S.O.S. Coast Guard
Encyclopedia
S O S Coast Guard is a Republic
film serial. It was the seventh of the sixty-six serials made by Republic. The plot concerns the mad scientist Boroff (Bela Lugosi
) attempting to sell a superweapon to the highest bidder, opposed by Coast Guard
Lieutenant
Terry Kent (Ralph Byrd
), for both personal and professional reasons.
The main stars were Bela Lugosi
and Ralph Byrd
. It was made during the 2-year period when the Hayes Office put a moratorium on horror movies, Lugosi's usual genre, and in the midst of Byrd's notoriety for the highly popular Dick Tracy
serials.
who has invented a "disintegrator gas" and plans to smuggle it to his buyers in Morovania. When his ship, the Carfax, gets stranded on outlying rocks in the first chapter, the Coast Guard comes to rescue him. Recognised by the reporters, Jean and Snapper, Boroff runs and kills the pursuing coast guard Ensign Jim Kent, who turns to be Lt Terry Kent's brother.
As the gas is made from the rare substances Arnatite (which is radioactive) and Zanzoid, Boroff attempts to acquire more of these materials to create more (including salvaging supplies of arnatite from the sunken Carfax). Hot on his heels are the Coast guard
, led by Lt Kent, and the two reporters, with the expert aid of Jean's chemist brother, Dick.
Eventually Terry finds, and leads a squad against, Boroff's cave-based hideout, with disintegrator gas bombs exploding around them.
was $128,530 (a $21,313, or 19.9%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1937 and the most expensive of all Republic serials until the release of The Lone Ranger in 1938. It was filmed between 10 June and 15 July 1937. The serial's production number was 422.
Director William Witney
met his first wife, Maxine Doyle
, while working on this serial.
.
Source:
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
film serial. It was the seventh of the sixty-six serials made by Republic. The plot concerns the mad scientist Boroff (Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
) attempting to sell a superweapon to the highest bidder, opposed by Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Terry Kent (Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
), for both personal and professional reasons.
The main stars were Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
and Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
. It was made during the 2-year period when the Hayes Office put a moratorium on horror movies, Lugosi's usual genre, and in the midst of Byrd's notoriety for the highly popular Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
serials.
Plot
Boroff is a mad scientistMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who has invented a "disintegrator gas" and plans to smuggle it to his buyers in Morovania. When his ship, the Carfax, gets stranded on outlying rocks in the first chapter, the Coast Guard comes to rescue him. Recognised by the reporters, Jean and Snapper, Boroff runs and kills the pursuing coast guard Ensign Jim Kent, who turns to be Lt Terry Kent's brother.
As the gas is made from the rare substances Arnatite (which is radioactive) and Zanzoid, Boroff attempts to acquire more of these materials to create more (including salvaging supplies of arnatite from the sunken Carfax). Hot on his heels are the Coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
, led by Lt Kent, and the two reporters, with the expert aid of Jean's chemist brother, Dick.
Eventually Terry finds, and leads a squad against, Boroff's cave-based hideout, with disintegrator gas bombs exploding around them.
Main cast
- Ralph ByrdRalph ByrdRalph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
as Terry Kent, Coast guard lieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... - Bela LugosiBéla LugosiBéla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
as Boroff, Mad scientistMad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
. The name is very similar, and possibly based on, that of Bela LugosiBéla LugosiBéla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
's rival, Boris KarloffBoris KarloffWilliam Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. - Maxine DoyleMaxine DoyleMaxine Doyle was an American film actress.-Career:Doyle appeared in almost forty films between 1933 and 1946 and is known for her work at Republic Pictures.-Personal life:...
as Jean Norman, Reporter. Maxine later married the director William Witney after meeting him for the first time during production of this serial. - Richard AlexanderRichard Alexander (actor)Richard Alexander was an American character actor. Born in Dallas, Texas, Alexander appeared in numerous film serials such as Flash Gordon and Zorro Rides Again, as well as a leading role in All Quiet on the Western Front. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.-References:...
as Thorg, mute, lobotomisedLobotomyLobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
servant of Boroff - Lee Ford as Snapper McGree, Reporter
Supporting Cast
- Herbert RawlinsonHerbert RawlinsonHerbert Rawlinson was an English stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound films. Rawlinson died of lung cancer in 1953...
as Boyle, Coast guard commanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... - John Picorri as G. A. Rackerby, ScientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
-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...
working for Boroff - Lawrence GrantLawrence GrantPercy Reginald Lawrence-Grant was an English actor known for his supporting roles in films such as The Living Ghost, I'll Tell the World, The Mask of Fu Manchu, and Son of Frankenstein...
as Rabinisi, Boroff's henchman - Thomas CarrThomas Carr (director)Thomas Carr was an American film director of Hollywood movies and television programs.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1907, Carr was born into an acting family. His father was the actor William Carr and his mother was the actress Mary Carr. Thomas Carr followed the family...
as Jim Kent, Terry's brother and a Coast guard ensignEnsign (rank)Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name.... - Carleton YoungCarleton YoungCarleton Scott Young was an American character actor born in New York City, New York and known for his deep voice.-Private life:...
as Dodds, Boroff's henchman - Allen Connor as Dick Norman, Jean's brother and ChemistChemistA chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
- George ChesebroGeorge ChesebroGeorge Chesebro was an American film actor. He appeared in over 400 films between 1915 and 1954, beginning in two reelers starring Texas Guinan.He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California....
as L.H. DeGado, Boroff's henchman - Ranny Weeks as Wies, Boroff's henchman
Production
S O S Coast Guard was budgeted at $107,217 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $128,530 (a $21,313, or 19.9%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1937 and the most expensive of all Republic serials until the release of The Lone Ranger in 1938. It was filmed between 10 June and 15 July 1937. The serial's production number was 422.
Director William Witney
William Witney
William Nuelsen Witney was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion and Drums of Fu Manchu.He directed many Westerns during his career,...
met his first wife, Maxine Doyle
Maxine Doyle
Maxine Doyle was an American film actress.-Career:Doyle appeared in almost forty films between 1933 and 1946 and is known for her work at Republic Pictures.-Personal life:...
, while working on this serial.
Special Effects
The serial's special effects were created by Jack Coyle and the Lydecker brothersLydecker brothers
-Partial filmography:*Darkest Africa *Women in War - Oscar nominated*Adventures of Captain Marvel *Flying Tigers - Oscar nominated*Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe...
.
Theatrical
SOS Coast Guards official release date is 28 August 1937, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges. A 71-minute feature film version, created by editing the serial footage together with some additional scenes shot during its production, was released on 16 April 1942. It was one of fourteen feature films Republic made from their serials.Chapter titles
- Disaster at Sea (30 min 3s)
- Barrage of Death (19 min 46s)
- The Gas Chamber (18 min 40s)
- The Fatal Shaft (19 min 35s)
- The Mystery Ship (18 min 31s)
- Deadly Cargo (18 min 4s)
- Undersea Terror (15 min 46s)
- The Crash! (16 min 34s)
- Wolves at Bay (15 min 56s)
- The Acid Trail (16 min 58s)
- The Sea Battle (17 min 12s)
- The Deadly Circle (17 min 3s)
Source:
Cliffhangers
- Disaster at Sea: Terry and Thorg fight on a Tramp steamerTramp steamerA ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. As opposed to freight liners, tramp ships trade on the spot market with no fixed schedule or itinerary/ports-of-call...
as it sinks. - Barrage of Death: Terry is tied up aboard a boat as the Coast guard open fire unawares.
- The Gas Chamber: Terry and Snapper are trapped in a glass cabinetCabinet (furniture)A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
as the Disintegration Gas melts the room. - The Fatal Shaft: A freight elevatorElevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
crashes down onto Terry. - The Mystery Ship: Whilst attempting to shut them down, Terry is caught in a boilerBoilerA boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
explosion. - Deadly Cargo: A water towerWater towerA water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
, weakened by the Disintegration Gas, collapses on Terry. - Undersea Terror: While fighting underwater, Thorg cuts through Terry's air line.
- The Crash!: The car carrying Terry, Jean and Snapper plunges down a steep slope after Boroff's henchmen shoot out a tyre.
- Wolves at Bay: Terry, Jean and Snapper are caught inside an exploding warehouse.
- The Acid Trail: When Terry attempts to rescue Dick Norman from a burning truck, the brake line melts and it plunges over a cliff into the sea.
- The Sea Battle: Terry is caught by Thorg and pulled into the water to drown.