The Phantom (1943 movie serial)
Encyclopedia
The Phantom is a 1943 classic Columbia Pictures
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 German shepherd Devil (who is a wolf in the original comic).
for his unnamed country. To remove him as an obstacle, he kills The Phantom, only for his recently returned son, Geoffrey Prescott, to inherit the family identity and take over the mantle of The Phantom.
Three of the remaining ivory pieces are owned by Singapore Smith, who initially steals Davidson's pieces. The seventh, and most important, piece is missing at first but turns up in the possession of Tartar (which The Phantom acquires by wrestling Tartar's pet gorilla).
, his real name is Kit Walker, due to the name "Kit" not having been used in the strip up to that point. Here, when covering his costume with a hat, dark glasses, and an overcoat so as to enter civilization unobtrusively, the Phantom tells Singapore Smith to call him "Walker." Most of the serial was filmed in the Hollywood hills, which doubled as the African jungle.
(for Chapter One only) as well as other special features, including actor bios, photo gallery, and comic book art gallery.
Much of the dialogue of one of the chapters (Chapter 11) had to be re-dubbed by new actors, because of sound damage to the original film's soundtrack negative which were damaged from ravages of time.
A different DVD-edition was released exclusively for Australia in 2005, featuring a commentary track by Frew Publications
editor-in-chief Jim Shepherd.
from the same studio." Cline writes that Tyler's characterisation, in his last serial role, was more vivid than that in Adventures of Captain Marvel
but slightly less memorable.
filmed a sequel to The Phantom, this time with John Hart
in the lead role (Tom Tyler had died in 1954). The serial was well into production when producer Sam Katzman
discovered that Columbia's rights to the character had expired, and owner King Features was unwilling to renew them. Katzman hastily transformed Return of the Phantom into The Adventures of Captain Africa
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...
cliffhanger 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...
starring Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler was an American actor in silent and sound motion pictures, best known for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the acclaimed 1941 movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel.-Biography:...
in the title role. The serial is based on Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
's comic strip The Phantom. The serial also features Jeanne Bates
Jeanne Bates
Jeanne Bates was an American radio, film and television actress. She signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in bit parts and larger roles.-Career:...
as the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog
Ace the Wonder Dog
Ace the Wonder Dog was a German Shepherd that acted in several films and film serials from 1938 to 1946. His first appearance was in the 1938 Lew Landers film...
as the Phantom's trusty German shepherd Devil (who is a wolf in the original comic).
Plot
Professor Davidson plans an expedition to find the Lost City of Zoloz. The location of the city is contained on seven pieces of ivory, three of which Davidson already possesses. Doctor Bremmer, however, intends to find the lost city and use it as a secret airbaseAirbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
for his unnamed country. To remove him as an obstacle, he kills The Phantom, only for his recently returned son, Geoffrey Prescott, to inherit the family identity and take over the mantle of The Phantom.
Three of the remaining ivory pieces are owned by Singapore Smith, who initially steals Davidson's pieces. The seventh, and most important, piece is missing at first but turns up in the possession of Tartar (which The Phantom acquires by wrestling Tartar's pet gorilla).
Cast
- Tom TylerTom TylerTom Tyler was an American actor in silent and sound motion pictures, best known for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the acclaimed 1941 movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel.-Biography:...
as The Phantom/Geoffrey Prescott, The Ghost Who Walks. Tyler had an "almost uncanny" resemblance to the character. However, he is also described as wooden in speech and movements, "the Gary Cooper of B films." - Jeanne BatesJeanne BatesJeanne Bates was an American radio, film and television actress. She signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in bit parts and larger roles.-Career:...
as Diana Palmer - Kenneth MacDonaldKenneth MacDonald (American actor)Kenneth MacDonald was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and 1970.-Career:...
as Dr. Max Bremmer - Joe Devlin as Singapore Smith
- Frank ShannonFrank ShannonFrancis Connolly Shannon , better known as Frank Shannon, was an Irish-born actor and writer.A stage actor and silent film pioneer, Shannon made his screen debut in 1913's The Artist's Joke. He later appeared in dozens of films through the mid-1920s, including The Prisoner of Zenda and Monsieur...
as Professor Davidson - Guy Kingsford as Byron Anderson
- Wade Crosby as Long
- John Bagni as Moku
- Sol GorssSol GorssSol Gorss was a prominent American movie, and television actor.He was active from the 1930s to the mid-1960s when he died. His birth name was Saul Gorss. He appeared in many films including: Warlock , Penrod and Sam , Flowing Gold and The Asphalt Jungle...
as Andy Kriss - Stanley PriceStanley PriceStanley Price was an American film supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1956. He was born in Kansas, United States.-Career:...
as Chief Chota (uncredited) - Dick CurtisDick CurtisDick Curtis was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.-Career:Curtis was born Richard Dye in Newport, Kentucky. A tall, hulking actor, standing at 6' 3", Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his...
as Tartar Leader (uncredited) - Ace the Wonder DogAce the Wonder DogAce the Wonder Dog was a German Shepherd that acted in several films and film serials from 1938 to 1946. His first appearance was in the 1938 Lew Landers film...
as Devil
Production
Like most serials, the film had a relatively low budget. In the serial, the Phantom's real name is Geoffrey Prescott, while in the comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
, his real name is Kit Walker, due to the name "Kit" not having been used in the strip up to that point. Here, when covering his costume with a hat, dark glasses, and an overcoat so as to enter civilization unobtrusively, the Phantom tells Singapore Smith to call him "Walker." Most of the serial was filmed in the Hollywood hills, which doubled as the African jungle.
Home media
The serial was released on a double-disc DVD by VCI Video in 2001 (reusing the cover box art from their previous VHS version), featuring a commentary track by writer Max Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
(for Chapter One only) as well as other special features, including actor bios, photo gallery, and comic book art gallery.
Much of the dialogue of one of the chapters (Chapter 11) had to be re-dubbed by new actors, because of sound damage to the original film's soundtrack negative which were damaged from ravages of time.
A different DVD-edition was released exclusively for Australia in 2005, featuring a commentary track by Frew Publications
Frew Publications
Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's The Phantom. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation Mandrake the Magician...
editor-in-chief Jim Shepherd.
Critical reception
According to Harmon and Glut: "Unquestionably, The Phantom was one of Columbia's better serials...a task in casting, settings, and mood totally missing in such disasters as BatmanBatman (serial)
Batman is a 15-chapter serial, released in 1943 by Columbia Pictures. The serial starred Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. J. Carrol Naish played the villain, an original character named Dr. Daka. Rounding out the cast were Shirley Patterson as Linda Page , and William Austin as...
from the same studio." Cline writes that Tyler's characterisation, in his last serial role, was more vivid than that in Adventures of Captain Marvel
Adventures of Captain Marvel
Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 1941 twelve-chapter film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures, adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character then appearing in Fawcett Comics publications such as Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures...
but slightly less memorable.
Attempted sequel
In 1955, Columbia PicturesColumbia 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...
filmed a sequel to The Phantom, this time with John Hart
John Hart (actor)
John Hart was an American motion picture and television actor, born in Los Angeles, California. In his early career, he appeared mostly in Westerns...
in the lead role (Tom Tyler had died in 1954). The serial was well into production when producer Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...
discovered that Columbia's rights to the character had expired, and owner King Features was unwilling to renew them. Katzman hastily transformed Return of the Phantom into The Adventures of Captain Africa
The Adventures of Captain Africa
The Adventures of Captain Africa is a Columbia serial starring John Hart. It was the third to last serial to be produced by Columbia.-Plot:Trapper Nat Coleman and government agent Ted Arnold come upon a plot to take over an African nation...
Chapter titles
- The Sign of the Skull
- The Man Who Never Dies
- A Traitor's Code
- The Seat of Judgment
- The Ghost Who Walks
- Jungle Whispers
- The Mystery Well
- In Quest of the Keys
- The Fire Princess
- The Chamber of Death
- The Emerald Key
- The Fangs of the Beast
- The Road to Zoloz
- The Lost City
- Peace in the Jungle
Source: