Robert Fiske Movies

Bob Kane's 1939 Detective Comics superhero The Batman came to the screens in serial form courtesy of Columbia Pictures and producer Rudolph C. Flothow. In time-honored serial fashion, Flothow chose Lewis Wilson for the title role, a relative newcomer, but one with an amazing facial resemblance to the cartoon character. Wilson's athletic ability, however, left a lot to be desired and Douglas Croft, cast as young sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder, looked too old for his role, especially when doubled by a hairy-legged stunt man. For censorship purposes, the serial Bruce Wayne was not a lone Gotham millionaire crusader but gainfully employed by the Unites States government. Said government is terrorized by evil Dr. Daka (J. Carroll Naish), an emissary from Emperor Hirohito complete with atom-smasher ray guns and a device that turns its wearers into zombies. (The device, placed on the skull of its victim, resembles something from a child's Erector set.) Batman and Robin are aided by lovely Linda Page (Shirley Patterson), whose uncle (Gus Glassmire) becomes one of Dr. Daka's first victims. From the Bat Cave, the three crusaders and Wayne's butler, Alfred (William Austin), venture forth to battle the forces of evil in general and a scenery-chewing Naish in particular -- travelling in a convertible and not the later so familiar batmobile. It takes them 15 chapters and a race through an amusement park to finally destroy the evil Daka and the title of the concluding chapter, "Doom of the Rising Sun," must have brought a ray of hope to a war-weary populace. The Batman was directed by Lambert Hillyer, a veteran who knew something about bats from having previously helmed Dracula's Daughter. The serial was popular enough to merit a sequel, although it would take six more years until Columbia debuted The New Adventures of Batman and Robin (1949). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Though the film's title is The Texas Kid, the film's star Johnny Mack Brown plays a cowboy named Nevada. The titular "kid", played by Marshall Reed, is a former bandit leader who decides to go straight-and gets a bullet in his back for his trouble. Nevada and his sidekick Sandy (Raymond Hatton) take over from the Texas Kid, seeing to it that the stagecoach carrying the payrolls for local ranches aren't molested by the Kid's old gang members. As Monogram pictures go, this one goes rather well, with some well-lensed location shots. The Texas Kid was scripted by Lynton Brent, a general-purpose actor who also plays a small role in the film; Brent is perhaps best known today for his work in Columbia's "Three Stooges" comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Big Boss is Jim Maloney (Otto Kruger), who pulls all the political strings in an unnamed major metropolis. Maloney's chief antagonist is scrupulously honest "reform" governor Bob Dugan (John Litel). The fact that Maloney and Dugan are actually brothers, orphaned in childhood and raised separately, adds both texture and poignancy to their current adversarial relationship. Intending to reveal his fraternal ties to Dugan at a crucial moment in the latter's anti-corruption campaign, Maloney is ultimately defeated by the forces of Righteousness. Outside of the always dependable Otto Kruger and John Litel, the film's best performance is delivered by the underrated Gloria Dickson as a fairly realistic newspaperwoman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tim Holt and sidekicks Ray Whitley and Emmett Lynn join an outlaw gang in this RKO Western filmed on-location at Victorville, CA, and at the Walker and Jauregui movie ranches. When their friend Pop Edwards is shot (in the back, no less) by Doc Randall (Robert Fiske) and his crew, Jeff (Holt), Smokey (Whitley), and Whopper (Lynn) take it upon themselves to avenge him. They do so by infiltrating the gang, and, in time, are awarded assistance by the sheriff (Hal Taliaferro) and café singer Mary Loring (Betty Jane Rhodes). The latter sings "My Grand Pap" and "Old Monterey Moon," both by Whitley and Fred Rose. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Hungarian actress Ilona Massey stars as an operative for the Axis in this slightly tongue-in-cheek wartime melodrama. She spends her working hours signalling secret messages to enemy U-boats. George Brent is the U.S. counterspy sent to track down the security leak. Brent's job is made doubly delicate when he falls in love with the seductive Massey. It is said that Ilona Massey never mastered the English language, and had to learn her lines phonetically; if true, why does she handle the funnier lines in International Lady so well? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based upon the classic radio series and pulp magazine character, The Shadow is a 15-episode serial in which scientist Lamont Cranston (Victor Jory) dons the garb of The Shadow to track down the elusive -- and indeed, invisible -- villain known only as The Black Tiger. As the serial begins, The Black Tiger is waging a campaign of terror that includes destroying trains, planes, and factories. This is only the beginning, however, as world domination -- to be achieved through the use of a mysterious death ray -- is his ultimate goal. The Shadow infiltrates the ranks of the villain's gang, disguised as a crook and calling himself Lin Chang. This helps The Shadow gain important information, although practically every time he seems about to make real progress, the gangsters manage to derail his plans. Things are not made easier by the police, who do not know that The Shadow is on their side and suspect that he is actually The Black Tiger. Eventually, The Shadow discovers the identity of The Black Tiger and brings an end to his evil reign. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Like so many Gene Autry westerns of the early 1940s, Carolina Moon draws its title from a popular song of the era, duly warbled by Autry in the course of the film. In fact, music takes precedence over action in this outing, which would remain one of Gene's quietest and most laid-back vehicles. The plot finds Autry and his perennial saddle pal Frog (Smiley Burnette) coming to the rescue of several elderly Carolina plantation owners, presently at the mercy of a Uriah Heep-ish villain. The southern setting is as good an excuse as any to trot out several African American spirituals, soulfully performed by the Hall Johnson Choir. And as mentioned, Autry tackles the title tune, singing enthusiastically to wide-eyed heroine June Storey. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this 15-episode serial, Detective Spike Holland must solve the mystery of Garr Castle. He does so after he is hired to look into the disappearance of Valerie Howett's sister Elaine. Within the haunted walls of the castle he finds a maze of secret passages, tunnels, trapdoors, and the enigmatic masked man, the Green Archer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Condemned to death for a mercy killing, Dr. John Garth (Karloff) continues to experiment in prison to develop a serum that will put at end to the ageing process. On the eve of his execution, he offers himself as guinea pig for his youth serum, which has recently been mixed with the blood of an executed psychopath. Miraculously, Garth does grow younger before the astonished eyes of kindly prison physician Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan). Alas, the serum has murderous side effects, which Howard discovers only as Garth strangles him to death. Pardoned from Death Row thanks to a script contrivance, Garth spends the rest of the film trying to carry on his humanitarian work despite embarrassing lapses into homicidal mania. Many observers regard Before I Hang as the best of Karloff's "Mad Doctor" series for Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Former outlaw Charles Starrett goes straight and becomes a sheriff. In this capacity, he tries to bring his old partners in crime to justice. They don't cotton to this, and thereby hang the conflict. Everything is solved in a climactic fistfight with all-around villain Dick Curtis. Iris Meredith is the heroine, Hank Bell is the comedy relief, Edward LeSaint is the local authority figure, Bob Nolan provides the musical interludes, and Sam Nelson directs. In other words, Thundering West is virtually indistinguishable from the previous entries in Columbia's Charles Starrett western series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A man is wrongfully convicted of a crime and sent to prison. Realizing that he is the victim of political shenanigans, he dutifully does his time. Eventually he comes up for parole, but the crooked official behind his incarceration, fearing that the prisoner will expose him, makes sure that parole is denied. The innocent inmate has only one consolation-- the prison nurse believes him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi