The Vigilante: Fighting Hero of the West (1947)

Columbia's 33rd serial (made between "Jack Armstrong" and "The Sea Hound") was based on the character that first appeared in "Action Comics" No. 42, who was a radio singing cowboy who ... See full summary »

Director:

Wallace Fox

Writers:

Arthur Hoerl (screenplay), Lewis Clay (screenplay),

Stars:

Ralph Byrd, Ramsay Ames, Lyle Talbot

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ralph Byrd	...	Greg Sanders / The Vigilante
Ramsay Ames	...	Betty Winslow
Lyle Talbot	...	George Pierce
George Offerman Jr.	...	Stuff
Robert Barron	...	Prince Hamil
Hugh Prosser	...	Police Capt. Reilly
Jack Ingram	...	Silver / X-2
Eddie Parker	...	Doc / X-3
Tiny Brauer	...	Thorne, a.k.a. X-9 [Chs.9-11,14-15] (as Bill Brauer)

Storyline

Columbia's 33rd serial (made between "Jack Armstrong" and "The Sea Hound") was based on the character that first appeared in "Action Comics" No. 42, who was a radio singing cowboy who doubled as a crime-fighting, motorcycle-riding crime-fighter with a pre-teen Chinese boy, Stuff, as his answer to Batman's Robin, although Stuff ran a lot or errands that Robin didn't have to do since the Dynamic Duo had Alfred the Butler (both versions) to do those. In the serial version, Stuff became a white, draft-age sidekick played by George Offerman Jr.(and we are still looking for any film made in the 30's and 40's that this actor was billed as the incorrect George Offerman rather than the correct George Offerman Jr), which fit right in with the costume changes that Columbia tagged The Vigilante character with; a snappy-brim fedora and a Montgomery Ward catalog white Gene Autry- style shirt instead of the large flat-brimmed hat and double-button blue shirt he wore in the comic books. The nose-chin...

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Plot Keywords:

serial | vigilante | rubies | bandana | movie star | 

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Taglines:

HAIL HIM AS A SERIAL HERO (original print ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mystiriodis ekdikitis

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

285 min 285 min (15 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The hero of this serial is the Golden Age Vigilante; the second Vigilante, Adrian Chase, was a lawyer who took to fighting criminals after his family was slain by gangsters, and who took his own life after his true identity was revealed on national TV.

User Reviews

IMHO...one of the best serials!

This is one of my all-time favorite serials...and I think one of the best overall. Sure, I'm a little bit jaded, as the Vigilante was my favorite golden age superhero when I was a kid (still is, actually), but it's a really good serial.

Of course, the identity of the villain will be obvious after the first episode, but that's pretty much the norm for 1940's serials (look at Captain America). But there is a lot of action and thrills throughout all 16 episodes. And Ralph Byrd is great in the title role...one of the few roles that he is believable in besides Dick Tracy (where he is the master, no matter what Warren Beatty may think). Lyle Talbot is fun, as always, as is the rest of the cast.

There's a little bit of everything in this one...and I think it deserves a place next to the originality of such classic chapter plays as The Adventures of Captain Marvel and The Masked Marvel.