The Crimson Ghost
A criminal mastermind known as The Crimson Ghost is out to steal a device called the Cyclotrode, which can short-circuit all electrical current on the planet.
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- Cast：
- Charles Quigley , Linda Stirling , Clayton Moore , I. Stanford Jolley , Kenne Duncan , Forrest Taylor , Emmett Vogan
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Reviews
Powerful
Fantastic!
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
"The Crimson Ghost" is really a hoot. There is Clayton Moore playing one of the henchmen. Then there is Kenne Duncan, a perennial henchman, playing a good guy. He did play another good guy in "The Green Archer." I was disappointed in the fact that two of the suspects behind the Ghost mask were killed off and only two remained at the end. That cut down on the suspense. I had suspected Forrest Taylor as his name was higher in the credits than the final suspect. Don't know why I. Stanford Jolley was fourth billed as he had only a couple of minutes of screen time. It might be that he was a little more known as a character actor at the time. Rex Lease, a serial star in the 1930s, was another henchman. He is probably best known for his 10-second part as the head diner in the opening scene of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Saboteur." A couple of more observations. A white car goes over a cliff at the end of the first chapter. Have seen that same scene in other serials. This is a short serial running 167 minutes. Most serials are over three hours. I wonder who really wore the Crimson Ghost outfit. Probably one of the stunt men. I will not mention the plot as that has been done very well by the other reviewers on this page.
During the 30's,40's,and 50's,republic pictures was known and remembered as the studio that produced some of the greatest action serials of all time!.In the"crimson ghost",a scientific maniac wearing a skull mask and a red robe steals an atomic device called the cyclotrode,which can stop cars,planes,and any electrical device,after it's inventor(kenne duncan) is kiddnapped and killed,a criminologist(charles quigley) and his female assistant(linda sterling) risk their lives through 12 chapters of action packed thrills to stop this maniac from building a larger cyclotrode and bring him to justice!there are many fight scenes and the music score is great too!(for the serial buffs,most of the music in this film is used from republic pictures mysterious doctor satan and dick tracy's g men)this film also stars clayton moore who is later known for playing the lone ranger. this is a great serial to watch for the serial buffs and for anyone who enjoys action,
In this edition, with all the episodes condensed onto one tape, it's pretty obvious that many of the cliff-hangers are resolved the same way. If the car crashes, or explodes, or goes off a cliff, the next episode starts with the same event, but this time we see a scene where the hero hops out the door just in time. Pretty cheap. Well the Crimson Ghost is a very bad man and I guess wants to take over the world or something. More people will know him as The Misfits logo than this villain and I think they might enjoy him in action. I enjoyed almost the whole serial, but found the end all too sudden, at least in the "movie version" I bought.
Beginning, I believe, with their far-better serial, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, Republic Studios had a knack for disguising their criminal masterminds and leaving them masked until the last chapter (Republic probably got the idea from Fritz Lang's THE LAST TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE). Because it worked so well with CAPTAIN MARVEL, the studo would reuse it again and again (ie, DICK TRACY vs. CRIME INC., among others) and it got old fast.However, with this one, the criminal mastermind has got the best looking mask of the bunch. He looks like a traditional, and fearsome, grim reaper incarnate and all he seems to lack is his scythe. Even this villain's name, "the Crimson Ghost," sounds like an alternate appellation that the grim reaper would call himself.I personally dislike the action scenes the Ghost partakes in, because it almost belittles his mystical presence. He should sit majestically in a high chair, speaking orders, like Bond's Blofeld or all the other big league bad guys. He should let his minions do all the dirty work of fighting the heroes. When he puts up his dukes, smashes chairs, or even points a forty-five, he reduces his august presence and appearance. A mastermind should never belittle himself by acting like a henchman.
