Bruce Gentry
Encyclopedia
Bruce Gentry is a Columbia
movie serial
based on the Bruce Gentry comic strip created by Ray Bailey
. It may contain the first cinematic appearance of a Flying Saucer, here the secret weapon of the villain
ous Recorder.
The Recorder (who only issues orders through recordings) in order to perfect the villain
's flying saucer
s. Industrialist Paul Radcliffe hires Bruce to investigate the saucers as he thinks they may have a commercial use.
Necessary for the production of the flying saucers is a mineral called Platonite. The Recorder's only source, an abandoned mine on the land belonging to Jaunita and Frank Farrell, has run dry and he needs to steal supplies from the US Government.
The flying disc may, however, be the first cinematic appearance of a Flying Saucer.
The cliffhangers, and their resolutions, in chapters one and twelve are almost identical.
Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure."
Source:
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
based on the Bruce Gentry comic strip created by Ray Bailey
Ray Bailey
Raymond Frederick Bailey is a former member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. He was first elected to the now abolished Division of Cornwall on the 26 May 1990...
. It may contain the first cinematic appearance of a Flying Saucer, here the secret weapon of the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous Recorder.
Plot
Dr Benson, a friend of charter pilot Bruce Gentry, kidnapped by the masked mystery villainMasked Mystery Villain
A Masked Mystery Villain is a stock character in genre fiction. The Masked Mystery Villain was frequently used in the adventure stories of Pulp magazines and Movie Serials in the early twentieth century. They can also appear in Crime fiction to add to the atmosphere of suspense and suspicion...
The Recorder (who only issues orders through recordings) in order to perfect the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
's flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
s. Industrialist Paul Radcliffe hires Bruce to investigate the saucers as he thinks they may have a commercial use.
Necessary for the production of the flying saucers is a mineral called Platonite. The Recorder's only source, an abandoned mine on the land belonging to Jaunita and Frank Farrell, has run dry and he needs to steal supplies from the US Government.
Cast
- Tom NealTom NealThomas Neal was an American actor best known for appearing in the critically lauded film Detour, a tryst with Barbara Payton and later committing manslaughter.-Career:...
as Bruce Gentry, "Daredevil of the Skies" and charter pilot - Judy Clark as Juanita Farrell, Young rancher whom The Recorder is trying to chase away from her land
- Ralph Hodges as Frank Farrell, Young rancher whom The Recorder is trying to chase away from his land
- Forrest Taylor as Dr Alexander Benson, Kidnapped scientist
- Hugh ProsserHugh ProsserHugh Prosser was a Hollywood actor who appeared in over 90 films between 1936 and 1953.A native of Illinois, Prosser was a versatile supporting performer particularly adept at playing unscrupulous villains, but also satisfactory in character roles and the occasional sympathetic part...
as Paul Radcliffe, Industrialist who hires Bruce Gordon to investigate - Tristram Coffin as Krendon, Lead henchmanHenchmanHenchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
of The Recorder - Jack IngramJack Ingram (actor)Jack Ingram was an American film actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1935 and 1966, according to the Internet Movie Data Base.He was born in Illinois, and died in Canoga Park, California of a heart attack...
as Allen - Terry FrostTerry Frost (actor)Terry Frost was an American actor who appeared in dozens of Western films during the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:...
as Chandler - Eddie ParkerEddie ParkerEddie Parker was a stuntman and actor who appeared in many classic films, mostly westerns and horror films...
as Gregg - Charles King as Ivor
- Stephen CarrStephen CarrStephen Carr is an Irish footballer who plays for and captains Birmingham City. He previously played for the Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle United. He is a former international player with the Republic of Ireland...
as Adrian Hill - Dale Van SickelDale Van SickelDale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
as Gregory, US Government Agent
Production
The flying disc is described by Harmon and Glut as "an embarrassingly bad animated cartoon drawn over the action scenes." Animation also appears in the resolution of a cliffhanger, in which an animated Gentry is used instead of a stuntman.The flying disc may, however, be the first cinematic appearance of a Flying Saucer.
Cliffhangers
At the end of chapter fourteen, Gentry drives over a cliff on a motorbike. In the resolution at the beginning of chapter fifteen, Gentry is replaced by an animation which shows him escaping death by use of a parachute hidden under his jacket.The cliffhangers, and their resolutions, in chapters one and twelve are almost identical.
Critical reception
According to Harmon and Glut, Bruce Gentry was "one of Columbia's closest attempts at imitating the serials of Republic, a studio known for superbly staged action sequences" but it did not equal Republic's standards.Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure."
Chapter titles
- The Mysterious Disc
- The Mine of Menace
- Fiery Furnace
- Grande Crossing
- Danger Trail
- A Flight for Life
- A Flying Disc
- Fate Takes the Wheel
- Hazardous Heights
- Over the Falls
- Gentry at Bay
- Parachute of Peril
- Menace of the Mesa
- Bruce's Strategy
- The Final Disc
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