastic. 

Verdict: Fun, but you might want to wait until this is digitally remastered. **3/4. 

DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE

Bennett, Sharpe and Quigley

DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE (1939/12-chapter  Republic serial). Directors: John English; William Witney. NOTE: This is a colorized version. 

Harry Crowel (Charles Middleton) has escaped from prison and disguised himself as industrialist Horace Granville (Miles Mander), who is kept prisoner in a cell in his own basement. Opposing Crowel are the three circus daredevils Tiny Dawson (Bruce Bennett of Mystery Street), Burt Knowles (David Sharpe) and Gene Townley (Charles Quigley of The Crimson Ghost). The fellows get involved when Gene's little brother Sammy, (Robert Winkler), is killed in a fire at an amusement pier started by Crowel's henchmen. With the assistance of Granville's granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis), the Daredevils do their best to stop the nefarious plans of the sinister Crowel. 

Daredevils of the Red Circle is a good and exciting serial, even if the fisticuffs in this are perhaps not as lively as in other Republic cliffhangers. Still there are good sequences: a raging flood in a tunnel; a factory pool that catches fire; and especially a locked garage that fills with gas. As expected Charles Middleton offers the best performance as Crowel. 

Verdict: Some thrilling fun -- in color! ***. 

THE CRIMSON GHOST

The Crimson Ghost played by ?

THE CRIMSON GHOST (12 chapter Republic serial/1946). Directed by William Witney and Fred C. Brannon. 

A masked figure called the Crimson Ghost is secretly one of the board members of a scientific society. Professor Chambers (Kenne Duncan) has invented the cyclotrode, the "most powerful offensive weapon in the world" and the Ghost can't wait to get his hands on it. The cyclotrode can neutralize virtually all forms of energy. The Ghost and his associates Ashe (Clayton Moore) and Bain (Rex Lease) enact various schemes to either steal the cyclotrode or make a duplicate, doing their best to loot armored cars and purloin some heavy water. Their efforts are stymied by Duncan Richards (Charles Quigley), who is not only a physicist himself but a security man. His associate Diana (Linda Stirling) proves an able helping hand on more than one occasion.  

Linda Stirling and Charles Quigley 

The Crimson Ghost is an exciting and briskly-paced serial, with lots of Republic's trademark furious fisticuffs and furniture-smashing battles. Our hero falls from a wire he's traversing in chapter three, almost succumbs to poison gas pumped into a locked room in chapter four, and apparently falls from a high window into an alley with a thud in chapter eleven. Chapter six is especially action-packed, featuring a plane crash, a battle by cliff side, and the explosion of a bridge. The Ghost is, as usual, an  utterly ruthless, amoral and sociopathic criminal and his henchmen are little better. Quigley makes a stalwart hero in this; Linda Stirling had more to do in earlier serials such as Zorro's Black Whip and The Tiger Woman, when she was the leading lady.  Quigley was in a number of serials and B movies. 

Verdict: Punches and thrills galore. ***.