Alan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher, battles a Nazi villain known as The Mask, who heads a gang of saboteurs determined to spread destruction across America.
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Title: Spy Smasher (1942)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| Kane Richmond | ... |
Alan Armstrong /
Spy Smasher /
Jack Armstrong
|
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| Marguerite Chapman | ... |
Eve Corby
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| Sam Flint | ... |
Adm. Corby
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Hans Schumm | ... |
The Mask
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| Tristram Coffin | ... |
Drake
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| Franco Corsaro | ... |
Capt. Pierre Durand [Chs. 1-4]
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Hans von Morhart | ... |
Capt. Gerhardt [Chs. 1, 8, 12]
(as Hans Von Morhart)
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Georges Renavent | ... |
Gov. LeComte [Ch. 3]
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Rudolph Anders | ... |
Dungeon Col. Von Kohr [Ch. 1]
(as Robert O. Davis)
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Henry Zynda | ... |
Ritter Lazar [Ch. 1]
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| Paul Bryar | ... | ||
| Tom London | ... |
Crane
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Richard Bond | ... |
Henchman Hayes
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Crane Whitley | ... |
Hauser
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| John James | ... |
Henchman Steve
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
Alan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher, battles a Nazi villain known as The Mask, who heads a gang of saboteurs determined to spread destruction across America.
Plot Keywords:
spy | dual role | evil man | bare chested male | bare chested male bondage |Taglines:
FROM THE PAGES OF AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS (original poster-all caps) See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 April 1942 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Spysmasher See more »Filming Locations:
Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$156,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(12 chapters)Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Jack Armstrong: I'm mighty grateful.
Spy Smasher: That's all right. Jack.
Jack Armstrong: You know who I am?
Spy Smasher: I should. I'm your twin brother.
[Spy Smasher shows Jack his ring, which matches the wing Jack is wearing, and Jack suddenly recognizes Spy Smasher's identity]
Jack Armstrong: Alan! But I thought you were killed in that plane crash in France last year.
Spy Smasher: So did everyone, including the news agency I reported for. That's why I became Spy Smasher, to fight the Nazis on their own ground. Now it's ...
See more »
based on Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Opus 67)
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Half-way through the serial, the bad guys pass through a phony billboard advertising the Dick Tracy serials, also made by Republic. See more »Goofs
Chapter nine: You saw Jack puncture a hole in the "Armored Car". I don't believe it can be done, not with 1940s technology anyway. See more »Quotes
[Spy Smasher has rescued Jack Armstrong from a Nazi spy]Jack Armstrong: I'm mighty grateful.
Spy Smasher: That's all right. Jack.
Jack Armstrong: You know who I am?
Spy Smasher: I should. I'm your twin brother.
[Spy Smasher shows Jack his ring, which matches the wing Jack is wearing, and Jack suddenly recognizes Spy Smasher's identity]
Jack Armstrong: Alan! But I thought you were killed in that plane crash in France last year.
Spy Smasher: So did everyone, including the news agency I reported for. That's why I became Spy Smasher, to fight the Nazis on their own ground. Now it's ...
See more »
Crazy Credits
Opening credits are depicted as ...-, Morse code for V (victory), and the searchlights form a "V". See more »Soundtracks
Main Titlebased on Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Opus 67)
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
See more »
The score for Spy Smasher, a variation on Beethoven's fifth symphony, is a fabulous reminder of the era in which this classic serial was made.
While Spy Smasher is certainly one of the top 5 adventure serials ever made at Republic, it also is a rousing WW2 propaganda film. Check out the title sequence -- three dots and a dash appear on the screen, coinciding with the first four notes of Beethoven's fifth. Three dots and a dash are Morse code for the letter "V," made famous by Churchill's hand sign as a determination to defeat the Nazis and their cronies. Twin searchlights in the title sequence freeze into another V. The coded messages abound in Spy Smasher--even on Spy Smasher's belt buckle.
The action here is top notch, the cast capable, the stunt work great (as always at Republic) and the special effects likewise. If you like Republic serials (Zorro's Fighting Legion, Adventures of Captain Marvel, etc.) you MUST take a look at this one. It is one of the very best. Kane Richmond later went on to play the Shadow in a couple of films, one of which featured a killer who pulled his victims to their deaths off of balconies using a bullwhip, a stunt which was first seen in Spy Smasher. One thing I love about this chapterplay is the acknowledgment that we would not win the war without suffering losses. Great pacing, great action, great serial!