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Spy Smasher (1942); Combined threads
Topic Started: Nov 10 2005, 10:36 PM (1,458 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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Alan “Spy Smasher” Armstrong made his first appearance in Whiz Comics #2 (February, 1940 issue), published by Fawcett Publications. The origin, such as it went, was that Alan was asked by his fiancé’s father, Admiral Corby, to battle spies and saboteurs in pre-war America. Hey, anything for your future father-in-law, right? Alan donned an ugly green skintight outfit with a diamond insignia on the front, goggles, and a red cape, and went out to… well, to smash spies, what else? He did his job so well that in a few years there were no more spies left to smash, and he set about smashing crime as Crime Smasher. Would I lie?

When Republic Studios was rebuffed in their attempt to bring National Comics’ Superman to the screen in 1940, they rang up Fawcett and produced The Adventures of Captain Marvel in 1941. A big hit and perennial favorite, Captain Marvel talked his Whiz Comics buddy into joining him in Hollywood, and shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked Kane Richmond donned suit, goggles and cape as He Who Must Smash Spies.

Kane has a triple role as Alan Armstrong, Alan's alter-ego, the valiant Spy Smasher, and as Alan's helpful twin brother Jack Armstrong (who may or may not be THE All-American Boy, but is certainly AN all-American boy). For 12 chapters, Spy Smasher battles his archenemy, the malevolent Mask, a Nazi agent behind a counterfeiting plot that could bankrupt the Allied cause. As directed by serial ace William Witney, Spy Smasher – both action-packed and topical – is considered one of the greatest of all motion picture serials by genre fans, and as the very best by some. For certain, it’s got one of the great opening chapter cliffhangers of any serial: our hero, pumping like mad on a railway handcar filled with explosives in a burning tunnel that’s been sealed by the villains and that’s filling with blazing oil.

The Mask mainly hangs out on a submarine, but eventually Spy Smasher manages to find it and gain entrance, which allows the nasty Nazi to trap him in a sealed compartment and hiss, “Open ze sea valves und flood ze torpedo room!” Frankly, that’s something I’ve always wanted to say, but haven’t gotten the opportunity. Yet. It should be noted, by the way, that the Mask rarely wears his. Mask, that is. Which is fine, because it’s a rather silly affair; it looks like a little shower curtain with eyeholes. The Mask has several plans, though, unlike some serial villains who are one-trick ponies; when his counterfeiting scheme falls through, he whips out a death ray that blows up bombers. When that runs out of steam, well, there just happens to be a shipment of gold bullion, vital to the nation’s economy, passing through town, ripe for the plucking. I’m glad to see he’s got something to fall back on.

Chapter 5 in particular is a doozy, with one of those patented Republic gunfights in which all of the participants are about 3 feet away from each other, hiding behind chairs and flimsy doors to protect themselves from the flying bullets. Another terrific cliffhanger has Spy Smasher unconscious on a treadmill delivering him right into a whirring knife, although what on earth such a device could’ve been patented for, I have no idea.

The AC Comics DVD is very good; picture and sound are excellent, but the opening credits are weirdly tinted; I didn’t like the colors, and that’s my only complaint. There are a tremendous amount of entertaining extras, including a photo gallery that is supposed to contain over 100 photos (I didn’t count); it has some promotional materials, comics art, and stills, but seems to be mainly screen grabs. There are excellent trailers for other serials currently or soon available from AC Comics, including Nyoka and the Tigermen, Panther Girl of the Kongo, and Don Daredevil Rides Again, plus a poor 1966 trailer for Spy Smasher Returns (the featurized version). There’s a short but welcome history of Spy Smasher in the comics, too, very well illustrated. Best of all, there’s a “stunt reel” that shows Spy Smasher (actually, ace Republic stuntman Dave Sharpe) at his best; the scenes in which Sharpe doubles for Richmond are pretty obvious, and watching this reel shows how terrific Republic’s editors were (three of them worked on this chapterplay). Highly recommended, and you can order it from AC Comics’ link in our LINKS section. How’s that for easy?

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"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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CliffClaven
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I just found a copy of this (not AC Comics); have vague memories of the feature cut on television.

Is is just me, or is the concept of pursuing enemy undercover agents in a superhero costume slightly counterintuitive?
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panzer the great & terrible
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This post is a welcome reminder of what a great writer Gravy can be.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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Laughing Gravy
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Thanks.

Looking at our third and final serial for our 28th season, after Drums of Fu Manchu and the in-progress The Lost Jungle. I'd prefer a 12-chapter serial, and am thinking about the ones we haven't seen, or not seen with the current crowd... King of the Rocket Men? Secret Agent X-9 '45? Fighting Devil Dogs? Hmmm...
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Pa Stark
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What I wondered about the chapter three cliffhanger where Spy Smasher is trapped in the submarine compartment and the Mask orders it flooded, do subs have such a feature?
It really makes no sense for the Mask to sometimes wear his mask, and sometimes not. Why wear the mask when the person he is talking to has seen him without his mask. The only reason I can think of is, Hans Schumm had such a malevolent face, he was perfect as a Nazi agent. BYW, I know someone who looks like Schumm, don't you agree?
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Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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Bulleteer
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Mine is also the AC version. I just showed the first chapter of it to my two teenage boys today. I'm hoping to get them interested in serials. They thought the fight scenes were pretty good. Some good old-fashioned fist-fighting was a bit foreign to them, being used to today's cinema where every actor in Hollywood is a martial arts master and fight scenes are chock full of special effects. I'm planning to show them the whole thing, one chapter a week (I don't want to push too much on them at once). Hopefully they'll develop an appreciation for it, it would be neat if I could share my interest with them.

But regardless, I enjoyed watching it again.


"Atomic activity on the moon. Atomic blasts on the Earth."
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turan38
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CliffClaven
Mar 22 2014, 06:17 PM
I just found a copy of this (not AC Comics); have vague memories of the feature cut on television.

Is is just me, or is the concept of pursuing enemy undercover agents in a superhero costume slightly counterintuitive?
I hate to sound like a heretic, but I thought this serial was pretty silly. I realize those serials were aimed at kids, but the only reason to have a "spy smasher" wearing a cape and mask was... to have the character wearing a cape and mask to appeal to those little boys who made their own "capes" out of a dish towel.
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panzer the great & terrible
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Sacrilege! I made my cape out of a full-scale bath towel. And isn't calling a serial silly a tautology? What I love about Spy Smasher is the radio speaker in the train's club car. At's a some crazy technology, you bet.

Once I read a synopsis of Spy Smasher to a small group. They laughed themselves silly.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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JazzGuyy
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The best capes were made from the remains of old blankets.
TANSTAAFL!
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Bulleteer
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I preferred a beach towel. Not too wide, but with extra length for a more dramatic flowing effect.

I was quite the dashing hero in my backyard.


"Atomic activity on the moon. Atomic blasts on the Earth."
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riddlerider
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turan38
Mar 23 2014, 06:04 AM
I hate to sound like a heretic, but I thought this serial was pretty silly. I realize those serials were aimed at kids, but the only reason to have a "spy smasher" wearing a cape and mask was... to have the character wearing a cape and mask to appeal to those little boys who made their own "capes" out of a dish towel.

Uh, no, the only reason to have Spy Smasher wear a cape and mask was to make him recognizable to the million or so kids who followed his adventures in WHIZ COMICS, one of the top-selling comic books of the early Forties. That was the audience Republic was assiduously cultivating. So having the character in a perfectly realized duplicate of his four-color costume was good marketing.

And when you get right down to it, all serials are "pretty silly" if you're unwilling to suspend disbelief.
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Pa Stark
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.

And when you get right down to it, all serials are "pretty silly" if you're unwilling to suspend disbelief. [/quote]



Right on, Riddle Rider. Too many people watch an old movie with the wrong mind set. I will never forget when I was a broadcasting student at college, the professor show the class Laurel & Hardy's silent classic, TWO TARS. One girl kept saying, "That doesn't make any sense." I felt like hitting her over the head with a book to put some sense in her head.
I remember watching serials in the mid 50's when I was eight years old, and being totally captivated by them, and I was in total awe of some like DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY and THE GREAT ALASKAN MYSTERY. When I watch serials now, I manage to watch them in the same way I did then, that is how I remain a dedicated serial fan after almost 60 years.[/quote]
Edited by Pa Stark, Mar 23 2014, 05:04 PM.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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Bulleteer
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I think that's why some people don't like old movies, of any genre (not directed ay anyone in particular, just a general observation). They can't remove themselves from their modern way of thinking. To me, that's the allure. Experiencing how things were done before my time.

That's one reason I like old monster and sci-fi movies. The more corny it is, the more fun it is. :D


"Atomic activity on the moon. Atomic blasts on the Earth."
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panzer the great & terrible
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I completely agree. That's exactly why I love the silents. They are a window onto another world.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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CliffClaven
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Couple episodes in, and it's looking good. A favorite odd moment: Spy Smasher walks into a room sans mask, and his twin brother's fiancee runs up and kisses him on the lips. He looks confused and discomforted for a moment -- much as the average small boy in the audience would.

Were the Flash Gordon serials the only ones that acknowledged sexual attraction, jealousy, and women looking hot? I'm not counting all the last-chapter fadeouts where the hero takes the heroine's arm as they both laugh at the comedy relief.

Also, Firesign Theatre did a video of redubbed serial clips, including this one of Spy Smasher. Please remember it's a product of its time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QbhkYSSvYw

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