Manhunt of Mystery Island
Encyclopedia
Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945
) is a Republic
Movie serial. It was the thirty-sixth serial produced by Republic (of a total of sixty-six) and the first released in 1945.
It is the penultimate 15-chapter serial to be released by the studio. The year 1945, the end of the Golden Age of Serials, was the last in which Republic released any 15-chapter serials, the remainder being either 12- or 13-chapters in length.
In 1966 footage from the serial was edited together into the 100-minute film Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine.
seeks to conquer the world, using a Transformation Machine to disguise himself as "the legendary" pirate Captain Mephisto. To do so, he kidnaps Prof Forrest, resulting in his daughter Claire Forrest, with Lance Reardon, coming to the rescue.
was $182,388 (a $14,476, or 8.6%, overspend).
It was filmed between 16 October and 18 November 1944 under the working title
s Mystery Island and Manhunt. The serial's production number was 1496.
The serial was re-released on 2 January 1956 between the similar re-releases of Dick Tracy's G-Men
and Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
. The last original Republic serial release was King of the Carnival
in 1955.
Source:
1945 in film
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
) is a Republic
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
Movie serial. It was the thirty-sixth serial produced by Republic (of a total of sixty-six) and the first released in 1945.
It is the penultimate 15-chapter serial to be released by the studio. The year 1945, the end of the Golden Age of Serials, was the last in which Republic released any 15-chapter serials, the remainder being either 12- or 13-chapters in length.
In 1966 footage from the serial was edited together into the 100-minute film Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine.
Plot
A mad geniusMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
seeks to conquer the world, using a Transformation Machine to disguise himself as "the legendary" pirate Captain Mephisto. To do so, he kidnaps Prof Forrest, resulting in his daughter Claire Forrest, with Lance Reardon, coming to the rescue.
Cast
- Richard Bailey as Lance Reardon
- Linda StirlingLinda StirlingLinda Stirling was an American showgirl, model and actress. In her later years, she had a second career as a college English professor for more than two decades...
as Claire Forrest, daughter of Professor Forrest - Roy BarcroftRoy BarcroftRoy Barcroft was an American character actor famous for playing villains in B-Westerns and other genres. Noted film critic Leonard Maltin acclaimed Barcroft as "Republic Pictures' number one bad guy".-Early life:...
as Cpt Mephisto and Higgins - Kenne DuncanKenne DuncanKenne Duncan , born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan, was a well-known B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but he also did occasional forays into horror, crime drama, and science fiction...
as Sidney Brand - Forrest Taylor as Professor William Forrest, inventor of the Radiatomic Power Transmitter
- Forbes Murray as Professor Harry Hargraves
- Jack IngramJack Ingram (actor)Jack Ingram was an American film actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1935 and 1966, according to the Internet Movie Data Base.He was born in Illinois, and died in Canoga Park, California of a heart attack...
as Edward Armstrong - Harry Strang as Frederick "Fred" Braley
Production
Manhunt of Mystery Island was budgeted at $167,912 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $182,388 (a $14,476, or 8.6%, overspend).
It was filmed between 16 October and 18 November 1944 under the working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s Mystery Island and Manhunt. The serial's production number was 1496.
Theatrical
Manhunt of Mystery Islands official release date is 17 March 1945, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.The serial was re-released on 2 January 1956 between the similar re-releases of Dick Tracy's G-Men
Dick Tracy's G-Men
Dick Tracy's G-Men is a 15-Chapter Republic Movie Serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by William Witney and John English....
and Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James is a 1948 Republic film serial.-Cast:* Clayton Moore as Jesse James AKA John Howard* Steve Darrell as Frank James AKA Bob Carroll* Noel Neill as Judy Powell* George J...
. The last original Republic serial release was King of the Carnival
King of the Carnival
King of the Carnival is a Republic movie serial. It contains a substantial amount of stock footage from the earlier Republic serial Daredevils of the Red Circle. This was the last serial ever made by Republic and is often considered to be one of the worst produced by that company...
in 1955.
Television
Manhunt of Mystery Island was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.Chapter titles
- Secret Weapon (24min 38s)
- Satan's Web (14min 27s)
- The Murder Machine (14min 26s)
- The Lethal Chamber (14min 27s)
- Mephisto's Mantrap (14min 26s)
- Ocean Tomb (14min 27s)
- The Death Trap (14min 27s)
- Bombs Away (14min 26s)
- The Fatal Flood (13min 20s)
- The Sable Shroud (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
- Satan's Shadow (13min 20s)
- Cauldron of Cremation (13min 20s)
- Bridge to Eternity (13min 20s)
- Power Dive to Doom (13min 20s)
- Fatal Transformation (13min 20s)
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