The Phantom (serial): Difference between revisions

'''''The Phantom''''' is a 1943 15 -chapter [[cliffhanger]] [[superhero]] [[Serial (film)|serial]], produced by [[Rudolph Flothow|Rudolph C. Flothow]], directed by [[B. Reeves Eason]], and starring [[Tom Tyler]] in the title role. It is based on [[Lee Falk]]'s comic strip ''[[Phantom (comics)|The Phantom]]'', first syndicated to newspapers in 1936 by [[King Features Syndicate]]. The serial also features [[Jeanne Bates]] as the Phantom's girlfriend [[Diana Palmer (The Phantom)|Diana Palmer]], and [[Ace the Wonder Dog]] as the Phantom's trustytrusted German shepherd Devil (who is a wolf in the original comic strip).

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 [[airbase]] 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.

* [[Ernie Adams (actor)|Ernie Adams]] as Rusty Fenton

* [[John S Bagni]] as Moku

* [[Frank Shannon]] as Prof. Davidson

* [[Kenneth MacdonaldMacDonald (American actor)|Kenneth MacDonald]] as Dr. Max Bremmer

* [[Joe Devlin (actor)|Joe Devlin]] as Singapore Smith

Like most serials, ''The Phantom'' had a low budget. Most of the serial was filmed in the [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] hills, which doubled as the African jungle.<ref name=RetFan1>{{cite journal |last=Pasko |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Pasko|date=Summer 2018|title=The Ghost who Stumbles: The Phantom Phollies of Philmland|journal=RetroFan |issue=1 |pages=17–24 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]}}</ref>

According to [[Jim Harmon]] and [[Donald F. Glut]]: "Unquestionably, ''The Phantom'' was one of Columbia's better serials...a task in casting, settings, and mood totally missing in such disasters as ''[[Batman (serial)|Batman]]'' from the same studio.".<ref name=GMS /> In a 2018 retrospective, [[Martin Pasko]] contended that "''The Phantom'' has all the problems most serials - Columbia's in particular - did: an implausible script riddled with inane, unplayable dialogue; wretchedly wooden acting; and a budget that rendered ludicrous any attempt to stage believable, much less spectacular, action by today's standards.".<ref name=RetFan1/>

Cline wrote that Tyler's characterization, in his last serial role, was more vivid than that in ''[[Adventures of Captain Marvel]]'' but slightly less memorable.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cline | first = William C. | title = In the Nick of Time | year = 1984 | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X | chapter = 5. A Cheer for the Champions (The Heroes and Heroines) | page = 83 }}</ref> He added that Tyler had an "almost uncanny" resemblance to the comic strip character.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cline | first = William C. | title = In the Nick of Time | year = 1984 | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X | chapter = 2. In Search of Ammunition | page = 26}}</ref> However, Pasko said that he "seems old beyond his years, and not at all the vigorous young man who could plausibly do what the script demands of him.".<ref name=RetFan1/> Harmon and Glut described him as wooden in his speech and movements, "the Gary Cooper of B films".<ref name=GMS>{{cite book | last = Harmon | first = Jim | author2=Donald F. Glut | author2-link=Donald F. Glut | author-link = Jim Harmon | title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury | year = 1973 | publisher = Routledg | isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9 | pages = 268–270 | chapter = 10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!"}}</ref>

Phantom creator [[Lee Falk]] disliked the serial, commenting that "Itit looks like it was shot in a [[phone booth]].".<ref name=RetFan1/>

| chapter = Filmography}}</ref>

* {{IMDb title|0036262|The Phantom}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom (serial), The}}

[[Category:1940s fantasy adventure films]]

[[Category:American1940s superhero films]]

[[Category:1940s English-language films]]

[[Category:American fantasy adventure films]]