Spy Smasher (1942)

Well Deserved Praise

one of my absolute favorites!

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

How can it be a spoiler if it is the first thing that occurs in the first chapter? At the start, Spy Smasher is in Gestapo headquarters. He goes around a desk, letting his cape lie on the edge. He sets his flashlight on the desk, inadvertently setting it on the cape. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he jerks backwards and the cape pulls the flashlight off the desk sending it skittering across the floor. Hearing the noise the Germans burst into the room starting what will turn out to be innumerable fist fights through out the 12 chapters.How did he get in Gestapo headquarters in the first place? What's he doing wearing that stupid cape? This is a "great" serial?Give me a break!!!

Probably considered a close second to The Adventures of Captain Marvel as the best of all serials. This too is a comic adaptation, but of a comic almost no one has seen in 60 years since it was a war related comic that died a painful death when the "enemy" went away and Spysmasher was forced to fight regular criminals. The plot has Spysmasher- a reporter who faked his own death so he could fight the enemy on their own terms- returning to America to stop The Mask from flooding the country with counterfeit money as well as doing other terrible things. It's a rip roaring adventure that moves like the wind. Republic spent a nice chunk of change on the film and it shows with production values that seem a little more than normal. If there is a flaw its that the film is so action packed that watching it in one or two sittings you become aware how little plot there is. Yes it moves like the wind and yes it's the perfect serial to be seen one chapter each week, but as a something to watch it one sitting its almost too much motion. Granted this was never intended to be seen in one sitting so its understandable that there are "problems" (and minor ones at that). Action film and comic nuts really should see this. It's a blast and a half, especially if you like to watch the old wartime films from the 1940's.

Possible spoilers.One of the best serials of the 1940s, Spy Smasher combines action and clever cliffhangers with a superb double role for its star, Kane Richmond, as well as an enjoyable cast. Richmond stars as twin brothers Alan and Jack Armstrong during the period just before and immediately into US involvement in the Second World War. Jack is fiancé to Eve Corby, the daughter of the recently-appointed director of foreign intelligence, Admiral Corby. Alan is a former news writer who faked his death in France during the Nazi conquest in order to begin building a network within the Resistance that will help him fight the Nazis on their own ground.Now, however, he must fight them in the US, as a Nazi intelligence officer, known as the Mask for his use of a mask when communicating with collaborators in the US, has hatched a scheme to flood counterfeit money into the US, the first of a series of sabotage efforts that bring out the intervention of Spy Smasher and Jack in a series of encounters with the Mask's henchmen.The running battle with the Mask's men, however, leads to tragedy, as Eve is kidnapped and an attempt at rescue proves fatal, leading to Eve's discovery of Spy Smasher's identity and eventually to a final showdown with the Mask amid a Nazi submarine attack on a US industrial base.

The Movie Serial, at least since the advent of sound, has always been considered a sort of poor relative of the feature, if not an out and out bastard cousin. They were always sort of viewed with the cartoons as being strictly made for the Matinée, the juvenile trade. As a result, there really is no "CITIZEN KANE" of Serials. SPY SMASHER comes close.To be sure,it is a product of Republic Pictures' "thrill factory"*, and has plenty of stock footage of explosions, fires, floods and other assorted calamities through out.All of these are skillfully woven into the final product. It still has a bright, vital out of doors look;as well as convincing indoor sets. It also has an excellent cast which is headed by energetic,athletic Kane Richmond. Next to Buster Crabbe, Mr. Richmond is probably the best leading man in the Sound Serials. He was also prolific,having been in several other serials.We have over 100 Serials in VHS or DVD formats in our household.This one is a top notch film,period. See it, but don't expect any 'Camp Humor". It's just not there.**NOTE* Republic adapted it from the popular comic book feature appearing in WHIZ COMICS. It was property of Fawcett Publications, whose CAPTAIN MARVEL was previously brought to the screen by Republc, in 1941.NOTE **See also SPY SMASHER RETURNS (1966), the edited-down feature version made for Television.