Spy Smasher (serial)
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| Spy Smasher | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | William Witney |
| Produced by | William J. O'Sullivan |
| Written by | Ronald Davidson Norman S. Hall William Lively Joseph O'Donnell Joseph Poland C. C. Beck & Bill Parker (character) |
| Starring | Kane Richmond Marguerite Chapman Sam Flint Hans Schumm Tris Coffin |
| Music by | Mort Glickman |
| Cinematography | Reggie Lanning |
| Editing by | Tony Martinelli Edward Todd |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  4 April 1942 January 2003 |
| Running time | 12 chapters (215 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Spy Smasher (1942) is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics.
Spy Smasher is a very highly regarded serial. In the words of Grant Tracey, writing on the Images Journal website, it is "perhaps one of the best serials of all time because of its stunning cliffhangers and unique innovations to the serial form."[1]
This serial was lead actress Marguerite Chapman's big break into a career in movies and television.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Kane Richmond as Alan Armstrong/Jack Armstrong/Spy Smasher
- Marguerite Chapman as Eve Corby
- Sam Flint as Admiral Corby
- Hans Schumm as The Mask
- Tris Coffin as Drake
[edit] Chapter titles
- America Beware
- Human Target
- Iron Coffin
- Stratosphere Invaders
- Descending Doom
- The Invisible Witness
- Secret Weapon
- Sea Raiders
- Highway Racketeers
- 2700 °Fahrenheit
- Hero's Death
- V...
[edit] Stunts and effects
[edit] Special effects
All the special effects in Spy Smasher were created by Republic's in-house effects duo, the Lydecker brothers.
[edit] Stunts
- Yakima Canutt - Republic's "Ram Rod" (Head of the stunt team)
- Carey Loftin as Alan/Jack Armstrong & Spy Smasher (doubling Kane Richmond)
- David Sharpe as Alan/Jack Armstrong & Spy Smasher (also doubling Kane Richmond)
- Ken Terrell (doubling Crane Whitley)
- Bud Wolfe (doubling Richard Bond)
- John Daheim
- James Fawcett
- Loren Riebe
- Duke Taylor
[edit] References in other media
In the 2005 episode of the animated series Justice League Unlimited entitled "Patriot Act", Spy Smasher appears in a World War II flashback. The plot is unconnected to this serial, he is shown preventing the creation of Fawcett Comics supervillain, Captain Nazi. However, the style of the scene is based on a movie serial. For instance, it is drawn in black and white and features similar action and background music.[2]
[edit] See also
- The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), the other Republic serial based on a Fawcett comic
[edit] References
- ^ Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture, Issue 4, retrieved 16th June 2007
- ^ A clip of this scene on You Tube, retrieved 16th June 2007
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc (1941) |
Republic Serial Spy Smasher (1942) |
Succeeded by Perils of Nyoka (1942) |
