Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939)

Using a diabolical disguise, Harry Crowel embarks on a vengeful career of destruction...opposed by three heroic daredevils.

Directors:

John English, William Witney

Writers:

Barry Shipman (original screenplay), Franklin Adreon (original screenplay) (as Franklyn Adreon)

Stars:

Charles Quigley, Bruce Bennett, David Sharpe

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Quigley	...	Gene Townley
Bruce Bennett	...	Tiny Dawson (as Herman Brix)
David Sharpe	...	Bert Knowles
Carole Landis	...	Blanche Granville
Miles Mander	...	Horace Granville
Charles Middleton	...	39013 - Harry Crowel
C. Montague Shaw	...	Dr. Malcolm
Ben Taggart	...	Dixon
William Pagan	...	Police Chief Landon [Ch. 1]
Corbet Morris	...	Klein [Ch. 5]
Raymond Bailey	...	Stanley - Secretary [Chs. 1-3, 11]
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Snowflake (as Snowflake)
George Chesebro	...	Sheffield [Chs. 1, 11]
Ray Miller	...	Jeff
Robert Winkler	...	Sammy Townley [Chs. 1, 11]

Storyline

Diabolical mastermind Harry Crowel, a.k.a. Prisoner 39013, escapes and, with a seemingly endless supply of henchmen, sets out to destroy all holdings of industrialist Horace Granville, who put him in prison. One target is an amusement park, home of the three Daredevils of the Red Circle, who perform death-defying stunts. Aghast at innocent lives lost, our three heroes swear to capture No. 39013. It'll be harder than they suspect; the villain is holding the real Granville captive, and with a near-perfect disguise, has taken his place!

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Plot Keywords:

man tied up | diving into water | daredevil | disguise | prisoner | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

CHAPTER TITLES: 1: The Monstrous Plot; 2: The Mysterious Friend; 3: The Executioner; 4: Sabotage; 5: The Ray of death; 6: 30 Seconds to Live; 7: The Flooded Mine; 8: S.O.S.; 9: Ladder of Peril; 10: The Infernal Machine; 11: The Red Circle Speaks; 12: Flight to Doom.

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Goofs

In chapter 1 police reports show prisoner 39013 as James Crowel, but thought out the movie he is called Harry.

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Quotes

Horace Granville: You're mad!
No. 39013, Harry Crowel: I spent 15 years in a cell like that. That's enough to make anyone, if not mad, then very annoyed.

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Crazy Credits

The titular trio have a pet dog named Tuffie. His is the 16th name in the cast list.

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Connections

Edited into King of the Carnival (1955)

User Reviews

Circus stuntmen thwart the plans of former prisoner 39013.

This Republic serial is about as good as they get. The chapter ending involving a tunnel under the river is quite memorable, as I pass through the Lincoln Tunnel every morning on the way to work.

I was also impressed with the always-excellent Charles Middleton (best remembered as Ming the Merciless) as the villain. Everytime we see him in a movie, my girlfriend gasps "39013!"...which is pretty remarkable when you think about it. How many numerically-named characters do YOU remember from old movies?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der gelbe Kreis

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$126,118 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

211 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1