The Phantom Empire (1935)

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried ... See full summary »

Directors:

Otto Brower, B. Reeves Eason

Writers:

Wallace MacDonald (story), Gerald Geraghty (story),

Stars:

Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Frankie Darro	...	Frankie Baxter
Betsy King Ross	...	Betsy Baxter
Dorothy Christy	...	Queen Tika
Wheeler Oakman	...	Lord Argo
Charles K. French	...	Mal
Warner Richmond	...	Rab
J. Frank Glendon	...	Professor Beetson (as Frank Glendon)
Smiley Burnette	...	Oscar (as Lester 'Smiley' Burnett)
Peter Potter	...	Pete (as William Moore)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Cooper (as Edward Piel Sr.)
Jack Carlyle	...	Saunders

Storyline

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show.

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Plot Keywords:

ranch | radium | singing cowboy | contract | death ray | 

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Taglines:

A Nation 20,000 Feet Underground

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Genres:

Musical | Sci-Fi | Western | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gene Autry and the Phantom Empire

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mascot Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

245 min 245 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main role was meant for Ken Maynard, but he dropped out.

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Quotes

Queen Tika: Gene Autry! How do you like our world?
Gene Autry: I think the dampness and dead air of your land is more suited for rats and moles.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Uncle Noah's Ark"
(uncredited)
"Uncle Noah's Ark"
(uncredited)
Written by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and Nick Manoloff
Performed by Gene Autry and band

User Reviews

Childhood's Empire

For somebody who wasn't about six when he first saw this serial, it's really pretty clunky and corny. For somebody who was (they reshowed it once on early TV, on one of those shows that had a local Uncle Bob type playing old westerns and cartoons, and promoting the station's shows in between. Even now, when I think of the juxtaposition of the aboveground world of the singing cowboy, the "Thunder Riders" and their bizarre, futuristic city under the mountain, I get goosebumps. The best occasion I had to see this was one summer, when I went to the local Y every Saturday morning to see a bunch of old movies with 3-400 other kids my age; the title would roll up, and the kids would scream.

Also, I think I could prove that Freud was right about infantile sexuality when I think of the way I felt about the underground queen, clad in silvery, clinging clothes.