ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP

Linda Stirling and George J. Lewis

ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP (12 chapter Republic serial/1944). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Wallace Grissell.

Newspaper editor and publisher Randy Meredith (Jay Kirby of Rockin' in the Rockies) not only rails against the lawlessness of 1889 Idaho in his paper, but dresses up as the Black Whip to fight the bad guys. When he is murdered, his sister Barbara (Linda Stirling) takes over the role, and she proves to be mighty handy with a whip. The evil banker Hammond (Francis McDonald) is secretly leading a group of criminals who desperately want to prevent Idaho from becoming a state, which would interfere with their plans to enrich their own coffers. Barbara is helped by a secret government agent, Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis), who disguises himself as the Black Whip at one point to fool the crumb bums when they have almost figured out Barbara's secret identity. The one thing that's missing in this exciting serial is the character of Zorro, whose name is used for marquee value but who does not appear, although one could argue that the Black Whip is a variation on that character (along with many others, of course). Cliffhanger highlights include a wagon rolling over the edge of a cliff; Barbara being locked in a bank vault with a bomb that's about to go off; the bad guys ordering Barbara to "take off that mask!" or else they'll shoot Gordon; and especially the sequence when a whole mountain seems to come down on the cabin they're in, as well as a terrific bit when Barbara and Gordon are trapped in a mine with burning oil flooding towards them. Stirling was never a great actress, but she's more than competent for this type of material; Lewis has a certain degree of charm and ability; McDonald [Burn 'Em Up Barnes] makes an effective and oily two-faced villain, and Hal Taliaferro (who looks a bit and sounds a lot like Ben Johnson) is also good as his bad right hand, Baxter. Lucien Littlefield [Reducing] makes his mark as "Ten Point," the nervous little guy who works in the newspaper office. John Hamilton is one of the townspeople dedicated to ridding the town of the criminal element; Marshall Reed and Ken Terrell also have smaller roles. Zorro's Black Whip has a great climax with the gang attacking the town in an attempt to alter the election results, and loathsome Hammond is given a satisfying death scene. Zorro's Black Whip may not be a top-notch Republic serial -- and is quite short as serials go -- but it is exciting and entertaining. George J. Lewis played a villain in Federal Operator 99, and Taliaferro was his henchman. Stirling appeared in The Purple Monster Strikes and many other serials.

Verdict: This gal wields a mean whip! ***. 

THE PRETENDER

Charles Drake, Albert Dekker, Catherine Craig

THE PRETENDER (1947). Director: W. Lee Wilder.

Kenneth Holden (Albert Dekker) has been steadily "borrowing" funds from a trust set up for his client, Claire Worthington (Catherine Craig). It seems the only way Kenneth can save himself from disaster and criminal prosecution is by marrying Claire. Unfortunately, Kenneth has a rival in Dr. Leonard Koster (Charles Drake), so he decides to hire an unknown hit man to kill him. But when the rather selfish Claire agrees to marry Ken, it occurs to him that now he will be the target of the hired killer. What to do? ... Dekker  [Destination Murder] and Craig [Doomed to Die]  give good lead performances in this, and there are a host of flavorful character actors, such as Charles Middleton as the butler, William. Serial heroine Linda Stirling [The Tiger Woman] appears as Flo. The photography by John Alton is a plus.

Verdict: Fair to middling crime drama. **1/2.

THE TIGER WOMAN

THE TIGER WOMAN 12 Chapter Republic serial (1944). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Wallace Grissell. NOTE: The Tiger Woman was reissued as Perils of the Darkest Jungle. 

In a location that seems to be South America [although this was undoubtedly shot on Republic's back lot]. Alan Saunders (Allan Lane), the representative of an oil company, discovers that he not only has to deal with thugs from a rival oil firm but with the "Tiger Woman" (Linda Stirling), who rules over the territory where the oil is located, as well as the Indians who live there ["We are a peaceful people" claims the high priest (Robert Frazer)]. The rather ruthless TW, who presides over executions or sacrificial ceremonies where enemies are thrown into a lava pit, "fell from the sky" and is really -- it is revealed quite early on -- an heiress named Rita Arnold. TW wears a fetching leopard print outfit with a skirt and is quite a feisty fighter. 

While there are some great fight scenes in Tiger Woman, there is also an inordinate amount of gun play. The villains Daggett (Crane Whitley) and Walton (LeRoy Mason) are a touch colorless -- although played by perfectly competent actors -- but the serial still manages to be quite entertaining, with some memorable cliffhangers. There's the cavern of falling stalactites; a boat over a water fall; a runaway mining car that shoots out a hole in the mountain and careens into space; and -- best of all -- a sensational bit with a descending mine elevator that has the Tiger Woman unconscious above while Saunders dangles uncertainly from below. Allan Lane is stalwart and effective as the hero. Stirling is certainly decorative, fights like a wildcat, and is an adequate actress. She was also in The Purple Monster Strikes, The Crimson Ghost and Zorro's Black Whip. Nice theme music. 

Verdict: Very entertaining and well-done serial. ***.

THE CRIMSON GHOST

THE CRIMSON GHOST (1946). 12-chapter Republic serial. Directed by William Witney and Fred C. Brannon. 

An evil masked mastermind known as the Crimson Ghost is out to steal a device known as a cyclotrode. To this end he uses a "control collar" around the necks of henchmen and unwilling participants alike. This collar not only saps the will of the individual wearing it, but can also kill them from long distance. Charles Quigley and Linda Stirling are the nominal hero and heroine in this, but the most striking presence is provided by Clayton Moore, this time playing the Ghost's main bad guy. Chapter three has a nifty high wire plunge and there's a dandy gas room death trap in chapter four. Four different composers contributed some excellent music to keep things humming, and the theme that introduces each chapter is swell. 

Verdict: You can't beat that ghost! ***.

THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES

THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES (1945). Directed by Spencer Bennet and Fred Brannon. 

A man from Mars who is inexplicably known as the Purple Monster (Roy Barcroft) lands on Earth and literally takes over the body of Dr. Cyrus Layton (James Craven). He does this by dematerializing into a phantom form and simply sitting down in Leyton's body. He hopes to steal Layton's scientific devices -- especially a jet ship launching rocket -- for use in a planned Martian conquest of Earth, and by becoming Layton leads good guy Craig Foster (Dennis Moore) and Layton's niece Sheila (Linda Stirling), on a merry chase. The Purple Monster Strikes is snappy and fast-paced. There are some exciting cliffhangers involving a ladder dangling high over the ground, a pit that fills with water, a car in an auto shop that smashes rapidly downwards towards Moore, and spiked cell bars that threaten to impale Moore as he goes to use the phone (he uses his ingenuity to escape this trap). There's a zesty "cat-fight" between Sheila and Martian Bitch Marcia (Mary Moore) in chapter 12, and the fisticuffs are even more furious than before in chapter thirteen. Tom Steele is one of the thugs, and even Ken Terrell, butler Jess from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, has a small role, as he usually did in these things. 

Verdict: The cast serves up this zany stuff with relish. ***.