Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies
Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies | |
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Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet Thomas Carr |
Written by | Lewis Clay George H. Plympton Joseph F. Poland Ray Bailey(character) |
Produced by | Sam Katzman |
Starring | Tom Neal Judy Clark Ralph Hodges Forrest Taylor Hugh Prosser Tristram Coffin |
Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
Edited by | Dwight Caldwell Earl Turner |
Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 chapters |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies(1949) is a 15-episodeColumbia Picturesmovie serialbased on theBruce Gentry comic stripcreated by Ray Bailey.[1]It features the first cinematic appearance of aflying saucer,as the secret weapon of thevillainousRecorder.[2]
Plot
[edit]Dr Benson (Forrest Taylor), a friend of charter pilot Bruce Gentry (Tom Neal), is kidnapped by themysterious enemy agent,"the Recorder" who only issues orders through recordings.[3]Benson is used to perfect the villain's flying saucers, launched and controlled by electronic means. Industrialist Paul Radcliffe (Hugh Prosser) hires Bruce to investigate the saucers as he thinks they may have a commercial use.
Necessary for the production of the flying saucers is a mineral called Platonite. The Recorder's only source, an abandoned mine on the land belonging to Jaunita (Judy Clark) and Frank Farrell (Ralph Hodges), has run dry and he needs to steal supplies from the US Government.
When Bruce closes in on The Recorder, he finds out that his prey is actually Dr. Benson. Krendon (Tristram Coffin), one of his henchmen, releases a deadly flying saucer on an attack against thePanama Canal.In his aircraft, Bruce intercepts the saucer, crashing into it, and escaping the resultant explosion by taking to his parachute. Back at The Recorder's headquarters, the saucer controls explode, killing all the enemy agents.
Cliffhangers
[edit]At the end of chapter 14, Gentry drives over a cliff on a motorbike. In the resolution at the beginning of chapter 15, Gentry is replaced by an animated sequence which shows him escaping death by use of a parachute hidden under his jacket. The cliffhangers, and their resolutions, in chapters one and 12 are almost identical.[4]
Cast
[edit]- Tom Nealas Bruce Gentry, "Daredevil of the Skies" and charter pilot
- Judy Clarkas Juanita Farrell, Young rancher whomThe Recorderis trying to chase away from her land
- Ralph Hodges as Frank Farrell, Young rancher whomThe Recorderis trying to chase away from his land
- Forrest Tayloras Dr Alexander Benson/The Recorder
- Hugh Prosseras Paul Radcliffe, Industrialist who hires Bruce Gordon to investigate
- Tristram Coffinas Krendon, LeadhenchmanofThe Recorder
- Jack Ingramas Allen
- Terry Frostas Chandler
- Eddie Parkeras Gregg
- Charles Kingas Ivor
- Stephen Carr as Adrian Hill
- Dale Van Sickelas Gregory, US Government Agent
Production
[edit]The flying disc is described by Harmon and Glut as "an embarrassingly bad animated cartoon drawn over the action scenes." Animation also appears in the resolution of a cliffhanger, in which an animated Gentry is used instead of a stuntman.[4]
The flying disc, however, may be the first cinematic appearance of a flying saucer.[2]
Chapter titles
[edit]- The Mysterious Disc
- The Mine of Menace
- Fiery Furnace
- Grande Crossing
- Danger Trail
- A Flight for Life
- A Flying Disc
- Fate Takes the Wheel
- Hazardous Heights
- Over the Falls
- Gentry at Bay
- Parachute of Peril
- Menace of the Mesa
- Bruce's Strategy
- The Final Disc
Source:[5]
Critical reception
[edit]According to Harmon and Glut,Bruce Gentrywas "one of Columbia's closest attempts at imitating the serials of Republic, a studio known for superbly staged action sequences" but it did not equal Republic's standards.[4]
Film historian William Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure."[6]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Cline, William C. "2. In Search of Ammunition".In the Nick of Time.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984.ISBN0-7864-0471-X.
- Cline, William C. "Filmography".In the Nick of Time.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984.ISBN0-7864-0471-X.
- Greer, John Michael.The UFO Phenomenon: Fact, Fantasy and Disinformation.Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2009.ISBN978-0-73871-319-9.
- Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "7. The Aviators" Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool ".The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury.London: Routledge, 1973.ISBN978-0-7130-0097-9.
- Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold.To be Continued...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials.New York: Bonanza Books, 1973.ISBN0-517-166259
External links
[edit]- 1949 films
- 1940s English-language films
- American aviation films
- 1940s science fiction adventure films
- American science fiction adventure films
- American black-and-white films
- Columbia Pictures film serials
- Films based on American comics
- UFO-related films
- Films directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
- Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton
- Films with screenplays by Joseph F. Poland
- Flying saucers in film
- 1940s American films
- Films scored by Mischa Bakaleinikoff
- English-language science fiction adventure films