BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Lawbolisted Powerful

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

GUENOT PHILIPPE I am not surprised when I read that the great Roy Barcroft said that his character as Captain Méphisto was his all time favourite. This is a top serial, in serial history book. One of the best Republic ones, if you consider the post William Witney era. What a serial Bill Witney would have done with such material... But this one is awesome, even without Witney. Don't forget that there were three directors in charge, three serial vets: Wallace Grissel, Yakima Canutt - the fabulous stuntman - and the best serial director ever, besides again William Witney: Spencer Gordon Bennett. A pure gem. Speaking of the serials, this one illustrates the fact that, in such features, the stuntmen were SO IMPORTANT that they were not chosen because they looked like the lead actor, but on the contrary; the actors were chosen because their resemblance to the stuntmen!!! And it seems that in some serials, the stuntmen themselves were the heroes. They were both the lead characters and their own doubles during the fights. And what fights!!! I think of Dale Van Sickel, in a serial which I don't remember the title.Back to this one, what a great moment to see the legendary Linda Stirling and Roy Barcroft together...Whao !!!

John W Chance 15 episodes of looking for Linda Stirling's father on a small island? Too bad the plot is so thin, with each chapter having the barest hint of story, merely as a quick prelude to fights, fights and more fights. The cast is so small that almost every chapter has one or two fights between the dork hero, Richard Bailey, and Kenne Duncan, as the main henchman,(here in one of his biggest roles before his Ed Wood days) and frequently a threeway with Roy Barcroft (Captain Mephisto).Surprisingly, the serial really moves along, with the action scenes (directed by the Great Yak--Yakima Canutt, who finally gets directing credit this time) and cliff hangers exciting and holding your interest. The fun part in watching all the sets getting destroyed during the fights is guessing when any piece of vertical furniture (including filing cabinets, bunk beds or bookcases)is going to get knocked over and smashed. Great leaping and throwing of objects, and total destruction of rooms! Way to go, Yak!Since this is Republic in the mid forties, we expect a few jump out of the car before it goes over the cliff cheap chapter endings, but we get several interesting variations on Republic's stock of cliff hanger endings. In many of them, Linda Stirling herself saves the hero, and in several chapters shoots a gun! She certainly shows confidence in her athleticism after having done such a good job in "The Tiger Woman" (1944) and "Zorro's Black Whip" (1944). In fact, in the last chapter, she kills Mephisto!Not too bad, considering what little they had to work with, but still only four stars.

judiwegley One of the main reasons I enjoyed this serial so much is because Linda Stirling seemed to rescue our hero almost as many times as he rescues her! This made her role a little ahead of its time, I think. She was more a team player than just a damsel in distress. Really fun stuff and Linda plays her part to the fullest. It must have been a drag having to wear the same outfit for 15 episodes, but,in true serial fashion, none of the guys lost their hats during the numerous fight scenes. I tend to watch for that - it's kind of a trademark of serials. I thought it was fun to try and figure out which one of the cast was the real Captain Mephisto! This is great "Rainy Day" fare - and relatively family-friendly! I recommend it.

Harold-10 As far as Linda Stirling's cliffhangers go, this is the best of the bunch. Stirling stars along with Republic staple Roy Barcroft and Richard Bailey in the search for an evil pirate from the past. Lance (Bailey) and Claire (Stirling) head to Mystery Island to search for Claire's father, a scientist being held by the evil Captain Mephisto. Mephisto is a pirate from 200 years earlier, who is transformed into a business man who owns part of the island. The mystery lies in which one of the four owners actually is Mephisto.Claire is a spitfire of a damsel, able to hold her own against Mephisto and his henchmen. This serial is partially directed by legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, so the chases, the fights and the explosions are all top notch. Of course, there is a level of kitsch that comes with the territory of chapterplays, but this one has its own charm, and is a example of what a cliffhanger should be.