Spencer Gordon Bennet Movies
According to legend, veteran action director Spencer Gordon Bennet entered films by answering an ad for a stuntman to perform a daring jump from the New Jersey Palisades into the Hudson River. The year was 1912 and the employer, the legendary Edison Film Mfg. Company. Bennet was hooked on filmmaking from that moment on and went on to become one of the three or four most important names in the field of motion picture action serials.Of Anglo-French descent, Spencer Gordon Bennet had sold programs and played bit roles in a Brooklyn theater before earning $62.50 for that fateful jump into the Hudson. He remained with Edison for a while, performing stunts and playing bit parts, before switching to Pathé, where he served as assistant to legendary serial directors Bertram Millhauser and George B. Seitz, actually replacing Seitz as the company's leading cliffhanger director in the late '20s when he helmed all the influential Allene Ray and Walter Miller chapterplays.
Concentrating on B-Westerns and feature action films in the early years of sound, Bennet returned to the serial field in 1932 when picked by RKO to direct that studio's 12-chapter The Last Frontier. It was a homecoming or sorts and he remained in the field until helming the final American action serial, Blazing the Overland Trail, in 1956. Best remembered today, perhaps, for his work for cheapskate producer Sam Katzman, including the 1948 Superman and its 1950 sequel, Atom Man vs. Superman, Bennet also did yeoman work for industry leader Republic, where he co-directed some of the most beloved serials of all time, including The Masked Marvel (1943), The Tiger Woman (1944), Zorro Rides Again (1945), and The Purple Monster Strikes (1945).
Signing an exclusive contract with Katzman in 1947, Bennet went on to direct, or co-direct, all of Columbia Pictures later serials, save one, including Batman and Robin (1949) and Captain Video (1951). His ability to work fast and furious, a prerequisite for steady employment in the B-Western and serial fields, never alienated him from cast and crew, however. "He was probably my favorite director of all and was one terrific man," said veteran B-Western and serial villain Pierce Lyden. Bennet, who directed his final feature film in 1965, the nicely old-fashioned The Bounty Killer, was the uncle of legendary special-effects wizard Linwood Dunn. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1966
Sombra, the Spider Woman is the feature-film abridgement of the 1947 Republic serial The Black Widow (which explains why a number of the listed actors had died by this film's listed year of release). The formidable Carol Forman stars as Sombra, whose fortune-telling establishment serves as a front for a vast criminal empire. Making things trickier for hero Steve Colt (Bruce Edwards) is the fact that Sombra is a master (or mistress) of disguise. Colt and plucky girl reporter Joyce Winters (Virginia Lindley) try to prevent Sombra from stealing the plans for a revolutionary atomic rocket engine. This is one serial in which the male actors are thoroughly overshadowed by the female leads. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
Jungle Gold is the 100-minute cutdown version of the 12-episode Republic serial The Tiger Woman. Linda Stirling makes her serial debut as the Tiger Woman, an athletic young lady who aids hero Allan Lane in his efforts to track down criminals in the jungle town of Alta Vista. Lane is a representative of an oil firm whose fields are being sabotaged by persons unknown. The Tiger Woman is blamed for the sabotage, but she is able to expose the real criminals and their motives, and also to discover her own true identity. The thrilling "cliff hanger" climaxes are somewhat blunted by repetition in this reedited feature, but Perils of the Darkest Jungle still proves beyond doubt that Republic was head and shoulders above everyone else in the chapter-play business. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
Dan Duryea plays a Western bounty hunter, expert in his job, but ill at ease with his conscience. He is shunned by the "good" townsfolk until they need him to track down and kill a criminal; the gratitude doesn't last long, and it's back to outcast status for Duryea. At one juncture, the embittered bounty hunter delivers a condemnation against the "hypocrites" who hire him -- but nonetheless takes one more job. Ultimately, Duryea meets his end at the hands of a younger man (Peter Duryea, Dan's son), who becomes a bounty hunter himself, starting the cycle all over again. Produced very economically by B-Western specialist Alex Gordon, The Bounty Killer is distinguished by Dan Duryea's superb performance and by the presence in the supporting cast of several cowboy film veterans -- including Hollywood's very first Westerner, Billy Anderson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Rod Cameron, (more)
- 1965
In this western, a gunfighter finds himself mistaken for a judge when he journeys to a beleaguered town that is under the oppressive influence of an outlaw and his evil gang. One couple knows the gunslinger's true avocation and they talk him into working as a lawman and putting one of the crooks on trial. Things go well until one of the outlaws recognizes him and tells all during the trial. This leads to a classic showdown in which the gunfighter shoots the gun from the villain's hand. He then discards his own weapon and literally rides off into the sunset to pursue a more peaceful life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1959
In this WW II actioner, the crew of the Seahawk nearly mutinies when they discover that their new commander is a tactical instructor who has very little experience as a leader. They are quite angry because he refuses to allow them to sink the Japanese warships that are so close to them. Later they change their opinion after learning that he was only following orders. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Bentley, Brett Halsey, (more)
- 1959
Seasoned serial director Spencer Gordon Bennett helmed this story of a one-eyed, octopoidal space alien, wreaking havoc upon atomic subs at the North Pole. The monster is determined to take over the world, though it seems ill equipped for that purpose. Heroes Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, and Brett Halsey head underwater to neutralize the alien's submerged flying saucer. The cast is peopled with such veterans as Tom Conway, Bob Steele, Victor Varconi, Selmer Jackson, and Jack Mulhall. Movie buffs may wish to take note of the exterior scenes in Atomic Submarine; several of them are played out in front of the easily recognizable studios of Allied Artists, formerly Monogram and later the home of LA's PBS channel 28. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, (more)
- 1956
With this film, the final American-produced motion picture serial, the once so powerful genre went out with a whimper. Starring a couple of nonentities -- Lee Roberts, a former bit-part player, and Dennis Moore, who had the dubious honor of also starring in the penultimate serial, Perils of the Wilderness (1956) -- the serial was produced by the notorious Sam Katzman and thus consisted mainly of overused stock footage with a few new scenes added for good measure. Roberts and Moore played an army scout and a pony express rider who come to the aid of settlers terrorized by a greedy rancher-turned-outlaw. If nothing else, the last American action serial offered brief employment for several veterans of the genre, including Reed Howes, Kermit Maynard, Al Ferguson, Harry Tenbrook, and the ever popular Bud Osborne. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1956
The second-to-last American serial ever made, this film series very uneasily combined two popular genres: The Northwest Mounted Police melodrama and Science Fiction. The mix of Medicine Men and airplane dog fights were too ridiculous even for the small fry who, by the '50s, had become the sole audience for this sort of fare. Dennis Moore played an undercover deputy marshal posing as an outlaw in order to infiltrate a gang headed by the nefarious Kenneth MacDonald, a self-styled "Gun Emperor of the Northwest," whose stirring up of the Indians proves a diversion from his smuggling activities. A dark-haired, tight-lipped also-ran cowboy star of the late '40s, Dennis Moore earned the dubious distinction of starring in the two last action serials made in America: Perils of the Wilderness and Blazing the Overland Trail, both low budget affairs heavily padded with stock footage from the genre's glory days in the '30s and '40s. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1955
Devil Goddess was the sixteenth and last of Columbia's "Jungle Jim" series. Johnny Weissmuller, playing "himself" (as he had in the last few films in this series), agrees to help a professor (Selmer Jackson) find a colleague who has disappeared into the jungle. Before you can say "Heart of Darkness", we learn that the missing man (William Griffith) has set himself up as a white god, ruling over a tribe of fire worshippers. The "god's" headquarters is a volcano, long dormant but ripe for eruption. The "goddess" of the title is the daughter (Angela Stevens) of the investigating professor, whom the white despot hopes to marry after bumping off the rest of the search party. Weissmuller and his friends narrowly escape the inflammatory volcano with an unburied treasure in tow. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Angela Stevens, (more)
- 1955
In this adventure, set in the dark African jungles, visiting American scientists inadvertently enrage the local natives when they steal a sacred golden tablet. Fortunately a jungle dwelling doctor helps the insensitive brutes return the tablet before they are killed by the natives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
A long-awaited sequel to Columbia Pictures' popular The Phantom (1943), this film was produced by legendary Hollywood cheapskate Sam Katzman. Katzman refused to pay the owners of the character, King Features, their royalty demands, thus the name change to "Captain Africa." The 1943 Phantom still appeared in this latter-day serial, however, via a vast amount of stock footage. One could actually argue that Tom Tyler, who had starred as the original "Phantom," also starred in the sequel and not John Hart, credited with the role of "Captain Africa." Hart did not resemble Tyler at all but that was of little consequence to Katzman, a producer who never met a corner he wouldn't cut. Captain Africa comes to the aid of an Arabian potentate (Paul Marion) whose prime minister has been kidnapped. There is a beautiful princess (June Howard), a young sidekick (Rick Vallin), a dastardly villain (Bud Osborne), and a great deal of ferocious wildlife fauna, much of which is rather more indigenous to Asia than Africa, where the action ostensibly takes place. In many ways, the carelessness of chapterplays like Adventures of Captain Africa only hastened the demise of the action serial. John Hart is perhaps best known for replacing Clayton Moore for one season as television's The Lone Ranger. Appearing as the kidnapped Prime Minister in Adventures of Captain Africa is Michael Fox, the veteran character actor whose long-time membership of Screen Actors Guild forced the later leading man of the same name to add the middle initial "J" to his billing. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1954
Columbia Pictures elevated a run-of-the-mill B-western supporting player, Marshall Reed, to the title role in this equally run-of-the-mill western serial released in 15 chapters. Like most serials in the '50s, Riding with Buffalo Bill consisted of quite a bit of budget-stretching stock footage telling a highly fictionalized account of Buffalo Bill Cody aiding a group of ranchers in their defeat of a local crime lord. The serial's assistant director, Leonard Katzman, later produced the long-running television series Gunsmoke and Dallas. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1954
Yet another serial from penny-pinching producer Sam Katzman, the fifteen chapter Gunfighters of the Northwest suffered from the usual Katzman shortcomings, including grainy stock-footage and slapdash writing. As an added economy measure, not a single scene was filmed indoors! Jock Mahoney plays Northwest Mounted Police Constable O'Mahoney, assigned to track down a mysterious villain known only as The Leader. Trying to locate a secret gold mine, The Leader pits the Indians against the Mounties, whom he blames for creating trouble. All in all, Gunfighters of the Northwest did nothing to re-establish the serial genre as a viable alternative to cheap television Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1953
Killer Ape is one of the most violent entries in Columbia's "Jungle Jim" series. In this outing, Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) finds out that members of the Wazuli tribe are selling animals to white hunters. These animals are in turn used for illegal research in a scheme to create drugs for bacterial warfare. Before Jim can foil the villains' plans, he must first clear himself of a murder charge. The film's title derives from the tribesmen's habit of wearing ape costumes to scare away outsiders. As usual, many of the film's best scenes go to Tamba the Chimp, who gets even more screen time than leading lady Carol Thurston. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Carol Thurston, (more)
- 1953
The tenth of Columbia's "Jungle Jim" series, Savage Mutiny finds Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) working on behalf of the US government. Jim must evacuate a tiny African island that is to be used for atomic testing. Scurrilous Communist agents hope to thwart America's defense program, and also stir up anti-US propaganda, by encouraging the natives to stay put. By the time Jungle Jim gets through with them, the spies would rather be dead than Red. Much of the footage of Savage Mutiny--and a good portion of the plot--would be re-used on an episode of TV's Captain Midnight. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Angela Stevens, (more)
- 1953
In this comical sci-fi adventure, two brave heroes take on a mad scientist and his legion of wicked aliens from the planet Ergo. Thanks to the efforts of the two brave fighters, Earth is saved again. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1952
The self-styled son of Indian chief Geronimo gets himself involved with a gang of nasty whites in this typical low-budget 15 chapter serial, which benefitted from a great deal of footage from the the stock piles at Columbia Pictures. Jim Scott (Clayton Moore) and wagon train boss Tulsa (Bus Osborne) are on to the nefarious schemes of Rance Rankin (Marshall Reed) and Ace Devlin (John Crawford), getting words of warning through to Portico (Rodd Redwing), the Son of Genronimo. With Portico's help, the white renegades are finally destroyed in the serial's concluding chapter, "Peace Treaty." Moore, the future star of the television series The Lone Ranger, was here billed "Clay Moore." Usually cast as a villain, mustachioed Bud Osborne turned in a rare "good guy" performance in this serial. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1952
The 15-episode Columbia serial Blackhawk was based on the comic book created by Reed Crandall and Charles Cuidera. The title character is played by Kirk Alyn, previously the leading man in Columbia's Superman serial. Also returning from Superman is Carol Forman, here cast as slinky Soviet spy Laska. Together with his cohorts Olaf (Don Harvey), Andre (Larry Stewart) and Chop Chop (Weaver Levy), Blackhawk does his best to keep a revolutionary new death-ray from falling into the wrong hands. The film borrows a page from the 1937 Dick Tracy serial by having one of Blackhawk's freedom-fighters (Rick Vallin) replaced by his evil twin brother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirk Alyn, Carol Forman, (more)
- 1952
Voodoo Tiger was the ninth of Columbia's "Jungle Jim" "B"-pictures, with seven more on the docket before the series expired in 1955. Johnny Weissmuller returns as Jungle Jim, who this time comes to the aid of anthropologist Phyllis Bruce (Jean Byron), who has arrived in Africa to study tribal customs. Jim is sidetracked when asked to join the search for a French treasure of art that disappeared during the war. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Jean Byron, (more)
- 1952
In this convoluted adventure serial, a U.S. Air force captain begins searching for some stolen microfilm that contains vital information. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1952
Veteran serial director Spencer Gordon Bennett keeps things moving at a hectic pace in Brave Warrior. The title character is legendary Shawnee chief Tecumseh, well-played by Jay Silverheels (better known as Tonto on TV's The Lone Ranger). Though he has every reason to distrust the White Man, Tecumseh comes to the aid of American emissary Steve Ruddell (Jon Hall) during the War of 1812. The villain is a renegade medicine man known as The Prophet, played by Michael Ansara, who later portrayed the peace-loving Cochise on the TV version of Broken Arrow. Considering that this is a typically low-budget Sam Katzman production, Brave Warrior is fairly elaborately mounted. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Hall, Christine Larson, (more)
- 1951
Columbia Pictures elevated stunt man Jock O'Mahoney to stardom in this 15 chapter western serial about the building of the transcontinental railroad. O'Mahoney played a railroad agent who uncovers the master criminal behind a series of sabotage attempts on the construction site. The culprit, a German villain calling himself "The Baron" (George Eldredge), bribes the local Indians into doing his dirty work. Jock O'Mahoney later changed his billing to the more streamlined Jock Mahoney and enjoyed a lengthy career as a star of run-of-the-mill westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
Based on the television series Captain Video and His Video Rangers, this 15-chapter serial was pretty much the beginning of the end for that venerable format (the last serial was made five years after this). Although put together by such longtime serial specialists as director Spencer Bennett, producer Sam Katzman and writer Royal Cole, this cheaply filmed anemic entry has Judd Holdren, as Captain Video, flying around in cartoon rocket ships, wearing what appears to be an old football uniform and fighting old robots that aficionados will recognize from serials filmed years before. The plot, such as it is, has Captain Video and his young Video Ranger sidekick battling the evil ruler of the planet Atoma. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- 1951
This serial is set during the American Civil War and is based on the Jules Verne story. A Union Army captain is captured by the Confederates and imprisoned in Richmond, Virginia. He and four other men escape in a balloon, but a hurricane blows them off course and they land on an uncharted island. There they encounter a tribe known as the Volcano People, are menaced by a wild savage, and run into a female alien from outer space bent on world domination. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- 1950
Juvenile actor Dickie Moore starred in the title role of this 15 chapter serial as a teen-aged Buffalo Bill Cody, who with an adult friend (played by the husky Jock Mahoney, still billed as Jock O'Mahoney), battles a gang of outlaws secretly headed by an unscrupulous lawyer (George J. Lewis). Since the serial was produced by Sam Katzman (known to his legion of detractors as "Jungle Sam"), it was heavily augmented by sometimes rather ill-advised stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
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