The Phantom Creeps
Encyclopedia
The Phantom Creeps is a 1939
serial
about a mad scientist
who attempts to rule the world by creating various elaborate inventions. In a dramatic fashion, foreign agents and G-Men
try to seize the inventions for themselves.
It was the 112th serial released by Universal Pictures
and the 44th to have sound. The serial stars Béla Lugosi
as the villainous Doctor Zorka with Dorothy Arnold
and Robert Kent
.
It was adapted in DC's Movie Comics #6, cover date September-October 1939, the final issue of that title.
The first three episodes of The Phantom Creeps were lampooned during the second season of the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
Dr. Zorka has invented many strange weapons of warfare, including a devisualizer belt which renders him invisible; a terrifying, eight-foot tall robot (played by stuntman Edwin "Bud" Wolfe), and he also has a deadly meteorite fragment from which he extracts an element which can induce suspended animation in an entire army. Foreign spies, operating under the guise of a foreign language school, are trying to buy or mostly steal the meteorite element, while his former partner, Dr. Fred Mallory, miffed that Zorka will not turn his inventions over to the U.S. Government, blows the whistle on him to Captain Bob West of the Military Intelligence Department. Tired of answering the door and saying no to the spies and the government, Zorka moves his lab and when his beloved wife is killed, Zorka, puttering around for his own amusement up to this point, gets hacked off as only Lugosi can, swears eternal vengeance against society, and decides to use his inventions to make himself world dictator. And would have if not for his assistant Monk, an escaped convict virtually enslaved by Zorka, who is cowardly, treacherous and totally incompetent, and whose accidental or deliberate interference with Zorka's efforts repeatedly frustrates his master's grand schemes.
, such as an invisibility belt and a remote-control robot. Stock footage
was used from The Invisible Ray (look closely and you'll see Boris Karloff), including scenes of Dr Zorka finding the meteorite in Africa. The music came from the Frankenstein films
. The Phantom Creeps' car chase was itself used as stock footage in later serials. Newsreel
shots of the Hindenburg disaster
were used as part of Dr Zorka's final spree of destruction after his robot, which is supposed to destroy the human race, is stopped by a single shot seconds after being unleashed.
Universal tried to improve serials by eliminating the written foreword at the start of each chapter. This led to The Phantom Creeps being the first serial in which the studio used vertically scrolling text as the foreword.
".
Source:
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
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...
about a mad scientist
Mad 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 attempts to rule the world by creating various elaborate inventions. In a dramatic fashion, foreign agents and G-Men
G-Man (slang)
G-Man is a slang term for Special agents of the United States Government. It is specifically used as a term for a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent....
try to seize the inventions for themselves.
It was the 112th serial released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
and the 44th to have sound. The serial stars Béla 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...
as the villainous Doctor Zorka with Dorothy Arnold
Dorothy Arnold (Olson)
Dorothy Arnold was an American film actress and the first wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Her 20-year movie career began with 1937’s Freshies and ended with 1957’s Lizzie.-Early life:...
and Robert Kent
Robert Kent (actor)
Robert Kent , born Douglas Blackley, Jr, was an American film actor. His career included starring roles in several film serials of the 1940s, including The Phantom Creeps, Who's Guilty?, and The Phantom Rider....
.
It was adapted in DC's Movie Comics #6, cover date September-October 1939, the final issue of that title.
The first three episodes of The Phantom Creeps were lampooned during the second season of the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Dr. Zorka has invented many strange weapons of warfare, including a devisualizer belt which renders him invisible; a terrifying, eight-foot tall robot (played by stuntman Edwin "Bud" Wolfe), and he also has a deadly meteorite fragment from which he extracts an element which can induce suspended animation in an entire army. Foreign spies, operating under the guise of a foreign language school, are trying to buy or mostly steal the meteorite element, while his former partner, Dr. Fred Mallory, miffed that Zorka will not turn his inventions over to the U.S. Government, blows the whistle on him to Captain Bob West of the Military Intelligence Department. Tired of answering the door and saying no to the spies and the government, Zorka moves his lab and when his beloved wife is killed, Zorka, puttering around for his own amusement up to this point, gets hacked off as only Lugosi can, swears eternal vengeance against society, and decides to use his inventions to make himself world dictator. And would have if not for his assistant Monk, an escaped convict virtually enslaved by Zorka, who is cowardly, treacherous and totally incompetent, and whose accidental or deliberate interference with Zorka's efforts repeatedly frustrates his master's grand schemes.
Cast
- Béla 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 Doctor Alex Zorka. Lugosi received top billing for this, his final serial appearance. - Robert KentRobert Kent (actor)Robert Kent , born Douglas Blackley, Jr, was an American film actor. His career included starring roles in several film serials of the 1940s, including The Phantom Creeps, Who's Guilty?, and The Phantom Rider....
as Captain Bob West, G-ManG-Man (slang)G-Man is a slang term for Special agents of the United States Government. It is specifically used as a term for a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent.... - Dorothy ArnoldDorothy Arnold (Olson)Dorothy Arnold was an American film actress and the first wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Her 20-year movie career began with 1937’s Freshies and ended with 1957’s Lizzie.-Early life:...
as Jean Drew, reporter - Edwin StanleyEdwin StanleyEdwin Stanley , was an American film actor. He appeared in over 230 films between 1916 and 1946.He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Doctor Fred Mallory, Doctor Zorka's former partner - Regis ToomeyRegis ToomeyJohn Regis Toomey was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey and attended Peabody High School...
as Lieutenant Jim Daley, G-Man - Jack C. Smith as Monk, Doctor Zorka's assistant
- Edward Van SloanEdward Van SloanEdward Van Sloan was an American film character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films.-Career:...
as Jarvis, foreign spy chief - Dora Clement as Ann Zorka
- Anthony Averill as Rankin, a foreign spy
- Hugh Huntley as Perkins, Doctor Mallory's lab assistant
- Ed Wolff as The Robot
Production
The serial contains some similarities with the earlier serial The Vanishing ShadowThe Vanishing Shadow
The Vanishing Shadow is a Universal film serial.-Plot:Stanley Stanfield is the inventor of the Vanishing Ray, a wearable device which, when active, leaves only the user's shadow still visible. After meeting with a fellow eccentric scientist, Carl Van Dorn, a prototype is built. Stanley intends...
, such as an invisibility belt and a remote-control robot. Stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
was used from The Invisible Ray (look closely and you'll see Boris Karloff), including scenes of Dr Zorka finding the meteorite in Africa. The music came from the Frankenstein films
Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features...
. The Phantom Creeps
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
shots of the Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
were used as part of Dr Zorka's final spree of destruction after his robot, which is supposed to destroy the human race, is stopped by a single shot seconds after being unleashed.
Universal tried to improve serials by eliminating the written foreword at the start of each chapter. This led to The Phantom Creeps being the first serial in which the studio used vertically scrolling text as the foreword.
Influence
The innovation of the scrolling text version of the synopsis at the beginning of each chapter was used for the Star Wars films as the "Star Wars opening crawlStar Wars opening crawl
Each film in the Star Wars series opens with a crawl of text which provides an explanation of the backstory and context of the film...
".
Chapter titles
- The Menacing Power
- Death Stalks the Highways
- Crashing Towers
- Invisible Terror
- Thundering Rails
- The Iron Monster
- The Menacing Mist
- Trapped in the Flames
- Speeding Doom
- Phantom Footprints
- The Blast
- To Destroy the World
Source:
See also
- List of film serials by year
- List of film serials by studio
- List of films in the public domain