Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- 1945, A breakthrough scientific device will revolutionize the world's energy usage if the kidnapped inventor can be found. To rescue her father, Claire Forrest enlists the help of ace sleuth Lance Reardon. Clues lead them to a Pacific isle, where the two confront sinister and astonishing forces. The descendants of a long-dead pirate, Mephisto are holding the scientist for their own nefarious gain. And one of the heirs has a 'transformation chair' that changes him into the molecular duplicate of Captain Mephisto. By the time Claire and Lance learn the truth about the pirate's plot, it maybe too late. *Special Stars- Richard Bailey, Linda Stirling, Roy Barcroft. Dir: Yakima Canutt, Spencer Gordon Bennet*Theme- Greed and crime go hand in hand.*Based on- Comic book themes of the time period.*Trivia/location/goofs- The ocean chase and beach scenes are shot in Southern California. Nice to see stuntman and stunt arranger, Yakima Canutt, get some screen credit.*Emotion- A somewhat forgettable Republic post WW2 serial with only one gimmick, the 'Transformation Chair'. Those transformation scenes become tedious and several repetitive flashback scenes near the last episode is confusing to the viewer. Suspense and excitement might build as the lead actors are lowered toward a watery doom nearly squashed like grapes, dropped off a bridge, and much more in this amazing 15 chapters theatrical serial. The pirate costume is something to be seen and only laughed at while on screen.

tomwal Roy Barcroft as one of the overseers of Mystery Island ,can transform himself into Captain Mephisto by the use of a transformation machine.Barcroft only appears as Mephisto,his alter ego is played by another actor.The viewer is left to guess which of the overseers is the villian.Linda Sterling,along with Richard Bailey,is looking for her missing father,who is being forced to work on the machine.Great cast,and production values make this an exciting serial.

Mike-764 A scientist working on a remote control invention is kidnapped and brought to an island, by a mysterious Captain Mephisto, who used to be governor of the island in days when it was a penal colony. In reality, Mephisto is one of the four ruling members of the island who uses a transformation chair which changes the enigmatic member into the evil pirate. Investigator Lance Reardon, who along with the scientist's daughter Claire Forrest, searches out the captive scientist in this thrilling chapterplay. In 1945, serials were on the way out, but this easily ranks up with any from the golden age of the genre. Co-director Yakima Canutt adds plenty of action and the far fetched plot surprisingly becomes incredibly intriguing. 15 episodes. In terms of serials, 10 out of 10.

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.