The Phantom Creeps (TV 1949)

Not a feature, but an edited version of the 1939 serial "The Phantom Creeps" which was released to TV in 1949.

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Robert Kent, Dorothy Arnold

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bela Lugosi	...	Dr. Alex Zorka (archive footage)
Robert Kent	...	Capt. Bob West (archive footage)
Dorothy Arnold	...	Jean Drew (archive footage)
Edwin Stanley	...	Dr. Fred Mallory (archive footage)
Regis Toomey	...	Lt. Jim Daley (archive footage)
Jack C. Smith	...	Monk (archive footage)
Edward Van Sloan	...	Jarvis (archive footage)
Dora Clement	...	Ann Zorka (archive footage)
Anthony Averill	...	Rankin (archive footage)
Hugh Huntley	...	Perkins (archive footage)
Monte Vandergrift	...	Jarvis Goon (archive footage)
Frank Mayo	...	West's Boss (archive footage)
Jim Farley	...	Harbormaster (archive footage) (as James Farley)
Eddie Acuff	...	Mac (archive footage)
Ed Wolff	...	The Robot (archive footage)

Storyline

Not a feature, but an edited version of the 1939 serial "The Phantom Creeps" which was released to TV in 1949.

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Plot Keywords:

female reporter | laboratory | criminal | giant robot | mad scientist

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Genres:

Crime | Sci-Fi | Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1949 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 78 min (condensation of 265-minute 1939 serial)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited from The Phantom Creeps (1939)

User Reviews

Lugosi and his not-so-happy gas

Edited-down serial which, science fiction disbelief aside, remains pretty lame by any reasonable standard, another in a long line of inept vehicles wasting the great Bela Lugosi's acting talent. Here he plays a demented scientist who, after inhaling a rare meteor gas, develops (among other things) a power source which can cure the world of its ills, or, destroy it depending on his mood. When his wife is killed in a plane crash, he elects to use his prowess to destroy those who sought to contain him, but is seemingly cornered at every turn by relentless G-men (Kent and Toomey).

Lugosi isn't as hammy as he's been known to get, more-so his endless array of inventions (giant headed robot, invisibility, magic potions, ray guns etc etc) becomes tired and clichéd very quickly. The cast has depth with Toomey and Van Sloan in particular, while vivacious blonde Dorothy Arnold has some sizable screen-time as a tenacious reporter.

The picture is frenetic, racing from one catastrophe to the next with much repetition and little in the way of sophistication. The climax seems hackneyed and unimaginative, with spy rings and stock footage of burning blimps and battleships apparently substituting for any coherent or realistic attempt at a conclusion. Even at eighty minutes (the original serial is listed as more than four hours), it's overlong and underwhelming.