SCI-FI PEPLUM CLASSIC by Dave Goode

 

One of my favorite Republic movie serials was UNDERSEA KINGDOM (1936). Produced by Nat Levine and directed by B.Reeves Eason and Joseph Kane, this was Republic's second serial and the studio's answer to Universal's FLASH GORDON. The story written by Tracy Knight, John Rathmell, Maurice Geraghty, and Oliver Drake found U.S. Naval officer " Crash " Corrigan thwarting the plans of undersea tyrant Unga Khan to conquer first Atlantis and then the surface world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1966 the serial was edited into a feature film and released to television re-titled "SHARAD OF ATLANTIS". No doubt to make it sound more like the "gladiator movies"  that were still popular at the time. It was in this form that I first saw this movie.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally saw the movie in serial form I was pleasantly surprised to see Chapter One unedited. In it the hero's athletic abilities are firmly established as he competes as a track & field star, wins the Army-Navy Game for Annapolis and finally has a wrestling match. So we know that the hero is up to any challenge he may face in the course of the movie. Crash portrayed by stuntman and B-Western star Ray Corrigan is aided in his adventures by reporter Diana Compton (Lois Wilde), Professor Norton (C. Montague Shaw) and the professor's young son Billy played by Lee Van Atta. By the way, Sharad is the high priest of the good Atlanteans. And, he is played by actor William Farnum. The villainous Unga Khan is portrayed by Monte Blue and he is aided by Lon Chaney Jr. who plays Captain Hakur of the Black Robes.

 

 

 

 

The movie has science fiction elements like Professor Norton's super submarine, a tank-like vehicle used by Unga Khan's men, death-rays, and robots. Just enough to make it resemble something akin to Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series. But most of the action comes from Ray Corrigan's athleticism.

This movie could easily have been remade during the peplum movie cycle starring Steve Reeves or one of his Muscle Beach brethren like Ed Fury.

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The Crimson Ghost by Dave Goode

 

Something that I've found very gratifying over the last couple of years is that fans of the band The Misfits now know who the Crimson Ghost is. Remember years ago you would see someone wearing a Misfits T-shirt and you would mention the Republic movie serial villain and they would have no idea what you were talking about ? Well now they do.

 

 

THE CRIMSON GHOST (1946) was one of the best of Republic's movie serials. Directed by Fred C. Bannon and William Witney the screenplay was credited to Albert De Mond , Basil Dickey , Jesse Duffy and Sol Shor.

 

 

 

The 12 chapter serial has the Crimson Ghost , a mysterious , masked criminal mastermind out to steal the cyclotrode ,a device that can short-circuit electric currents. With this device he plans to conquer the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cast is great. You have a pre-Lone Ranger Clayton Moore as Louis Ashe , the villain's chief henchman. In his fedora and pinstriped suit he looks like a gangster from a Batman comic book of the era. Charles Quigley a veteran Republic hero plays stalwart hero Duncan Richards. Lovely Linda Sterling , Republic's B-movie and serial queen portrays heroine Diana Farnsworth. I always thought Republic should have purchased the rights for the Golden Age comic book heroine the Black Cat as a vehicle for Miss Sterling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course there was the Crimson Ghost himself. One of the best serial villains ever ,the Crimson Ghost was visually striking. At first glance you're looking at what appears to be an adult Halloween costume. But it's truly frightening. I can see the character starring in a villain-driven pulp or comic book.