The Phantom (1943 movie serial)
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| The Phantom | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | B. Reeves Eason |
| Produced by | Rudolph C. Flothow |
| Starring | Tom Tyler, Jeanne Bates, Kenneth MacDonald |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Phantom is a classic cliffhanger serial starring Tom Tyler in the title role. The serial is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom.
The serial also features Jeanne Bates as the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog as the Phantom's trusty hound Devil.
In 1955, Columbia Pictures filmed a sequel to The Phantom, this time with John Hart in the lead role (Tom Tyler had passed away in 1954). However, due to licencing issues with King Features, the owner of the character, the entire serial was re-shot and re-named The Adventures of Captain Africa.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Young Geoffrey Prescott takes over the mantle of The Phantom, a seemingly immortal man, from his dying father, and must thwart the evil Doctor Bremmer's plans to find the lost city of Zoloz, where the doctor intends to build a hidden airbase. To find Zoloz, the Phantom and Bremmer are both searching for pieces of a map that will lead them to the secret city, which is hidden deep in the jungle.
As in all serials, the hero has to fight his way through a path of many dangerous traps and set-ups. Every episode ends with an exciting cliffhanger, where the hero finds himself in great danger.
[edit] Episode List
1) The Sign of the Skull
2) The Man Who Never Dies
3) A Traitor's Code
4) The Seat of Judgement
5) The Ghost Who Walks
6) Jungle Whispers
7) The Mystery Well
8) In the Quest of the Keys
9) The Fire Princess
10) The Chamber of Death
11) The Emerald Key
12) The Fangs of the Beast
13) The Road to Zoloz
14) The Lost City
15) Peace in the Jungle
[edit] Taglines
- THE AMAZING PHANTOM COMES TO THRILLING LIFE ON THE SCREEN!..Based on King Features Syndicated Cartoon Character Created by LEE FALK and RAY MOORE!
- AMERICA'S FAVORITE CARTOON HERO...NOW ON THE SCREEN!
- He's here...he's everywhere...STRIKING FEAR in the hearts of his country's enemies!
- The most fantastic...most exciting serial ever made!
[edit] Trivia
- In the serial, the Phantom's real name is Geoffrey Prescott, while in the comic strip, his real name is Kit Walker. This was because the Kit Walker name had not been used in the comic strip at the time the serial was made.
- On the serial's DVD release, much of the dialogue of one of the chapters had to be re-dubbed by modern actors, because of sound damage to the original film.
- Tom Tyler's Skull-belt buckle was in fact a real pirate-artifact, sent to him by a fan who had read in the newspaper that he was going to play the Phantom.
- Creator Lee Falk hated the serial. In an interview with Comic Book Marketplace, he claimed to have never seen anything else than the first chapter. In his own words, the serial "looked like it had been made in a phone booth".
- The serial is so far the only film to actually show the iconic handover of the Phantom legacy from the dying father to his son.
