Gang Busters (serial)

Gang Busters
Directed by	Noel M. Smith; Ray Taylor; Jacques Jaccard (asst.)
Produced by	Ford Beebe
Written by	Morgan Cox; Phillips Lord; Al Martin; Victor McLeod; George H. Plympton
Starring	Kent Taylor; Irene Hervey; Ralph Morgan; Robert Armstrong
Cinematography	John W. Boyle; William A. Sickner
Edited by	Irving Birnbaum; Paul Landres; Charles Maynard
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	1942;
Running time	13 chapters (251 minutes)
Country	United States
Language	English

Gang Busters is a 1942 Universal movie serial based on the radio series Gang Busters.

Plot

The city is terrorized by a crime wave masterminded by the elusive, soft-spoken Professor Mortis (Ralph Morgan) from his base in a forgotten cavern beneath the rails of the city's subway line. Following the murder of his brother, police detective Bill Bannister (Kent Taylor), his partner Tim Nolan (Robert Armstrong), and police chief Martin O'Brien (Joseph Crehan) focus investigation on the activities of Mortis and his gang, and discover that the crimes were all perpetrated by men who had died some time ago, with new identities and kept alive by a formula of Mortis's invention. Following the story is journalist Vicki Logan (Irene Hervey) and her photographer 'Happy' Haskins (Richard Davies).

Cast

Starring:

Kent Taylor as Det. Lt. Bill Bannister
Irene Hervey as Vicki Logan, girl reporter
Ralph Morgan as Professor Mortis
Robert Armstrong as Det. Tim Nolan

Featuring:

Richard Davies as Happy Haskins, news photographer
Joseph Crehan as Police Chief Martin O'Brien
George Watts as Mayor Hansen
Ralf Harolde as Chief Henchman Halliger
William Haade as Henchman Mike Taboni
John Gallaudet as Henchman Wilkerson
George J. Lewis as Henchman Mason
Victor Zimmerman as Henchman Bernard
Johnnie Berkes as Newsboy-Henchman Grubb
Edward Emerson as "Frenchy" Ludoc

With:

Pat O'Malley as the Police Scientist
Beatrice Roberts as the Chief's Secretary
Riley Hill as Jim Bannister (Ch. 1)
Unknown Actor as Henchman Jake Jordan (Ch. 1)
Grace Cunard as landlady (Ch. 1)
Eddie Dean as Blair, ballistics expert (Chs. 1, 6)
Eddie Foster as Henchman Jerry Rogan (Chs. 3-4)
Unknown Actor as Henchman Batty Simms (Ch. 4)
Stanley Price as Henchman Corky Watts (Chs. 4-5)
Mickey Simpson as Bruiser, Ludoc's bouncer (Ch. 7)
Karl Hackett as Henry, crooked watchman (Chs. 7-8)
Phil Warren as Henchman McKay (Chs. 8-9)
Jack Mulhall as Chemist Richards (Chs. 9, 11)
Jerry Jerome as Henchman Soupy Collins (Chs. 10-11)
Paul McVey as Attorney J.B. "Harry" Malloy (Ch. 12)

Production

Gang Busters is one of Universal's most elaborate serials, with many chase and thrill scenes expertly staged in outdoor locations. The directors were Ray Taylor, veteran director responsible for many hit serials, and Noel M. Smith, former silent-screen director who specialized in fast action (Smith directed many of Larry Semon's action-filled comedies of the 1920s).

This is mostly a crime film but contains a small science fiction element. The villains, The League of Murdered Men, are all dead criminals killed and revived by Professor Mortis using his own mysterious poison.[1]

Critical reception

The film was very successful in its original release, and was re-released in 1949 by Sherman S. Krellberg's Filmcraft Productions.

Within serial fandom, Jim Harmon and Donald F. Glut in the 1970s described Gang Busters as a "well made and interesting serial.",[1] and Cline in 1984 wrote that he considered the serial is one of Universal's best[2] and that Professor Mortis is one of the best characters ever created for a serial.[3]

Chapter titles

The League of Murdered Men
The Death Plunge
Murder Blockade
Hangman's Noose
Man Undercover
Under Crumbling Walls
The Water Trap
Murder by Proxy
Gang Bait
Mob Vengeance
Wanted at Headquarters
The Long Chance
Law and Order

_Source:[4]

gollark: The accursedly complex backend for osmarks internet radio™/my personal youtube-dl frontend/PotatOS™'s Random Stuff API and a bunch of other things I forgot is a 500-line Python program using AIOHTTP nowadays.

gollark: I mostly use python nowadays.

gollark: I disagree. I am not accepting feedback on this opinion at this time.

gollark: Plus I think Joule uses PHP, so lots of htaccess files.

gollark: It's somewhat annoying and doesn't matter very much.

References

Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "8. The Detectives "Gangbusters!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 194. 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 & Company, Inc. pp. 89. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
Cline, William C. (1984). "7. Masters of Menace (The Villains)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 108. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 232. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

External links

Gang Busters on IMDb
Gang Busters at AllMovie

Preceded by Don Winslow of the Navy (1942)	Universal Serial Gang Busters (1942)	Succeeded by Junior G-Men of the Air (1942)

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[GMS-1] Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "8. The Detectives "Gangbusters!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.

[2] Cline, William C. (1984). "5. A Cheer for the Champions (The Heroes and Heroines)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 89. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

[3] Cline, William C. (1984). "7. Masters of Menace (The Villains)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 108. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

[4] Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 232. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.