Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island
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| Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island | |
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| Directed by | Ray Taylor Mack V. Wright |
| Produced by | Nat Levine Sol C. Siegel |
| Written by | Morgan Cox Maurice Geraghty Barry Shipman |
| Starring | Ray Mala Mamo Clark Herbert Rawlinson William Newell John Ward John Dilson Selmer Jackson John Picorri |
| Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld |
| Cinematography | Edgar Lyons William Nobles |
| Editing by | Helene Turner William Witney |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 14 November 1936 15 January 1937 1950s 1966 |
| Running time | 14 chapters (256 min) |
| Budget | $106,779 (Negative cost: $111,848) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (1936) is a Republic Movie serial starring Ray Mala. It was the fourth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic and the last (of four) to be released in 1936. Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island is notable for being the first Republic serial to contain another common aspect of serials - a Re-Cap Chapter, similar to a clipshow in modern televison where the events of the previous chapters are repeated via clips (in order to save money). This may have even been the invention of the concept, which was then routinely used in serial production.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Following the sabotage and destruction of Pacific Dirigible Airlines' airship San Francisco on her maiden flight on the new California-Australia route (with the death of thirty-three people on board), the United States Intelligence Department assigns Agent Mala to investigate. Evidence points to the refuelling station on Clipper Island (in the Pacific Ocean). Mala heads to the island as a company radio operator, with partner Hank McGlaurie and dog Buck, along with local princess Melani and novelist Anthony Tupper.
The masked master spy known only as H.K. has learned of his mission and despatches his henchmen to intercept. Also casuing problems is High priest Porotu, who wishes to usurp Princess Melani and rule the Komatoans.
[edit] Cast
Ray Mala as Mala, operative of the United States Intelligence Department undercover as a Pacific Dirigible Airlines radio operator
Rex the Wonder Horse
Buck the Dog
Mamo Clark as Princess Melani, Princess and ruler of the Komatoans
Herbert Rawlinson as Grant Jackson
William Newell as Hank McGlaurie, Agent Mala's partner
John Ward as Anthony Tupper, English Novelist accompanying Agent Mala
John Dilson as E. G. Ellsworth, joint owner of Pacific Dirigible Airlines with Canfield
Selmer Jackson as Canfield, joint owner of Pacific Dirigible Airlines with E. G. Ellsworth
[edit] Supporting Cast
John Picorri as Porotu, High priest of the Komatoans with ambitions to be their new ruler
George Chesebro as Draker, Henchman of H.K. and chief of island operations
Bob Kortman as Wilson, Captain of the yacht Tuloa chartered to take Mala to Clipper Island
George Cleveland as Goebel, the gang's chief scientist
Lloyd Whitlock as Lamar, a Henchman of H.K.
Tiny Roebuck as Eppa, a Komatoan wrestler
Tracy Layne as Larkin, a Henchman of H.K.
Herbert Weber as Stevens, suspected Pacific Dirigible Airlines employee on Clipper Island
Anthony Pawley as Clark, a dying man on Clipper Island
Allen Connor as Jim Taylor
[edit] Production
This serial was filmed between 31 August and 25 September 1936 under the working title of Robinson Crusoe. It was released on 14 November 1936. It was rereleased in several forms made from editing together the chapters - a 71-minute feature version on 15 January 1937, a television series of six 26½-minutes in the early 1950s and a 66-minute feature version in 1966 called Robinson Crusoe of Mystery Island.
The planned budget was $106,779 but it went over budget by $5,069 (4.7%) for a final negative cost of $111,848.
[edit] Chapter titles
- The Mysterious Island (31 min 21s)
- Flaming Danger (20 min 46s)
- Fathoms Below (18 min 03s)
- Into the Enemy's Camp (17 min 27s)
- Danger in the Air (17 min 41s)
- The God of the Volcano (17 min 19s)
- Trail's End (15 min 41s)
- The Jaws of the Beast (16 min 17s)
- The Cave of the Winds (17 min 22s)
- Wings of Fury (16 min 29s)
- Agents of Disaster (16 min 22s) -- Re-Cap Chapter
- The Sea Trap (16 min 41s)
- Mutiny (18 min 35s)
- Thunder Mountain (16 min 21s)
[edit] Cliffhangers
- The burning mainmast of the Tuloa falls on Mala.
- Mala is captured by natives and forced to fall into a volcano.
- While diving, and with the ship above being shelled by a submarine, Mala begins to sufocate.
- Mala and Lamar are caught in the explosion of an overheated boiler.
- The plane carrying Mala crashes into the Pacific Ocean.
- Mala and Melani are caught in a landslide caused by an earthquake.
- While escaping from aggresive natives, Mala and Melani slip off a cliff.
- With his vine cut, Mala falls into Alligator infested water.
- While scaling a cliff, Mala is shot at and falls.
- Struggling with the pilot of a biplane causes it to crash into the Pacific Ocean.
- Mala's car is forced off the road and over an embankment.
- Mala and Melani, escaping in a motorboat, are shot at by a cannon.
- Mala is caught by gas aboard an Airship, which begins to crash.
Note: Many of the solutions to these cliffhangers are "cheats" - they change or obviously do not match the events shown in the preceeding cliffhanger.
[edit] Stunts & Effects
Stunts by Loren Riebe
Special Effects by:
John T. Coyle
The Lydecker brothers
[edit] Trivia
- This serial is unusual in having 14 chapters and it is the only sound serial to do so. Most serials had either 12 or 15 chapters.
[edit] References
- Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement; Mathis, Jack, 1995, ISBN 0-9632878-1-8
- Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] External Links
- Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island at the Internet Movie Database
- Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island Trailer at YouTube
- The Serial Squadron
| Preceded by The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936) |
Republic Serial Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (1936) |
Succeeded by Dick Tracy (1937) |
