ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail

Jock Mahoney and Rick Vallin

ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail (15-chapter Columbia serial/1951). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Thomas Carr. Colorized.

In 1867 there are forces who are opposing the building of a transcontinental railroad. On one side is railroad agent (and secret Deputy  Marshall) Jim Grant (Jock Mahoney) and his allies -- including crusty old Rocky (William Fawcett) and brother and sister Carol and Tom Lane (Virginia Herrick and Harold Landon) -- and on the other side is a man called the Baron (George Eldredge), and his allies, including Homer Lathrop (Jack Ingram), who runs the railroad but is working against it, and the nasty Scully (Rusty Westcoatt). The baron also has many Indians on his side, with the exception of White Eagle (Rick Vallin). 

Mahoney visits with a U.S. Marshall (uncredited)

Throughout the serial's fifteen chapters Jim and his allies are nearly burned at the stake, trapped in a box canyon with explosives being lobbed at them; caught in a variety of gun battles; and Carol nearly goes over a cliff in a runaway wagon. Mahoney -- billed as Jock O'Mahoney -- handles all of this with aplomb, and the rest of the cast, including Fawcett and Myron Healey as Ace, provide good support. A rousing musical score by John Leipold helps a lot. 

Verdict: If you like western cliffhanger serials, this one is a good bet. ***. 

BATMAN AND ROBIN

The dynamic duo!

BATMAN AND ROBIN (15 chapter Columbia serial/1949). Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet. Colorized. 

Commissioner Gordon (Lyle Talbot) calls in Batman and Robin to help him with a sinister foe called the Wizard who uses a remote control device and can even turn himself invisible at times. Also investigating is reporter Vicki Vale (Jane Adams), who hangs out at the estate of always-tired Bruce Wayne (Robert Lowery) and his ward Dick (Johnny Duncan), and whose brother Jimmy (George Offerman Jr.) is a member of the Wizard's gang. Suspects as to the true identity of the Wizard include dyspeptic Professor Hammil (William Fawcett); radio announcer Barry Brown (Rick Vallin); private eye Dunne (Michael Whalen); and Hammil's valet, Carter (Leonard Penn). 

WHO is The Wizard? 

Batman and Robin is one of the best of Columbia's chapterplays, building up real suspense in the final chapters, and featuring exciting fight scenes, chases, and cliffhangers. Lowery and Duncan make a good pair of stalwart heroes, Adams is plucky and pretty, and even Lyle Talbot scores as the commissioner, with Offerman also effective as the ill-fated Jimmy. The Wizard is voiced quite well by Gerald Mohr (of Angry Red Planet). 

Verdict: Despite its obvious absurdities, this chapterplay really plays. ***1/4. 

SENIOR PROM

Carter (Tom Laughlin) and his chipmunk (Jill Corey)

SENIOR PROM (1958). Director: David Lowell Rich. 

College student Gay Sheridan (Jill Corey) is practically engaged to childhood buddy and equally wealthy Carter Breed III (Tom Laughlin) but her heart starts going pitter patter when she meets aspiring singer Tom Harper (Paul Hampton). It makes some sense that she would go for Tom, but little sense that Carter -- who is handsome, suave and rich -- would go for Gay, who looks like a chipmunk. Gay's friends include Dog (James Komack), who drags his bass everywhere, and his gal pal, Flip (Barbara Bostock), who is not even as attractive as Gay. Trying to impress Gay, Carter promises the senior prom entertainment committee that he can get "the hottest act in show biz" -- Louis Prima and his wife (one of several) Keely Smith -- to perform. But does Gay really prefer Tom to dreamy Carter? 

Paul Hampton and James Komack

Senior Prom eschews rock music in favor of pastiche show tunes that are pleasant enough but wouldn't make Rodgers and Hammerstein lose any sleep. One of the numbers, "Big Daddy," is a rather snappy and memorable tune and it is very well performed by Jill Corey, who is not untalented. She was primarily a singer and had only a few film and TV credits. Paul Hampton, who is primarily a composer as well as an actor, amassed quite a few credits after this, his first film. James Komack had many credits as actor, writer and producer. Barbara Bostock was the beatnik dancer in Jerry Lewis' Visit to a Small Planet. Tom Laughlin later became "Billy Jack" in several hit movies.

Chipmunk in love!

An actor who somewhat classes up this cheap Columbia production is Freida Inescort (of The She Creature), who plays Gay's mother, and who doesn't think Tom can take care of her in the style to which she is accustomed. But Tom winds up with a hit record and even appears on the Ed Sullivan Show. The climax is the performances of various entertainers at the senior prom, most of which you can easily miss. Louis Prima is not much to speak of, but Keely Smith had a terrific voice and a lot of energy. When he sings in this Paul Hampton comes off like a California beach boy who is trying to be a Latin Lover boy! David Lowell Rich also directed The Horror at 37,000 Feet. 

Verdict: Smooth if forgettable. **. 

THE MONSTER AND THE APE

The robot "monster"

THE MONSTER AND THE APE (15 chapter Columbia serial/1945. Director: Howard Bretherton. Colorized.

Professor Arnold (Ralph Morgan) has invented a robot which he calls the Metalogen Man after a material used in its construction. A colleague, Professor Ernst (George Macready of Steve Canyon), covets the robot for himself and uses his trained gorilla, Thor (Ray Corrigan), to get it, and thus begins a battle of wills and counter-strategies between opposing factions to get the robot back,  keep it out of Ernst's hands, and stay away from the paws of the mighty Thor and Ernst's nasty henchmen. Working on the side of justice along with Prof. Arnold are Ken Morgan (Robert Lowery of Sensation Hunters), Arnold's daughter, Babs (Carole Mathews of Assignment Redhead), and the lovably bumbling assistant Flash (Willie Best).  

George Macready consults with gunsels 

The Monster and the Ape is a fair-to-middling Columbia serial with a few interesting elements, such as the fact that the bad guys have an extra entrance to Ernst's HQ via a tunnel in the back of Thor's cage in the Municipal Zoo (yes, when he's not out killing people Thor stays in the zoo!). There are some more than decent cliffhangers, such as the bit with a conveyer belt that leads into an incinerator, and an even better sequence with walls closing in on our hero. Although he's as professional in this claptrap as he is in almost everything, Macready is an odd choice for this material, certainly not a career highpoint such as Paths of Glory. It's amusing that when Ernest disguises himself he doesn't disguise his voice -- surely even ten-year-olds would have wondered about that! Willie Best is forced to play the cowardly fool, as usual, but he is quite adept as Flash. 

Verdict: If you can't get enough apes and robots! **1/4. 

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. 

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. 

STEP RIGHT UP! I'M GONNA SCARE THE PANTS OFF AMERICA

STEP RIGHT UP! I'M GONNA SCARE THE PANTS OFF AMERICA. The Memoirs of Hollywood's Master Showman. William Castle. 

In this vaguely entertaining but rather unsatisfying autobio of the late filmmaker, Castle writes of his association with studio boss, Harry Cohn, who gave him his earliest breaks. Castle actually began in the theater, as both actor and stage manager, and he frequently inserts flashbacks to those days in the present-day narrative. After toiling for Columbia doing programmers, he became an associate producer for Orson Welles when the latter directed Lady of Shanghai (according to Castle this was originally a film for The Whistler series!) -- years later he produced Rosemary's Baby, among others -- but didn't really come into his own as a director until he tried to outdo Alfred Hitchcock and the success of Psycho. Because of this Castle got a reputation as a horror specialist, when actually many of his films were not really in that genre. Castle's horror flicks weren't always great -- on occasion they were downright awful -- but he did do some nifty items such as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, Mr. Sardonicus, Homicidal, and Strait-Jacket. Castle became King of the Gimmicks, floating skeletons over audiences' heads, and wiring seats to give some patrons a shock (a really dumb idea). As much as I get a kick out of some of his movies, I didn't find myself especially liking or admiring Castle, who comes off as a self-absorbed and insensitive hustler more than anything else. I also found myself not believing much of what he's written (did Welles and James Agee really admire Castle's terrible When Strangers Marry?) The weirdest sections of the book deal with Castle's assertions that witches were responsible for his gall stones after Rosemary's Baby was released!

Verdict: Castle gets credit for making some fun movies that have stood the test of time, but this bio is hardly the last or most objective word on his career. **1/4.  

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961)

Giant Crab attack!

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961). Director: Cy Endfield. 

Near the end of the Civil War, a group of Union soldiers, one rebel, and a war correspondent wind up in a balloon that gets caught in a major storm and dumps them on a large deserted island. On this mysterious island the men -- including Captain Harding (Michael Craig), young Herbert (Michael Callan), Sgt. Pencroft (Percy Herbert), Cpl. Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson) and Gideon Spilitt (Gary Merrill) -- encounter giant animals such as crabs and bees, and discover an unseen benefactor who turns out to be the infamous Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom). Jules Verne's novel has undergone a great many changes -- including the addition of the outsized monsters -- but it was a partial sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. 

Michael Craig and Michael Callan

The big animals, of course, give FX wizard Ray Harryhausen a chance to exploit his stop-motion expertise, and we have very fluid crabs, bees, a big kind of chicken, and a bad-tempered squid with beady eyes. And then there's that outstanding score by Bernard Herrmann who brings every sequence vividly to life with his exciting music. Along with the aforementioned actors we have two shipwrecked ladies played ably by Beth Rogan and Joan Greenwood. Craig makes a handsome and authoritative captain, Merrill is amusing and adept as the newspaperman, and the others are all generally on target as well. 

Verdict: Very entertaining and colorful action-fantasy film. ***. 

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. 

BATMAN AND ROBIN (1943)

Talbot, Lowery and Duncan

BATMAN AND ROBIN (15 chapter Columbia serial/1943). Director: Spencer Bennet. 

An unknown enemy called the Wizard (voice of Gerald Mohr, I believe)  employs a device that can take over control of any moving vehicle from afar. Later he develops the ability to turn invisible and can really get up to mischief! The Batman (Robert Lowery) and Robin (Johnny Duncan) find there are a number of suspects who could be the nefarious Wizard: Professor Hammil (William Fawcett), who may not be stuck in a wheelchair as he pretends; his houseman Carter (Leonard Penn); the inventor Morton (Marshall Bradford); radio announcer Barry Brown (Rick Vallin), who seems to know a lot more about the Wizard's activities than he should; and others.

The Wizard plots

Suspenseful, exciting, and quite well-done in all departments, Batman and Robin is one of the best-ever Columbia serials, and one of the best cliffhangers ever made period. Lowery and Duncan impersonate the Dark Knight and his ward to near-perfection; Jane Adams and George Offerman Jr. are notable as reporter Vicki Vale and her ill-fated brother, Jimmy; and even Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon is better than usual. There is no batmobile in this serial, but we do have the batcave and its entrance through a grandfather clock. Cliffhanger sequences include Batman being forced to shoot Robin; a room that rapidly fills with a deadly gas, trapping our heroes; and Batman falling off of a cliff after being electrofried. The serial also has terrific theme music, although the composer is uncredited. 

Verdict: Far superior to and a lot more fun than the sixties TV show and many of the movies that followed. ***1/2. 

FLYING G-MEN

James Craig, Robert Paige and Richard Fiske

FLYING G-MEN (15 Chapter Columbia serial/1939). Directed by James W. Horne and Ray Taylor. 

Five years ago four pilots known as the Skyhawks became famous when they flew around the world. Now saboteurs are operating in America and one of them decides to take on the identity of the Black Falcon to fight them. One of the four -- Ed McKay (William Lally), who was planning to test a new bombing device -- is killed almost immediately, leaving behind a beloved sister, Babs (Lorna Gray of Exposed) and little son, Billy (Sammy McKim). The three other men are Hal (Robert Paige), Bart (Richard Fiske) and John (James Craig), who are assisted at times by Babs and little Billy. 

James Craig as one of the G-Men

Flying G-Men is an entertaining Columbia chapterplay with no great cliffhangers as such but plenty of fast-paced action both on the ground and in the air. Not too much suspense is generated over the identity of the mastermind behind the sabotage, whose unveiling happens relatively early on. The notion of keeping the hero's identity secret was used earlier in The Lone Ranger and later on in The Masked Marvel, but there isn't much suspense worked up over that, either. No matter, the serial is still fun. Lorna Gray has little to do in the serial but would get more attention when she played the villainess in The Perils of Nyoka. Although the theme music is pretty snappy, the score in general is overdone, like something out of a silent movie with a piano playing along. Our heroes fly about in certain chapters in a "pick-a-back" plane which has one aircraft attached to the top of another. 

Verdict: Entertaining Columbia serial thriller. ***.