Margo Lane
Encyclopedia
Margo Lane is a fictional character in The Shadow
stories. Margo is a friend and companion to Lamont Cranston, and spies for his alter ego
, The Shadow, in the wealthy set. Her first appearance was in 1937 in the Shadow radio drama. Her first appearance in a print story was in The Thunder King, a story in the April 1941 issue of The Shadow Magazine.
and You Can't Take it With You
star Margot Stevenson
. The relationship between Lamont and Margot was modelled on the Thin Man
film series. During World War II
, Walter B. Gibson
felt he could no longer write stories about spy rings, since they had now become a reality. Instead he focused on whodunit
s, which suited the Cranston persona of the Shadow. Thus the character of Margo came to the fore, and eventually became a permanent fixture in the stories, finally being promoted to a full agent. Margo appears in at least fifty-five of the Shadow novels.
, who was followed by Margot Stevenson. Other actresses who portrayed Margo on the radio included; Marjorie Anderson, Lesley Woods, Grace Matthews and Gertrude Warner.
In an un-aired 1954 TV pilot, Paula Raymond
played Margo Lane opposite to Tom Helmore
as The Shadow.
On film, Vela Ann Borg matched wits with Victor Jory
's Shadow in 1940; Barbara Reed portrayed her three times in the mid-1940s with Kane Richmond
; and Penelope Ann Miller
was Margo opposite to Alec Baldwin
in 1994's The Shadow
.
, Margo is a principal character. In the movie Margo (Penelope Ann Miller
) has had psychic
powers her whole life. Her father, Dr. Reinhardt Lane (Ian McKellen
), is a scientist working to develop a new type of power source, using an implosive device to be contained within a beryllium
sphere, which the villainous Shiwan Khan (John Lone
) tries to turn into a weapon. The Shadow (Alec Baldwin
) and Margo first meet at the Cobalt Club, where they find they have an instant attraction. After they go out to dinner together, Lamont realizes that Margo has psychic powers and fears that she may uncover his secret identity
if they spend more time together, so he vows never to see her again. However, when Khan begins controlling her father's mind, Margo approaches Lamont and Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth (Jonathan Winters
) for help. Shiwan Khan hypnotizes
Margo and orders her to kill the Shadow. She proceeds immediately to Lamont's mansion and (unsuccessfully) attempts to shoot Lamont, who breaks the trance. Upon waking from the trance, she realizes that Lamont is the Shadow and volunteers to help him defeat Shiwan Khan and rescue her father. Together they investigate the last known sighting of Khan, a mysterious empty lot that every one in the city - Lamont included - believes was once the site of the hotel Monolith. Margo goes to the library to investigate the building, while Lamont confronts Farley Claymore (Tim Curry
), who they suspect is also being mind-controlled by Khan. Claymore reveals that he is in league with Shiwan and traps the Shadow in a pressure-testing tank, causing it to fill with water. Using his psychic powers, the Shadow attempts to contact Margo and she comes to rescue him. In the climax
of the movie, the Shadow confronts Shiwan Khan, while Margo helps her father defuse the detonation device, within the beryllium sphere (that has now become a deadly bomb), helping to save the day.
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
stories. Margo is a friend and companion to Lamont Cranston, and spies for his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, The Shadow, in the wealthy set. Her first appearance was in 1937 in the Shadow radio drama. Her first appearance in a print story was in The Thunder King, a story in the April 1941 issue of The Shadow Magazine.
Origins
Margo was created for the radio version of The Shadow in 1937, because it was felt that having Harry Vincent as The Shadow's chief aid, and thus two male voices, would not provide sufficient "vocal contrast". Margo was based on socialite Brenda FrazierBrenda Frazier
Not to be confused with actor Brendan FraserBrenda Diana Duff Frazier was an American debutante popular during the Depression era...
and You Can't Take it With You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
star Margot Stevenson
Margot Stevenson
Margot Stevenson was an American stage and radio actress, known for her role as Margo Lane in the radio adaptation of "The Shadow", opposite Orson Welles in 1938.Stevenson was born in Manhattan on February 8, 1912...
. The relationship between Lamont and Margot was modelled on the Thin Man
The Thin Man (film)
The Thin Man is a 1934 American comic detective film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease. Nick is a hard drinking retired detective and Nora a wealthy heiress...
film series. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Walter B. Gibson
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
felt he could no longer write stories about spy rings, since they had now become a reality. Instead he focused on whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
s, which suited the Cranston persona of the Shadow. Thus the character of Margo came to the fore, and eventually became a permanent fixture in the stories, finally being promoted to a full agent. Margo appears in at least fifty-five of the Shadow novels.
Character
Whereas on radio Margo is The Shadow's confidante, in the novels Margo is depicted as a somewhat helpful nuisance who for years suspects but cannot prove the true identity of the Shadow, until finally in later years she becomes a full agent for the masked crimefighter.Portrayal
She was initially portrayed on radio by Agnes MooreheadAgnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
, who was followed by Margot Stevenson. Other actresses who portrayed Margo on the radio included; Marjorie Anderson, Lesley Woods, Grace Matthews and Gertrude Warner.
In an un-aired 1954 TV pilot, Paula Raymond
Paula Raymond
Paula Raymond was an American model and actress.In 1950, she was put under contract by MGM, where she played opposite such leading men as Cary Grant and Dick Powell...
played Margo Lane opposite to Tom Helmore
Tom Helmore
Tom Helmore was an English film actor. He appeared in over 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Longboat Key, Florida.-Selected filmography:...
as The Shadow.
On film, Vela Ann Borg matched wits with Victor Jory
Victor Jory
Victor Jory was a Canadian actor.-Biography:Born in Dawson City, Yukon, Jory was the boxing and wrestling champion of the Coast Guard during his military service, and he kept his burly physique. He toured with theater troupes and appeared on Broadway, before making his Hollywood debut in 1930...
's Shadow in 1940; Barbara Reed portrayed her three times in the mid-1940s with Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s, mostly appearing in cliffhangers and serials...
; and Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
was Margo opposite to Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
in 1994's The Shadow
The Shadow (1994 film)
The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
.
Controversy
Margo's introduction to the novels created a storm of controversy reflected in the magazine's letters page. Older fans resented her intrusion, whereas newer readers, perhaps more familiar with the radio show than the pulp novel, accepted her readily.Differences between the radio and novel version
- In the novels her name is "Margo" and on radio it's "Margot"
- In the novels she didn't know Lamont was the Shadow, on radio she did.
In comic books
In the DC comic book series The Shadow Strikes! it was revealed that Margot was the daughter of a wealthy Southern land owner and a black prostitute. She is portrayed as one of the Shadow's chief agents and is shown to be not only beautiful but capable and brilliant.In the 1994 film
In the 1994 film, The ShadowThe Shadow (1994 film)
The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
, Margo is a principal character. In the movie Margo (Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
) has had psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
powers her whole life. Her father, Dr. Reinhardt Lane (Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
), is a scientist working to develop a new type of power source, using an implosive device to be contained within a beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
sphere, which the villainous Shiwan Khan (John Lone
John Lone
John "Johnny" Lone is a Hong Kong born American actor of Chinese and English descent. Lone has played roles as diverse as a caveman in Iceman , the last Emperor of China in The Last Emperor , and an apparently female opera performer in M. Butterfly .-Personal life:Lone was born as Ng Kwok-leung...
) tries to turn into a weapon. The Shadow (Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) and Margo first meet at the Cobalt Club, where they find they have an instant attraction. After they go out to dinner together, Lamont realizes that Margo has psychic powers and fears that she may uncover his secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
if they spend more time together, so he vows never to see her again. However, when Khan begins controlling her father's mind, Margo approaches Lamont and Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth (Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Winters
-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio...
) for help. Shiwan Khan hypnotizes
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
Margo and orders her to kill the Shadow. She proceeds immediately to Lamont's mansion and (unsuccessfully) attempts to shoot Lamont, who breaks the trance. Upon waking from the trance, she realizes that Lamont is the Shadow and volunteers to help him defeat Shiwan Khan and rescue her father. Together they investigate the last known sighting of Khan, a mysterious empty lot that every one in the city - Lamont included - believes was once the site of the hotel Monolith. Margo goes to the library to investigate the building, while Lamont confronts Farley Claymore (Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
), who they suspect is also being mind-controlled by Khan. Claymore reveals that he is in league with Shiwan and traps the Shadow in a pressure-testing tank, causing it to fill with water. Using his psychic powers, the Shadow attempts to contact Margo and she comes to rescue him. In the climax
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
of the movie, the Shadow confronts Shiwan Khan, while Margo helps her father defuse the detonation device, within the beryllium sphere (that has now become a deadly bomb), helping to save the day.
In the Wold Newton universe
- As part of the Wold Newton familyWold Newton familyThe Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer...
, Philip José FarmerPhilip José FarmerPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
has suggested that Margo and Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
are sisters.