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The Fighting Devil Dogs

April 11, 2024

The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) is a 12-chapter Republic movie serial starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix, the latter better known by his later stage name, Bruce Bennett.[2] It was directed by William Witney and John English. While not often considered a great serial, as it contains much stock footage and two recap chapters, it is famous for its main villain, the Lightning—the first costumed supervillain.[3] There is some speculation that George Lucas used the Lightning as a template for Darth Vader.[4]

The Fighting Devil Dogs
Directed by
Written by
Produced byRobert M. Beche
Starring
CinematographyWilliam Nobles
Music byAlberto Colombo
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release dates
  • May 28, 1938 (1938-05-28) (Serial)[1]
  • January 29, 1943 (1943-01-29) (feature)[1]
  • 1950 (1950) (TV)[1]
  • 1966 (1966) (TV movie)[1]
Running time
  • 12 chapters / 204 minutes (serial)[1]
  • 69 minutes (feature)[1]
  • 6 26½-minute episodes (TV)[1]
  • 100 minutes (TV movie)[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$94,656 (negative cost: $92,569)[1]

Plot edit

In Singapore, two Marine Lieutenants, Tom Grayson and Frank Corby, uncover the threat of a masked terrorist called the Lightning, who uses an arsenal of powerful lightning-based weaponry in his bid for world conquest. However, the battle becomes personal when the Lightning annihilates the officers' unit and later kills Lt. Grayson's father as he was helping the investigation of the weapon. Now, the marines have dedicated themselves to stopping the Lightning and bringing him to justice.[5]

Cast edit

Production edit

The Fighting Devil Dogs was budgeted at $94,656 although the final negative cost was $92,569 (a $2,087, or 2.2%, under spend) making it one of only three pre-war Republic serials to be produced under budget.[1] It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1938 and the second cheapest of all Republic serials.[1][6] It has two recap chapters rather than the usual one (or sometimes none), in which the entire plot of the serial so far is repeated, and makes extensive use of stock footage. The cheapest Republic serial[1] was The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936) at $87,655, while the next cheapest after The Fighting Devil Dogs is Undersea Kingdom (also 1936) at $99,222.

It was filmed between 10 March and 29 March 1938.[1] The serial's production number was 793.[1]

One of the directors, William Witney, believed this to be one of the worst of the serials he ever made.[7]

The Lightning's Flying wing was taken from the earlier Dick Tracy serial.[8] Aviation was one of the most popular serial genres of the early 1930s, along with Westerns and Jungle serials. Aviation films were even expected to displace Westerns as the most popular genre but science fiction took over instead. Writer Raymond William Stedman claims that the science fiction Flying Wing in this serial was the beginning of the process that killed interest in ordinary aviation.[9][10]

Release edit

Theatrical edit

The Fighting Devil Dogs' official release date is May 28, 1938, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]

A 69-minute feature film version, created by editing portions of the serial footage together, was released on January 29, 1943.[1]

Television edit

In the early 1950s, The Fighting Devil Dogs was one of fourteen Republic serials edited to six 26½-minute episodes for TV syndication.[1] Subsequently, it became one of twenty-six Republic serials edited into a TV-movie in 1966, each of which features ran 100 minutes. The title of this version was Torpedo of Doom.[1]

Critical reception edit

The Fighting Devil Dogs is, in Cline's opinion, one of the best mystery serials ever released, with a "colourful" mystery villain, "stirring" musical score and "magnificent" editing. He also notes that it is "apparently one of the least costly" serials ever released, with two recap chapters and stock footage taken from newsreels and earlier serial releases.[8] He states that it should be included in "any list of the ten best sound serials of all."[11]

Chapter titles edit

  1. The Lightning Strikes (29 min 28s)
  2. The Mill of Disaster (15 min 56s)
  3. The Silenced Witness (15 min 50s)
  4. Cargo of Mystery (15 min 47s)
  5. Undersea Bandits (16 min 17s)
  6. The Torpedo of Doom (16 min 24s)
  7. The Phantom Killer (14 min 47s) - Recap chapter
  8. Tides of Trickery (14 min 34s)
  9. Attack from the Skies (15 min 07s)
  10. In the Camp of the Enemy (14 min 29s)
  11. The Baited Trap (17 min 24s) - Recap chapter
  12. Killer at Bay (17 min 39s)

Source:[1][12]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 30–31. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
  2. ^ Kinnard, Roy (1998). Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF Cliffhangers. McFarland & Co. p. 61. ISBN 978-0786437450.
  3. ^ "World's First Supervillain at The longest list of the longest stuff at the longest domain name at long last". Thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  4. ^ "The Visual Development of Darth Vader". secrethistoryofstarwars.com. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  5. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 190. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  6. ^ "Images Journal". Images Journal. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  7. ^ Witney, William (2005). In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6.
  8. ^ a b Cline, William C. (1984). "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
  9. ^ Stedman, Raymond William (1971). "3. At This Theater Next Week". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-0-8061-0927-5.
  10. ^ Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "7. The Aviators "Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
  11. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "5. A Cheer for the Champions (The Heroes and Heroines)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 78. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
  12. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 221. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

External links edit

Preceded by Republic Serial
The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Witney-English Serial
The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) 		Succeeded by

April 11, 2024
fighting, devil, dogs, 1938, chapter, republic, movie, serial, starring, powell, herman, brix, latter, better, known, later, stage, name, bruce, bennett, directed, william, witney, john, english, while, often, considered, great, serial, contains, much, stock, . The Fighting Devil Dogs 1938 is a 12 chapter Republic movie serial starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix the latter better known by his later stage name Bruce Bennett 2 It was directed by William Witney and John English While not often considered a great serial as it contains much stock footage and two recap chapters it is famous for its main villain the Lightning the first costumed supervillain 3 There is some speculation that George Lucas used the Lightning as a template for Darth Vader 4 The Fighting Devil DogsDirected byWilliam WitneyJohn EnglishWritten byFranklin AdreonRonald DavidsonBarry ShipmanSol ShorProduced byRobert M BecheStarringLee PowellHerman BrixEleanor StewartMontagu LoveHugh SothernSam FlintPerry IvinsForrest TaylorJohn PicorriCinematographyWilliam NoblesMusic byAlberto ColomboDistributed byRepublic PicturesRelease datesMay 28 1938 1938 05 28 Serial 1 January 29 1943 1943 01 29 feature 1 1950 1950 TV 1 1966 1966 TV movie 1 Running time12 chapters 204 minutes serial 1 69 minutes feature 1 6 26 minute episodes TV 1 100 minutes TV movie 1 CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 94 656 negative cost 92 569 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 4 1 Theatrical 4 2 Television 5 Critical reception 6 Chapter titles 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPlot editIn Singapore two Marine Lieutenants Tom Grayson and Frank Corby uncover the threat of a masked terrorist called the Lightning who uses an arsenal of powerful lightning based weaponry in his bid for world conquest However the battle becomes personal when the Lightning annihilates the officers unit and later kills Lt Grayson s father as he was helping the investigation of the weapon Now the marines have dedicated themselves to stopping the Lightning and bringing him to justice 5 Cast editLee Powell as Lt Tom Grayson Herman Brix as Lt Frank Corby Eleanor Stewart as Janet Warfield Montagu Love as General White Hugh Sothern as Ben Warfield Sam Flint as Col Grayson Perry Ivins as Crenshaw Forrest Taylor as Benson John Picorri as Prof GouldProduction editThe Fighting Devil Dogs was budgeted at 94 656 although the final negative cost was 92 569 a 2 087 or 2 2 under spend making it one of only three pre war Republic serials to be produced under budget 1 It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1938 and the second cheapest of all Republic serials 1 6 It has two recap chapters rather than the usual one or sometimes none in which the entire plot of the serial so far is repeated and makes extensive use of stock footage The cheapest Republic serial 1 was The Vigilantes Are Coming 1936 at 87 655 while the next cheapest after The Fighting Devil Dogs is Undersea Kingdom also 1936 at 99 222 It was filmed between 10 March and 29 March 1938 1 The serial s production number was 793 1 One of the directors William Witney believed this to be one of the worst of the serials he ever made 7 The Lightning s Flying wing was taken from the earlier Dick Tracy serial 8 Aviation was one of the most popular serial genres of the early 1930s along with Westerns and Jungle serials Aviation films were even expected to displace Westerns as the most popular genre but science fiction took over instead Writer Raymond William Stedman claims that the science fiction Flying Wing in this serial was the beginning of the process that killed interest in ordinary aviation 9 10 Release editTheatrical edit The Fighting Devil Dogs official release date is May 28 1938 although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges 1 A 69 minute feature film version created by editing portions of the serial footage together was released on January 29 1943 1 Television edit In the early 1950s The Fighting Devil Dogs was one of fourteen Republic serials edited to six 26 minute episodes for TV syndication 1 Subsequently it became one of twenty six Republic serials edited into a TV movie in 1966 each of which features ran 100 minutes The title of this version was Torpedo of Doom 1 Critical reception editThe Fighting Devil Dogs is in Cline s opinion one of the best mystery serials ever released with a colourful mystery villain stirring musical score and magnificent editing He also notes that it is apparently one of the least costly serials ever released with two recap chapters and stock footage taken from newsreels and earlier serial releases 8 He states that it should be included in any list of the ten best sound serials of all 11 Chapter titles editThe Lightning Strikes 29 min 28s The Mill of Disaster 15 min 56s The Silenced Witness 15 min 50s Cargo of Mystery 15 min 47s Undersea Bandits 16 min 17s The Torpedo of Doom 16 min 24s The Phantom Killer 14 min 47s Recap chapter Tides of Trickery 14 min 34s Attack from the Skies 15 min 07s In the Camp of the Enemy 14 min 29s The Baited Trap 17 min 24s Recap chapter Killer at Bay 17 min 39s Source 1 12 See also editList of film serials by year List of film serials by studioReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Mathis Jack 1995 Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement Jack Mathis Advertising pp 3 10 30 31 ISBN 0 9632878 1 8 Kinnard Roy 1998 Science Fiction Serials A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF Cliffhangers McFarland amp Co p 61 ISBN 978 0786437450 World s First Supervillain at The longest list of the longest stuff at the longest domain name at long last Thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast com Retrieved January 22 2010 The Visual Development of Darth Vader secrethistoryofstarwars com Retrieved February 26 2011 Rovin Jeff 1987 The Encyclopedia of Supervillains New York Facts on File p 190 ISBN 0 8160 1356 X Images Journal Images Journal Retrieved January 22 2010 Witney William 2005 In a Door Into a Fight Out a Door Into a Chase Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door McFarland amp Company ISBN 978 0 7864 2258 6 a b Cline William C 1984 3 The Six Faces of Adventure In the Nick of Time McFarland amp Company Inc pp 51 52 ISBN 0 7864 0471 X Stedman Raymond William 1971 3 At This Theater Next Week Serials Suspense and Drama By Installment University of Oklahoma Press pp 64 66 ISBN 978 0 8061 0927 5 Harmon Jim Donald F Glut 1973 7 The Aviators Land That Plane at Once You Crazy Fool The Great Movie Serials Their Sound and Fury Routledge p 163 ISBN 978 0 7130 0097 9 Cline William C 1984 5 A Cheer for the Champions The Heroes and Heroines In the Nick of Time McFarland amp Company Inc p 78 ISBN 0 7864 0471 X Cline William C 1984 Filmography In the Nick of Time McFarland amp Company Inc p 221 ISBN 0 7864 0471 X External links editThe Fighting Devil Dogs at the American Film Institute Catalog The Fighting Devil Dogs at IMDb nbsp The Fighting Devil Dogs at IMDb nbsp 1943 feature version Preceded byThe Lone Ranger 1938 Republic SerialThe Fighting Devil Dogs 1938 Succeeded byDick Tracy Returns 1938 Preceded byThe Lone Ranger 1938 Witney English SerialThe Fighting Devil Dogs 1938 Succeeded byDick Tracy Returns 1938 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Fighting Devil Dogs amp oldid 1214237636, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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