The Secret Code (serial)
Encyclopedia
The Secret Code was the 19th serial
released by Columbia Pictures
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
' successful Spy Smasher
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
. Republic
's Spy Smasher serial
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Source:
The Secret Code (1942
) was the 19th serial
released by Columbia Pictures
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
' successful Spy Smasher
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
. Republic
's Spy Smasher serial
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Source:
The Secret Code (1942
) was the 19th serial
released by Columbia Pictures
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
' successful Spy Smasher
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
. Republic
's Spy Smasher serial
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Source:
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...
released by Columbia Pictures
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...
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
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....
' successful Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
Plot
This serial introduces us to the WWIIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
Cast
- Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
as Lieutenant Dan Barton and The Black Commando - Anne NagelAnne NagelAnne Nagel was an American actress. She played in adventures, mysteries, and comedies for twenty-five years. She also appeared in television series in the 1950s.-Career:...
as Jean Ashley - Trevor BardetteTrevor BardetteTrevor Bardette was an American film actor.He made over 172 movies and seventy-two TV appearances in his career. Bardette appeared in several memorable episodes in Adventures of Superman. In the 1951 show, The Human Bomb, he played the sinister title character...
as Jensen - Robert O. DavisRudolph AndersRudolph Anders was a German character actor who came to the United States after the rise of Hitler, and appeared in numerous American films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. During the 1940s, he used the stage name of Robert O. Davis...
as Rudi Thysson - Clancy CooperClancy CooperClancy Cooper was an American actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1938 and 1962.He was born in Boise, Idaho and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* The Secret Code...
as DS Pat Flanagan - Gregory GayGregory GayeGregory Gaye was a Russian-American actor. The son of an actor, he was born Gregory De Gay in Petrograd, now known as St. Petersburg....
as Feldon, Nazi agent - Louis DonathLudwig DonathLudwig Donath , was an Austrian actor who appeared in many American films.-Life:Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he returned to Vienna and was active there in theater and film and until the...
as Professor Metzger - Beal Wong as Quito
- Eddie ParkerEddie ParkerEddie Parker was a stuntman and actor who appeared in many classic films, mostly westerns and horror films...
as Berk, Chief henchman - Wade BotelerWade BotelerWade Boteler was an American film actor. He appeared in over 430 films between 1919 and 1943.He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as Burns, Police chief - Charles C. Wilson as Desk Sergeant Cullen
- Alex Callam as P.I. Hogan
- Robert FiskeRobert Fiske (actor)Robert Fiske was an American film actor during the 1930s and 1940s.Born in Griggsville, Missouri he appeared in 66 films, primarily B-movies and westerns. He died in Sunland, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 54 and was buried at Forest Lawn Glendale, Glendale,...
as P.I. Ryan - Selmer Jackson as Major Henry Barton
- Jacqueline Dalya as Linda
Production
The hero, The Black Commando, was patterned after Spy SmasherSpy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
. Republic
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....
's Spy Smasher serial
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Theatrical
The Secret Code was released in Latin America in May 1944, under the title La Clave Secreta, in English with Spanish subtitles. This serial also was released as a feature film overseas.Critical reception
Harmon and Glut consider this serial to be above average for a Columbia production.Chapter titles
- Enemy Passport
- The Shadow of the Swastika
- Nerve Gas
- The Sea Spy Strikes
- Wireless Warning
- Flaming Oil
- Submarine Signal
- The Missing Key
- The Radio Bomb
- Blind Bombardment
- Ears of the Enemy
- Scourge of the Orient
- Pawn of the Spy Ring
- Dead Men of the Deep
- The Secret Code Smashed
Source:
See also
External links
The Secret Code (1942
1942 in film
The year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) was the 19th 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...
released by Columbia Pictures
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...
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
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....
' successful Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
Plot
This serial introduces us to the WWIIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
Cast
- Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
as Lieutenant Dan Barton and The Black Commando - Anne NagelAnne NagelAnne Nagel was an American actress. She played in adventures, mysteries, and comedies for twenty-five years. She also appeared in television series in the 1950s.-Career:...
as Jean Ashley - Trevor BardetteTrevor BardetteTrevor Bardette was an American film actor.He made over 172 movies and seventy-two TV appearances in his career. Bardette appeared in several memorable episodes in Adventures of Superman. In the 1951 show, The Human Bomb, he played the sinister title character...
as Jensen - Robert O. DavisRudolph AndersRudolph Anders was a German character actor who came to the United States after the rise of Hitler, and appeared in numerous American films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. During the 1940s, he used the stage name of Robert O. Davis...
as Rudi Thysson - Clancy CooperClancy CooperClancy Cooper was an American actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1938 and 1962.He was born in Boise, Idaho and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* The Secret Code...
as DS Pat Flanagan - Gregory GayGregory GayeGregory Gaye was a Russian-American actor. The son of an actor, he was born Gregory De Gay in Petrograd, now known as St. Petersburg....
as Feldon, Nazi agent - Louis DonathLudwig DonathLudwig Donath , was an Austrian actor who appeared in many American films.-Life:Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he returned to Vienna and was active there in theater and film and until the...
as Professor Metzger - Beal Wong as Quito
- Eddie ParkerEddie ParkerEddie Parker was a stuntman and actor who appeared in many classic films, mostly westerns and horror films...
as Berk, Chief henchman - Wade BotelerWade BotelerWade Boteler was an American film actor. He appeared in over 430 films between 1919 and 1943.He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as Burns, Police chief - Charles C. Wilson as Desk Sergeant Cullen
- Alex Callam as P.I. Hogan
- Robert FiskeRobert Fiske (actor)Robert Fiske was an American film actor during the 1930s and 1940s.Born in Griggsville, Missouri he appeared in 66 films, primarily B-movies and westerns. He died in Sunland, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 54 and was buried at Forest Lawn Glendale, Glendale,...
as P.I. Ryan - Selmer Jackson as Major Henry Barton
- Jacqueline Dalya as Linda
Production
The hero, The Black Commando, was patterned after Spy SmasherSpy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
. Republic
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....
's Spy Smasher serial
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Theatrical
The Secret Code was released in Latin America in May 1944, under the title La Clave Secreta, in English with Spanish subtitles. This serial also was released as a feature film overseas.Critical reception
Harmon and Glut consider this serial to be above average for a Columbia production.Chapter titles
- Enemy Passport
- The Shadow of the Swastika
- Nerve Gas
- The Sea Spy Strikes
- Wireless Warning
- Flaming Oil
- Submarine Signal
- The Missing Key
- The Radio Bomb
- Blind Bombardment
- Ears of the Enemy
- Scourge of the Orient
- Pawn of the Spy Ring
- Dead Men of the Deep
- The Secret Code Smashed
Source:
See also
External links
The Secret Code (1942
1942 in film
The year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) was the 19th 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...
released by Columbia Pictures
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...
. It features the masked hero "The Black Commando" facing Nazi saboteurs, inspired by Republic Pictures
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....
' successful Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
serial of the same year. The chapters of this serial each ended with a brief tutorial in cryptography.
Plot
This serial introduces us to the WWIIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
scenery, when a superhero tries to prevent Nazi agents from stealing a secret formula. The spy ring is led by fifth columnist Rudy Thyssen, who is trying to get possession of this top-secret formula the United States had developed for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Then, Police Lieutenant Dan Barton stages a public dismissal from the police department, in order to join the saboteurs ring and learn their secret code they have been using, creating explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the exhausting war effort. To further assist his efforts, Barton assumes the secret identity of the Black Commando, a masked man who is wanted both by the villains and police, who (allegedly) are also searching for Barton for a murder charge. Finally, Barton attempts to steal the formula and is captured by Thyssen and put under the protection of the sabotage ring. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to his girlfriend Jean Ashley. After innumerable troubles and lost efforts in trying to decipher the enemy's secret codes, our hero thinks that the villains could be annihilated by the tried and true method of having their escaping submarine rammed and destroyed. As an aggregate value, at the end of each thrill-packed episode the audience is given a short lecture on solving complex secret messages.
Cast
- Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
as Lieutenant Dan Barton and The Black Commando - Anne NagelAnne NagelAnne Nagel was an American actress. She played in adventures, mysteries, and comedies for twenty-five years. She also appeared in television series in the 1950s.-Career:...
as Jean Ashley - Trevor BardetteTrevor BardetteTrevor Bardette was an American film actor.He made over 172 movies and seventy-two TV appearances in his career. Bardette appeared in several memorable episodes in Adventures of Superman. In the 1951 show, The Human Bomb, he played the sinister title character...
as Jensen - Robert O. DavisRudolph AndersRudolph Anders was a German character actor who came to the United States after the rise of Hitler, and appeared in numerous American films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. During the 1940s, he used the stage name of Robert O. Davis...
as Rudi Thysson - Clancy CooperClancy CooperClancy Cooper was an American actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1938 and 1962.He was born in Boise, Idaho and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* The Secret Code...
as DS Pat Flanagan - Gregory GayGregory GayeGregory Gaye was a Russian-American actor. The son of an actor, he was born Gregory De Gay in Petrograd, now known as St. Petersburg....
as Feldon, Nazi agent - Louis DonathLudwig DonathLudwig Donath , was an Austrian actor who appeared in many American films.-Life:Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he returned to Vienna and was active there in theater and film and until the...
as Professor Metzger - Beal Wong as Quito
- Eddie ParkerEddie ParkerEddie Parker was a stuntman and actor who appeared in many classic films, mostly westerns and horror films...
as Berk, Chief henchman - Wade BotelerWade BotelerWade Boteler was an American film actor. He appeared in over 430 films between 1919 and 1943.He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as Burns, Police chief - Charles C. Wilson as Desk Sergeant Cullen
- Alex Callam as P.I. Hogan
- Robert FiskeRobert Fiske (actor)Robert Fiske was an American film actor during the 1930s and 1940s.Born in Griggsville, Missouri he appeared in 66 films, primarily B-movies and westerns. He died in Sunland, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 54 and was buried at Forest Lawn Glendale, Glendale,...
as P.I. Ryan - Selmer Jackson as Major Henry Barton
- Jacqueline Dalya as Linda
Production
The hero, The Black Commando, was patterned after Spy SmasherSpy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
. Republic
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....
's Spy Smasher serial
Spy Smasher (serial)
Spy Smasher is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher, which is now the property of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads.This serial...
had been released several months before The Secret Code in 1942. Columbia's adverts for The Secret Code included the phrases "Smash spies with the Secret Service" and "Thrill again to spy smashers' biggest chase!"
Each chapter ended with a quick lesson in cryptography and a "brief patriotic admonishment" given by Selmer Jackson. Cline describes this as "propaganda in its basic form...delivered in the most effective way possible - by a respected authority figure in the person of one of Hollywood's most credible actors."
Theatrical
The Secret Code was released in Latin America in May 1944, under the title La Clave Secreta, in English with Spanish subtitles. This serial also was released as a feature film overseas.Critical reception
Harmon and Glut consider this serial to be above average for a Columbia production.Chapter titles
- Enemy Passport
- The Shadow of the Swastika
- Nerve Gas
- The Sea Spy Strikes
- Wireless Warning
- Flaming Oil
- Submarine Signal
- The Missing Key
- The Radio Bomb
- Blind Bombardment
- Ears of the Enemy
- Scourge of the Orient
- Pawn of the Spy Ring
- Dead Men of the Deep
- The Secret Code Smashed
Source: