While doing research for that project, I learned that Republic Pictures had initially made overtures to National Publications to secure the rights to Superman. They got as far as having a script prepared but had to nix the project due to rights issues.
Rather than scrap the project, Republic re-jigged the project, and replaced Superman with an original character, the Copperhead, a masked vigilante who is more reminiscent of Batman (who had only made his debut).
The resulting serial was Mysterious Dr Satan, which is regarded as one of the best serials of the period. I started watching and now I am hooked. The following reviews are going to be a bit rough in terms of historical context - I have only watched one other serial - but there is so much here in terms of filmmaking and story-telling conventions that I really want to get into (NOTE: if you are familiar with serials, feel free to throw in your thoughts in the comments).
Enough set-up. Let's dive in, shall we?
Chapter One: Return of the Copperhead
We open with a man shot in the street. As he is carried away on a stretcher, we are introduced to Bob Wayne, our protagonist, who heads into the building the man died in front of.
Bob meets with his mentor, Governor Bronson. It turns out the dead man was a renowned criminologist who the Governor had brought in to deal with the menace posed by the titular character. Fearing for his life, the Governor wanted to meet with Bob so that he could impart a secret, rather than read it in his will: Bob's father was a masked vigilante who righted wrongs in Arizona.
This original Copperhead rode a horse - this feels like the filmmakers accounting for the shift from western heroes to masked crimefighters and making their hero part of the lineage. This reveal takes place just over 4 minutes into the first episode - it is a prime example for how economical serials are in their story-telling (in The Adventures of Captain Marvel, the title character is introduced 10 minutes in).
Bob leaves with the mask, pondering the Governor's words ('If the Copperhead were alive today, he'd run this Dr Satan to earth before he could strike another blow').
After Bob leaves, an intruder then enters the office and presents the Governor with a letter from Dr Satan, that bursts into flames in his hands. The henchman then kills the Governor.
Bob re-enters the room, and they fight. The choreography is comparable to high-flying wrestling, with plenty of leaps and haymakers. While ridiculous, it is well-photographed and edited.
Bob captures the hoodlum and we smash cut to the captured hoodlum, Corbay, confessing to police that he works for Dr Satan. A journalist enters, Lois Scott (this is one of the more obvious signs of the 'Superman' re-write), who wants info for a story on the assassination - it also turns out she is the daughter of Dr Satan's next victim.
Corbay opens his shirt, revealing a contraption around his chest through which he communicates with Dr Satan. As it turns out, the contraption also has a camera and Dr Satan is watching them from his lair. Over the radio, he warns the assembled that nothing can stop him from accomplishing his plans, and electrocutes Corbay through the device.
Lois's father has invented a device (a 'remote control cell') that Dr Satan needs to complete his plans for world domination. He intends to strike the professor while he is on a train home.
While the police are confident they can protect him, Bob enlists his friend Speed Martin and his latest automobile to get to the train himself (a pretty cool stunt).
This original Copperhead rode a horse - this feels like the filmmakers accounting for the shift from western heroes to masked crimefighters and making their hero part of the lineage. This reveal takes place just over 4 minutes into the first episode - it is a prime example for how economical serials are in their story-telling (in The Adventures of Captain Marvel, the title character is introduced 10 minutes in).
Bob leaves with the mask, pondering the Governor's words ('If the Copperhead were alive today, he'd run this Dr Satan to earth before he could strike another blow').
After Bob leaves, an intruder then enters the office and presents the Governor with a letter from Dr Satan, that bursts into flames in his hands. The henchman then kills the Governor.
Bob re-enters the room, and they fight. The choreography is comparable to high-flying wrestling, with plenty of leaps and haymakers. While ridiculous, it is well-photographed and edited.
Bob captures the hoodlum and we smash cut to the captured hoodlum, Corbay, confessing to police that he works for Dr Satan. A journalist enters, Lois Scott (this is one of the more obvious signs of the 'Superman' re-write), who wants info for a story on the assassination - it also turns out she is the daughter of Dr Satan's next victim.
Corbay opens his shirt, revealing a contraption around his chest through which he communicates with Dr Satan. As it turns out, the contraption also has a camera and Dr Satan is watching them from his lair. Over the radio, he warns the assembled that nothing can stop him from accomplishing his plans, and electrocutes Corbay through the device.
Lois's father has invented a device (a 'remote control cell') that Dr Satan needs to complete his plans for world domination. He intends to strike the professor while he is on a train home.
While the police are confident they can protect him, Bob enlists his friend Speed Martin and his latest automobile to get to the train himself (a pretty cool stunt).
On the train, Bob runs into Dr Satan as he tries to take plans - Satan shoots Bob and escapes. Luckily for Bob, the Doctor's round was blocked by the Copperhead mask in his breast pocket.
At this point, Bob puts on the mask and confronts the Doctor and his henchman in the baggage car. Following a scuffle, Bob falls off the train with the plans.
The plans are mysteriously returned to the Professor, who is preparing for a test of his device - he will be remote-controlling a ship, and Lois will be onboard to document the test
However, Dr Satan confronts the professor at his home where he reveals that he has invented the plot for Speed: if he does not hand over the plans, the ship his daughter is on will blow up when it goes over 25 miles per hour.
While this is going on, the professor's assistant Jane - tied up in a barn - manages to get on a horse (with her hands tied behind her back) and rides to find help.
For a character who only appears in three scenes, Jane is the most badass character in the serial thus far. I am guessing this set piece was devised because the crew knew a stunt person who could do this trick - it is a terrific bit of action (including the horse and rider smashing through a breakaway door).
Jane runs into Bob who dons his Copperhead mask and confronts Dr Satan as the professor hands over the plans. Hopefully Jane comes back in future episodes - the character is almost non-existent, but her skillset is spectacular.
Just when it looks like Dr Satan has been beaten, he cuts the lights - however his gambit to steal the plans fails when he accidentally triggers the electric field around the safe. The doctor is stunned and the plans burn to a crisp.
However, Copperhead still has to get to the ship (Dr Satan sabotaged the radio) before it blows up. Will he make it?
Final thoughts: Phew! What an intro.
In only 30 minutes we get fist fights, two electrocutions, a couple of legitimately jaw-dropping stunts (especially Jane's escape on the horse) and an explosion. As spectacle, this opening chapter is great fun.
While Robert Wilcox is a bit banal as Bob Wayne, the character is more of a generic action man (and is probably a result of re-writes), the rest of the cast are pretty good, especially the titular satanic Doctor. Eduardo Ciannelli brings a simmering sense of menace to the role that is very entertaining. I went in with an expectation of some Tod Slaughter-level ham, but Ciannelli's understated performance adds to this instalment's nourish atmosphere.
While made on a low budget, there is a lack of pretension to the filmmaking which enriches the viewing experience. You can definitely see how Superman would work for the story, with Copperhead's rapid arrivals at locations, but the masked vigilante angle does work for the story (thus far) which calls back to spy thrillers and foreshadows the heightened antics of James Bond.
As an introduction to a type of filmmaking that does not really exist anymore, Mysterious Doctor Satan is pretty great. The print I am watching is terrible, but it is a testament to the material that it is still a lot of fun.
Check back in for Chapter Two: Thirteen Steps!
In only 30 minutes we get fist fights, two electrocutions, a couple of legitimately jaw-dropping stunts (especially Jane's escape on the horse) and an explosion. As spectacle, this opening chapter is great fun.
While Robert Wilcox is a bit banal as Bob Wayne, the character is more of a generic action man (and is probably a result of re-writes), the rest of the cast are pretty good, especially the titular satanic Doctor. Eduardo Ciannelli brings a simmering sense of menace to the role that is very entertaining. I went in with an expectation of some Tod Slaughter-level ham, but Ciannelli's understated performance adds to this instalment's nourish atmosphere.
While made on a low budget, there is a lack of pretension to the filmmaking which enriches the viewing experience. You can definitely see how Superman would work for the story, with Copperhead's rapid arrivals at locations, but the masked vigilante angle does work for the story (thus far) which calls back to spy thrillers and foreshadows the heightened antics of James Bond.
As an introduction to a type of filmmaking that does not really exist anymore, Mysterious Doctor Satan is pretty great. The print I am watching is terrible, but it is a testament to the material that it is still a lot of fun.
Check back in for Chapter Two: Thirteen Steps!
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