SPY SMASHER (1942 serial)

Before Pearl Harbor, when the United States is, in theory, neutral in the European war, a freelance agent is operating in Paris as the costumed figure Spy Smasher. He is caught by some Nazis as he looks for secret documents, is tortured, and set to be executed by firing squad. But the head of the squad is a resistance member and the squad is ordered to deliberately miss Spy Smasher so he is able to escape back to the States. On a train to Lakeside Junction, there is an incident with a Gestapo agent who thinks he recognizes Spy Smasher; the upshot is that we find out that Alan Armstrong, a journalist who was reported dead months ago, is Spy Smasher, but in Lakeside Junction he has a twin brother named Jack who decides to join him in his attempt to thwart Nazi sabotage in the U.S. Admiral Corby, whose daughter is engaged to Jack, is working in secret with Spy Smasher, not aware of his real identity. Their chief nemesis is known as The Mask and, as it happens, his henchmen are operating nearby, plotting to flood America with counterfeit money--the first of several nefarious plots to be attempted and then thwarted by the Armstrong brothers. 

This 12-episode serial from Republic is considered one of the best of the adventure serial era, and it really is. Kane Richmond, a handsome and sturdy star of B-movies, is perfect as both brothers—an effect accomplished mostly through use of a look-alike stand-in shot from the back or side. Though Richmond bragged about doing some of his own stunts, it's obvious here that he was doubled sometimes by ace stuntman David Sharpe (DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE) who is occasionally recognizable. Some chapters are practically non-stop brawling and the fights are pulled off with gusto--you can hear real grunts and groans as men are punched and tossed about. Even the old admiral gets a few punches in. Among the more effective cliffhangers: a flooding submarine torpedo room, a plunging elevator, a brick-cutting machine, a roaring fire, and a boat chase. In one of the best stunts of all time (mostly for its unexpectedness) Spy Smasher, in a free-for-all set in a garage, grabs a mechanic's sliding board and shoots himself under a car to emerge on the other side. He also uses a whip like Indiana Jones would do 40 years later. The baddies use a triangle-shaped "Bat Plane" which can take off and land more or less vertically. Spy Smasher is not shy about killing Nazis; this serial has more deaths than usual, including a rather shocking one at the end of chapter 11. Aside from Richmond, the rest of the cast is unmemorable, including Marguerite Chapman (the daughter), Sam Flint (the admiral), and Hans Schumm (the Mask, a particularly weak villain). But overall this is great fun and a must-see for serials fans. [DVD]