The Masked Marvel

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For other uses, see Masked Marvel.
The Masked Marvel
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
Produced by William J. O'Sullivan
Written by Royal K. Cole
Ronald Davidson
Basil Dickey
Grant Nelson
George H. Plympton
Joseph F. Polland
Starring William Forrest
Louise Currie
Johnny Arthur
Richard Clarke
Anthony Warde
David Bacon
Cinematography Reggie Lanning
Distributed by Republic Pictures
Release date(s) Flag of the United States 1943
Running time 197 min (12 chapters)
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $157,110 (negative cost:$179,960)[1]
IMDb profile

The Masked Marvel (1943) was a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many of the best known of the serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced.

Contents

[edit] Plot

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In it the Masked Marvel, a hero dressed in a business suit and a face mask, fights the Japanese saboteur Sakima and his espionage organization. The hook of the story is that, in a reversal of the common serial "Masked Mystery Villain" stock character, the audience doesn't know who the hero is until the final reel; all the audience is told is that The Masked Marvel is one of a group of special investigators (the same plotline is used in the Republic serial The Lone Ranger).

[edit] Production

Filming on The Masked Marvel took place between 14 July 18 August 1943. It was budgeted for $157,110 but the final negative cost was $179,960, and overspend of $22,850 or 14.5% (against an average overspend of $8,199.55, 5.7%, for a Republic serial). In terms of cost per chapter, this was Republic's third most expensive serial, behind Radar Men from the Moon and The Tiger Woman.[1]

The reality of the Marvel's secret identity was that, except for two shots, one in the cliffhanger sequence for chapter one with the hero "doubled" by a dummy for a high fall (during the course of which the arm of the dummy can clearly be seen being ripped off!) and the other the final unmasking, he was played throughout by master stuntman Tom Steele, with his voice dubbed in by radio actor Gayne Whitman, since Steele's natural voice was a light tenor, somewhat similar to Henry Fonda's, and did not record as particularly "tough." Neither was credited, and this is all the more surprising in Steele's case as he also appeared, maskless, in two other roles as Sakima's thugs, both of whom were killed.

The Masked Marvel was a "jinxed" role. David Bacon got the role because four previous actors had injured themselves and were unable to work. While filming one of the serial’s big fight scenes, every actor but Bacon was seriously injured. "I’ll probably get hurt going home in the car," he had joked. Bacon was murdered and found in his car just two weeks after the production of the serial had been completed.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Chapter list

  1. The Masked Crusader
  2. Death Takes the Helm
  3. Dive to Doom
  4. Suspense at Midnight
  5. Murder Meter
  6. Exit to Eternity
  7. Doorway to Destruction
  8. Destined to Die
  9. Danger Express
  10. Suicide Sacrifice
  11. The Fatal Mistake
  12. The Man Behind the Mask

[edit] Stunts and effects

The Masked Marvel title card
The Masked Marvel title card

[edit] Stunts

  • Tom Steele, Republic's "Ram Rod" (stunt co-ordinator)
  • Fred Graham doubling Roy Barcroft & Harry Woods
  • Duke Green doubling Anthony Warde & Stanley Price
  • Betty Miles doubling Louise Currie
  • Allen Pomeroy
  • Ken Terrell doubling Johnny Arthur

[edit] Special effects

The effects in The Masked Marvel were produced by Republic's team, the Lydecker brothers.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mathis, Jack [1995]. Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement (in English). ISBN 0-9632878-1-8. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943)		 Republic Serial
The Masked Marvel (1943)		 Succeeded by
Captain America (1944)
v • d • e
Republic serials
Pre-war Serials
(1936-1942)
War-time Serials
(1942-1945)
Post-war Serials
(1945-1955)
The Phantom Rider • King of the Forest Rangers • Daughter of Don Q • The Crimson Ghost • Son of Zorro • Jesse James Rides Again • The Black Widow • G-Men Never Forget • Dangers of the Canadian Mounted • Adventures of Frank and Jesse James • Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc • Ghost of Zorro • King of the Rocket Men • The James Brothers of Missouri • Radar Patrol vs Spy King • The Invisible Monster • Desperadoes of the West • Flying Disc Man from Mars • Don Daredevil Rides Again • Government Agents vs Phantom Legion • Radar Men from the Moon • Zombies of the Stratosphere • Jungle Drums of Africa • Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe • Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders • Trader Tom of the China Seas • Man with the Steel Whip • Panther Girl of the Kongo • King of the Carnival
Actors and Actresses
Stunt Performers
Production Crew
See also
v • d • e
American films of the 1940s
1940 •1941 •1942 •1943 •1944 •1945 •1946 •1947 •1948 •1949