King of the Texas Rangers

Last updated

King of the Texas Rangers
KingTexasRangers.jpg
Directed by
Written by
Produced byHiram S. Brown Jr.
Starring
CinematographyReggie Lanning
Production
company
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • October 4, 1941 (1941-10-04)(U.S. serial) [1]
Running time
  • 12 chapters (215 minutes) (serial) [1]
  • 6 26½-minute episodes (TV) [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$138,536 (negative cost: $139,701) [1]

King of the Texas Rangers (1941) is a Republic film serial. [2] Set in the years prior to America entering World War II, the plot is slightly anachronistic in that the serial features a mix of period western and modern elements, which was not unknown in the B-Western films also produced by Republic. [3] Although the serial's plot involves cowboys battling Axis agents in Texas. Nazis are never named as such but their presence is strongly implied within the serial. [4] [lower-alpha 1]

Contents

Plot

When Captain King of the Texas Rangers is murdered by saboteurs, his son, Tom ("Slingin' Sammy Baugh"), a famous football star, leaves college and joins the Texas Rangers himself. Shortly after, Tom is given the mission of avenging his father's death and defeating the foreign agents.

John Barton (Neil Hamilton), supposedly a respectable citizen, works with "His Excellency" (Rudolph Anders), a mysterious leader of a gang of saboteurs, intent on destroying the Dobe Hills Oil Company oil fields in Texas. Tom teams up with Sally Crane (Pauline Moore), a reporter who witnessed his father's murder, and Mexican officer Lt. Pedro Garcia (Duncan Renaldo). The agents are working across the border in both countries with destroying the saboteurs' hideouts being their goal.

One of the targets of the gang of saboteurs is an invention by Professor Nelson (Joseph Forte) who has developed a new type of aviation fuel. Tom protects the professor, riding aboard a train as his bodyguard. foiling the plot to kidnap the inventor. When rumours spread that the new aviation fuel is dangerous, Tom and Sally set out in an aircraft to prove the fuel is safe. When Pedro learns that Tom's aircraft is rigged with a time bomb, he warns him in time for Sally and Tom to parachute to safety.

The saboteurs plan to destroy the Whitney Dam would flood the oil fields in Texas, and when Sally finds one of their hideouts, Tom has to rescue her. Barton and his gang finally get their hands on the formula for the special aviation fuel and set out in a dirigible flown by "His Excellency". Their attack on the oil fields is thwarted when Tom and Pedro crash their aircraft into the dirigible, killing the gang. The two lawmen parachute to safety and are later honoured by the Texas Rangers for their bravery.

Chapter titles

  1. The Fifth Column Strikes (29min 11s)
  2. Dead End (17min 42s)
  3. Manhunt (16min 42s)
  4. Trapped (17min 9s)
  5. Test Flight (16min 40s)
  6. Double Danger (16min 30s)
  7. Death Takes the Witness (16min 43s)
  8. Counterfeit Trail (16min 48s)
  9. Ambush (16min 48s)
  10. Sky Raiders (16min 51s)
  11. Trail of Death (16min 40s)
  12. Code of the Rangers (16min 47s)

Source: [7]

Cast

Production

King of the Texas Rangers (production number 996) was budgeted at $138,536 although the final negative cost was $139,701 (a $1,165, or 0.8%, overspend). The serial was the cheapest Republic serial of 1941. King of the Texas Rangers was filmed in the Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California between June 17 and July 18, 1941. [1]

Other actors were curious and sceptical about footballer Sammy Baugh as the lead in a sort of western. However, according to co-star Kenne Duncan, Baugh turned out to be a good horseman (he was raised on a ranch in Texas), took direction well and learned about acting quickly. [8]

In the opinions of researchers Jim Harmon and Donald F. Glut, King of the Texas Rangers contains "one of the greatest cliffhangers of all time." King (Baugh) jumps onto a speeding train and gets into the engine cab just as the train enters a tunnel in a mountain. The villains detonate explosives causing a landslide at the other end of the tunnel. In the resolution, Baugh yells "Open that throttle!" and the train shoots out of the tunnel to safety. [8]

Reception

The official release date of King of the Texas Rangers is October 4, 1941, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges. In the early 1950s, King of the Texas Rangers was one of 14 Republic serials edited into a television series broadcast in six, 26½-minute episodes. [1]

King of the Texas Rangers was reviewed by Jesse Sublett in his retrospective analysis of the myth of the Texas Rangers, "Lone On The Range: Texas Lawmen: A history of the Texas Rangers." Sublett, said, "A search of movie databases can quickly overwhelm the researcher with Ranger movies ..." King of the Texas Rangers is identified as the most important film on the mythology of the Rangers from the period 1926–1948. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Masked Marvel</i> 1943 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

The Masked Marvel (1943) is a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many other well known serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced.

<i>Radar Men from the Moon</i> 1952 film by Fred C. Brannon

Radar Men from the Moon is a 1952 Republic Pictures' 12-chapter movie serial, the first Commando Cody serial starring newcomer George Wallace as Cody, Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert, and serial veteran Roy Barcroft as the evil Retik, the Ruler of the Moon. The director was Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by the Lydecker brothers. This serial recycles the flying sequences from Republic's earlier 1949 serial King of the Rocket Men. It was later released by Republic in 1966 as the 100-minute television film Retik the Moon Menace.

<i>The Three Musketeers</i> (1933 serial) 1933 American film

The Three Musketeers is a 1933 American pre-Code film serial directed by Armand Schaeffer and Colbert Clark, and produced by Nat Levine for Mascot Pictures. The film serial was very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel The Three Musketeers, with the musketeers changed into three soldiers in the French Foreign Legion, and d'Artagnan being reconfigured as Lt. Tom Wayne, a pilot in the United States military.

<i>Mysterious Doctor Satan</i> 1940 film by John English, William Witney

Mysterious Doctor Satan is a 1940 American film serial directed by William Witney and John English. Produced by Republic Pictures, the serial stars Edward Ciannelli, Robert Wilcox, William Newell, C. Montague Shaw, Ella Neal, and Dorothy Herbert. The title of the serial is derived from that of its chief villain.

<i>Drums of Fu Manchu</i> 1940 film by John English, William Witney

Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) is a 15-chapter Republic serial film based on the character created by Sax Rohmer. Though using the title of the ninth novel in the series, it actually is based on numerous elements from throughout the series to that point, cherry-picked by the writers. It starred Henry Brandon, William Royle and Robert Kellard. It was directed by the successful serial team constituee by William Witney and John English and is often considered one of the best serial films ever made.

<i>Adventures of Red Ryder</i> 1940 film by John English, William Witney

The Adventures of Red Ryder is a 1940 American 12-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, directed by William Witney and John English and starring Don "Red" Barry and Noah Beery, Sr., based on the Western comic strip Red Ryder by Fred Harmon. This serial is the 18th of the 66 serials produced by Republic.

<i>Jungle Girl</i> (serial) 1941 film by John English, William Witney

Jungle Girl is a 1941 15-chapter Republic serial starring Frances Gifford. It was directed by William Witney and John English based on the novel Jungle Girl (1932) by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the 22nd of the 66 serials produced by Republic.

<i>King of the Royal Mounted</i> (serial) 1940 film by John English, William Witney

King of the Royal Mounted (1940) is a Republic Pictures northern serial based on the King of the Royal Mounted comic strip directed by William Witney and John English.

<i>Darkest Africa</i> 1936 American film

Darkest Africa (1936) is a Republic movie serial. This was the first serial produced by Republic Pictures and was a loose sequel to a Mascot Pictures serial called The Lost Jungle, also starring Clyde Beatty. Mascot, and other companies, had been taken over in 1935 by Consolidated Film Laboratories and merged to become Republic. Producer Nat Levine was formerly the owner of Mascot Pictures.

<i>The Lone Ranger</i> (serial) Film series

The Lone Ranger is a 1938 American Republic Pictures movie serial based on The Lone Ranger radio program. It was the ninth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic, the fourth Western and the first Republic serial release of 1938. The following year a sequel serial The Lone Ranger Rides Again was released. The fifteen chapters of the serial were condensed into the film Hi-Yo Silver, which was released in 1940.

<i>Dick Tracy Returns</i> 1938 American film

Dick Tracy Returns (1938) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was the eleventh of the sixty-six serials Republic produced and a sequel to the 1937 serial Dick Tracy, with Ralph Byrd reprising his role as the title character. It was successful enough that two further sequels were released in 1939 and 1941, and Byrd become so connected with the character he went on to play him in a subsequent television series.

<i>Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.</i> 1941 film by John English, William Witney

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was directed by the team of William Witney and John English with Ralph Byrd reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of the four Dick Tracy serials produced by Republic, although Ralph Byrd went on to portray the character again in two features and on television.

<i>Spy Smasher</i> (serial) 1942 film by William Witney

Spy Smasher is a 12-episode 1942 Republic serial film based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher which is now a part of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads. The serial was Chapman's big break into a career in film and television. Spy Smasher is a very highly regarded serial. In 1966, a television film was made from the serial footage under the title Spy Smasher Returns.

<i>King of the Mounties</i> 1942 film by William Witney

King of the Mounties is a 1942 Republic 12-chapter film serial, directed by William Witney. Allan Lane played Sgt. Dave King of the Mounties, with Peggy Drake as heroine Carol Brent, and Abner Biberman played the villainous Japanese admiral Yamata.

<i>King of the Forest Rangers</i> 1946 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Fred C. Brannon

King of the Forest Rangers (1946) is a Republic film serial.

<i>King of the Rocket Men</i> 1949 film by Fred C. Brannon

King of the Rocket Men is a 1949 12-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Franklin Adreon, directed Fred C. Brannon, that stars Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty, House Peters, Jr., James Craven, and I. Stanford Jolley.

<i>Flying Disc Man from Mars</i> 1950 film by Fred C. Brannon

Flying Disc Man from Mars is a 1950 Republic Pictures 12-chapter black-and-white science fiction adventure film serial, produced by Franklin Adreon, directed by Fred C. Brannon, that stars Walter Reed, Lois Collier, Gregory Gaye, James Craven, Harry Lauter, and Richard Irving. Disc Man is considered a weak example of the serial medium, even compared to other post-World War II serials. In 1958 Republic edited the serial's 167 minutes of footage into a 75-minute feature, released under the new title Missile Monsters.

<i>Tailspin Tommy</i> (serial) 1934 American film

Tailspin Tommy is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. Directed by Lew Landers and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio. The plot of Tailspin Tommy concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.

<i>Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies</i> 1949 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr

Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies (1949) is a 15-episode Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the Bruce Gentry comic strip created by Ray Bailey. It features the first cinematic appearance of a flying saucer, as the secret weapon of the villainous Recorder.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Republic liked calling their heroes "King" in order to use the title "King of..." [5] The studio had found success with this naming scheme following the adaptation of Zane Grey's King of the Royal Mounted . [6]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mathis 1995, pp. 3, 10, 56–57.
  2. ↑ Rainey 2010, p. 135.
  3. ↑ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. 188.
  4. ↑ Blake, Jerry. "Review: 'King of the Texas Rangers'." Files of Jerry Blake, February 26, 2014. Retrieved: July 12, 2109.
  5. ↑ Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 283.
  6. ↑ Cline 1984, p. 23.
  7. ↑ Cline 1984, p. 231.
  8. 1 2 Harmon and Glut 1973, pp. 116, 119.
  9. ↑ Sublett, Jesse. "Lone On The Range: Texas Lawmen: A history of the Texas Rangers." Texas Monthly, December 31, 1969. Retrieved: July 12, 2019.

Bibliography

  • Cline, William C. "Filmography". "2. In Search of Ammunition", In the Nick of Time. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984, ISBN   978-0-89950-101-7.
  • Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "5. Real Life Heroes "Just Strangle the Lion in Your Usual Way", The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. New York: Routledge, 1973. ISBN   978-0-7130-0097-9.
  • Mathis, Jack. Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. South Barrington, Illinois: Jack Mathis Advertising, 1995. ISBN   0-9632878-1-8.
  • Rainey, Buck. Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912–1956. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2010. ISBN   978-1-47660-448-0.
  • Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. ISBN   0-517-166259.
Preceded by
Jungle Girl (1941)
 Republic Serial
King of the Texas Rangers (1941)		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jungle Girl (1941)
 Witney-English Serial
King of the Texas Rangers (1941)		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.