Drums of Fu Manchu

Last updated

Drums of Fu Manchu
DrumsOfFuManchu.jpg
Directed by William Witney
John English
Written by Franklin Adreon
Morgan B. Cox
Ronald Davidson
Norman S. Hall
Barney A. Sarecky
Sol Shor
Sax Rohmer (novel)
Produced byHiram S. Brown Jr.
Starring Henry Brandon
William Royle
Robert Kellard
Gloria Franklin
Olaf Hytten
Tom Chatterton
Luana Walters
Cinematography William Nobles
Edited by William Thompson
Edward Todd
Distributed by Republic Pictures
Release dates
  • March 15, 1940 (1940-03-15)(U.S. serial) [1]
  • November 27, 1943 (1943-11-27)(U.S. feature) [1]
Running time
15 chapters / 269 minutes (serial) [1]
69 minutes (feature) [1]
CountryUnited States
Language English
Budget$164,052 (negative cost: $166,312) [1]

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.

Contents

Plot

Fu Manchu attempts to conquer the world by acquiring the sceptre of Genghis Khan, which will unite the people of Asia under his rule. Allan Parker allies himself with the traditional British literary nemeses of Fu Manchu, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his associate, Dr. Flinders Petrie after his father is kidnapped and killed by Fu Manchu's dacoits.

Cast

Production

Drums of Fu Manchu was budgeted at $164,052 although the final negative cost was $166,312 (a $2,260, or 1.4%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1940, although this year was the first in which Republic's overall spending on serial production was less than in the previous year. [1] Republic spent $597,528 producing serials in 1940 compared to $648,064 in 1939 (1939's total would not be beaten until the $782,204 of 1944). The studio produced four serials in each year, with the same mix of two 12-chapter serials and two 15-chapter serials.

The serial was filmed between December 22, 1939 and February 7, 1940, the longest filming period of any Republic serial. [1] The serial's production number was 995. [1]

Directors Witney and English, working with photographer William Nobles, stressed the elements of mystery in the plot over the usual action. Strong use of shadows was made with "the eeriest lighting possible falling upon Fu Manchu". [2]

It was one of the very rare films made under the US Motion Picture Production Code to allow the villain to escape at the end. According to serial expert Alan Barbour, the Hays Office accepted the explanation that Fu Manchu always "got away" at the end of his novels to wreak further havoc in the next adventure, and Republic may well have been considering follow-ups.

Release

Drums of Fu Manchu's official release date is March 15, 1940, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges. [1]

A 69-minute feature film version of the same name was created by editing the serial footage together and released on November 27, 1943. The feature version had the working titles Fu Manchu and Fu Manchu Strikes. It was one of fourteen feature films Republic made from their serials. [1] This version changed the ending of the film. Fu Manchu's escape at the end is edited out and he dies in the final car crash instead. A similar change was made in the feature version of the Victory Pictures serial Shadow of Chinatown . [2]

Home media

The complete serial was released on region 1 DVD in the US by VCI Entertainment on February 25, 2003. [3]

Critical reception

Harmon and Glut regard Drums of Fu Manchu as one of Republic's best film serials. [2]

Brandon as Fu Manchu is, in Cline's opinion, "a performance that stands alone". [4]

Hans J. Wollstein, writing at Allmovie, concurs that Drums of Du Fu Manchu is "one of [Republic's] very best" serials. He does, however, note mistakes such as the misspelling of "Ghengis Khan" and Fu Manchu referring to Mary Randolph as "Miss Parker" but considers them part of the charm of the serial. In terms of acting, Brandon is a "compelling and strangely ageless fiend" while Kellard is "competent as the action hero". Witney and English are afforded the usual praise for their work. [5]

Influences

The influences on many similar serials and motion pictures cannot be overstated. Many similarities exist between Drums of Fu Manchu and the Indiana Jones saga, especially Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom .

Chapter titles

  1. Fu Manchu Strikes (29min 18s)
  2. The Monster (17min 39s)
  3. Ransom in the Sky (17min 38s)
  4. The Pendulum of Doom (16min 49s)
  5. The House of Terror (17min 23s)
  6. Death Dials a Number (17min 43s)
  7. Vengeance of the Si Fan (18min 15s)
  8. Danger Trail (16min 48s)
  9. The Crystal of Death (16min 54s)
  10. Drums of Doom (17min 11s)
  11. The Tomb of Genghis Khan (16min 59s)
  12. Fire of Vengeance (16min 39s)
  13. The Devil's Tattoo (16min 47s)
  14. Satan's Surgeon (16min 40s)
  15. Revolt! (16min 45s)

Source: [1] [6]

This was one of Republic's two 15-chapter serials in 1940. The other was Mysterious Doctor Satan . Following their standard practice of 1938-1944, Republic also released two 12-chapter serials in this year, Adventures of Red Ryder and King of the Royal Mounted .

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>The Phantom</i> (serial) 1943 film by B. Reeves Eason

The Phantom is a 1943 15-chapter cliffhanger superhero serial, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed B. Reeves Eason, and starring Tom Tyler in the title role. It is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom, first syndicated to newspapers in 1936 by King Features Syndicate. The serial also features Jeanne Bates as the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog as the Phantom's trusty German shepherd Devil.

<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>Daredevils of the Red Circle</i> 1939 film by John English, William Witney

Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) is a 12-chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Charles Quigley, David Sharpe, Herman Brix, Carole Landis, Miles Mander and Charles Middleton. It was directed by William Witney and John English and is considered one of the better serials produced by Republic. The serial was the fourteenth of the sixty-six serials produced by the studio.

<i>The Fighting Devil Dogs</i> 1938 American film

The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) is a 12-chapter Republic movie serial starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix, the latter better known by his later stage name, Bruce Bennett. It was directed by William Witney and John English. While not often considered a great serial, as it contains much stock footage and two recap chapters, it is famous for its main villain, the Lightning—the first costumed supervillain. There is some speculation that George Lucas used the Lightning as a template for Darth Vader.

<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>Dick Tracys G-Men</i> 1939 film by John English, William Witney

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) is a 15-Chapter Republic movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by William Witney and John English.

<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>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>Hawk of the Wilderness</i> 1938 American film

Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) is a Republic movie serial based on the Kioga adventure novels written by pulp writer William L. Chester (1907-1971). Kioga was a Tarzanesque white child raised on a lost island in the Arctic Circle, somewhere in northern Siberia, which was heated by thermal springs and unknown currents. Chester wrote four Kioga novels. The first, Hawk of the Wilderness (1935), was the one that was filmed as the 12-part 1938 Republic serial. (The other novels in the series were Kioga of the Wilderness, One Against a Wilderness and Kioga of the Unknown Land.

<i>The Lone Ranger Rides Again</i> 1939 film serial directed by William Witney and John English

The Lone Ranger Rides Again is a 1939 American Republic serial. It was a sequel to Republic's 1938 serial The Lone Ranger, which had been highly successful, and the thirteenth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic.

<i>King of the Texas Rangers</i> 1941 film by John English, William Witney

King of the Texas Rangers (1941) is a Republic film serial. 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. 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.

<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>Perils of Nyoka</i> 1942 film by William Witney

Perils of Nyoka is a 1942 Republic serial directed by William Witney. It stars Kay Aldridge as Nyoka the Jungle Girl, a character who first appeared in the Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired serial Jungle Girl.

<i>G-Men vs. the Black Dragon</i> 1943 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

G-Men vs. The Black Dragon (1943) is a Republic Pictures movie serial. It is noteworthy among adventure serials as containing an unusually high number of fistfights, all staged by director William Witney and a team of stuntmen.

<i>Secret Service in Darkest Africa</i> 1943 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Secret Service in Darkest Africa is a 1943 Republic serial. It was Republic's thirtieth serial, of the sixty-six produced by the studio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 44–45. ISBN   0-9632878-1-8.
  2. 1 2 3 Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "8. The Detectives "Gangbusters!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 176, 180–181. ISBN   978-0-7130-0097-9.
  3. ↑ "Drums of Fu Manchu DVD". VCI Entertainment.
  4. ↑ Cline, William C. (1984). "7. Masters of Menace (The Villains)". In the Nick of Time . McFarland & Company, Inc. p.  114. ISBN   0-7864-0471-X.
  5. ↑ Wollstein, Hans J. "Drums of Fu Manchu > Review". Allmovie . Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  6. ↑ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time . McFarland & Company, Inc. pp.  226–227. ISBN   0-7864-0471-X.
Preceded by Republic Serial
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940)		Succeeded by
Preceded by Witney-English Serial
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940)		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.