Customer Reviews

Daredevils of the Red Circle [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Daredevils of the Red Circle" is exciting from start to finish. The action and general entertainment never flag. People often mention the cliffhanger at the end of chapter one, when Gene is desperately trying to outrace the surging water, but there are many other moments in the movie which are equally good: try, for instance, the ending where Gene is chasing some crook up a very tall ladder at the side of a factory building, and the crook, having reached the top, pushes the ladder away from the wall. The ladder, with Gene on it, swings out into space, and your heart (and stomach) go with it! But it's not just the action: one of the main reasons this serial is so entertaining is that the three "daredevils", Gene, Tiny and Burt (Charles Quigley, Herman Brix and David Sharpe) are so incredibly nice and likable. You really care what happens to them. I just can't understand why Republic didn't make a sequel to this (I wish they had done!). All in all, five-star entertainment!

Daredevils of the Red Circle is an early example of the greatness of directors William Witney and John English who co-directed 17 serials from "Zorro Rides Again" in 1937 to "Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc." in 1941. Three acrobats at a carnival barely escape a fire set by a gang of criminals led by an escaped convict who goes by the name of 39013, his prison uniform number. During the fire Sammy, young brother to Gene, one of the acrobats is killed. Gene and his partners Tiny and Burt decide to find the men who set the fire. They are hired by Dixon, a detective who works for Horace Granville, a millionaire philantropist. Unbeknown to all, Granville has been kidnapped and is held captive in the cellar of the mansion. 39013 has made a mask of Granville's face which he uses to impersonate Granville. Aiding the 3 acrobats is a mysterious stranger who leaves notes on cards emblazoned with a Red Circle. The highlight of the serial is the Chapter I ending. Gene is inspecting a newly built tunnel when the walls begin to leak caused by drilling by 39013's men. Gene is seen riding his motorcycle through the tunnel as water comes gushing behind him. A really great action serial. Just watching the acrobats of stuntman David Sharpe (Burt) is worth the price of the video.

1939 Daredevils of the Red Circle, Republic, 12 Chapters
The first chapter of Daredevils of the Red Circle features explosive acts of sabotage; physical acts of sideshow derring-do; a pier carnival fire that kills the main hero's kid brother; a villain 39-0-13 played by Charles [Ming the Merciless] Middleton when he is not masquerading as the scientist he has locked in the basement; the scientist's niece played by Carol Landis who unknowingly joins a motorcade inaugurating an underwater tunnel to the Channel Islands just as the minions of 39-0-13 shatter its ceiling; and a motorcycle race against the tunnel-filling onrush of water to warn the motorcade.

Unlike lesser serials, especially those not made at Republic, all but one of the following 11 chapters has a logical solution for the survival of our heroes hinted at in the surely lethal dilemmas they face. Charles Quigley is our main hero. He is backed up by Dave Sharpe [one of Republic's best stuntmen] and Herman Brix [who was the choice of Edgar Rice Burroughs to play his character Tarzan]. High falls from oil refineries, fixing power lines as the bad guys hijack the power station, trapped under water the surface of which is aflame with burning chemicals, trapped by a collapsing derrick in an exploding oil field, and locked in a secret chamber filling with poison gas are just some of the dilemmas faced by the heroic Daredevils.

This is one of the best of the Republic serials. Get it on VHS since it is not available on DVD as yet [I cannot understand why not] and see what kept your grandparents speculating while awaiting the next chapter the following week when they were young. Watch Daredevils of the Red Circle and see the sort of thing Spielberg and Lucas were recapturing with the Indiana Jones movies. This was pre-digital so actual people are physically performing these finely-choreographed,set-destroying stunts. The miniatures and special effects by the Lydecker brothers were state-of-the-art for the era.

This has to be one of the greatest of all serials. Made in l939, its energetic young dare devils--Charles Quigley, Herman Brix (who also played Tarzan) and the legendary stuntman, David Sharpe whose spectacular stunts can be seen in numerous Republic serials--can barely keep still before tackling their next death-defying adventures. The very first episode, where Charles Quigley races his motorbike from a terrifying ocean of racing water in a tunnel has become a classic. Carole Landis--later to be the poor man's Betty Grable at Twentieth Century Fox--is an attractive asset as is the rest of the cast: Miles Mander and his nemesis (can't remember his name) who masquerades as the millionaire scientist. If you've got this in your video collection--along with Spy Smasher, King of the Texas Rangers, Manhunt in the African Jungles--you can't go wrong. Another goodie is "G-Men Meet the Black Dragon" with a fantastic young Rod Cameron and a gorgoeus sidekick, feisty Constance Moore. Just watch this cool, voluptuous blonde handle that machine gun!

This film is considered one of the greatest serials ever filmed. The directors, William Witney and John English, produced this gem from the Golden Age of serials. Watch chapter one, and I defy anyone to not 'come back next week' for chapter two! Get this serial and watch a chapter each day during breakfast and be energized for the daily grinds of your work days....

This is one of the best, if not THE best, of the cliffhanger serials of the era. The scene where the motorcycle rider is desperately trying to outrace the surging wave of water in the under water tunnel is a classic. It doesn't get any better than this. I watched all of the Republic Pictures serials last summer,it was great fun and this one was one of the best.

This serial is particularly known for its terrific cliffhangers. The end of Chapter One is probably the best-loved cliffhanger in serial history.

Charles Middleton was most famous for the character Emperor Ming in "Flash Gordon," and it's interesting to see him in the flesh, so to speak. He's probably the greatest all-time serial bad guy.

Dave Sharpe usually appeared as the stunt double in dozens of Republic serials. Ironically, as one of the three leads in this one he was doubled for (probably by the equally great Tom Steele) because Republic didn't want to take a chance on his being injured during the six-week shooting schedule.

Herman Brix, who played Tarzan in "The New Adventures of Tarzan" serial, became known later as Bruce Bennett.

Charles Quigley ("The Crimson Ghost," "Superman") started in movies in 1933, and was signed by Columbia in 1937 to be groomed as a leading man. He appeared apposite another young hopeful named Rita Hayworth, but in the end it was Hayworth who clicked with a the public and Quigley's option was dropped after only one year. By 1950 he was out of films, and died of cirrhosis at the age of 55.

Poor Carole Landis. The Wisconsin-born beauty had a fairly successful though very brief career in Hollywood, but her personal life was a flop. Her first marriage was annulled because she was only 15. Her second and third marriages lasted only a few months. She married Horace Shmidlapp in 1945 and filed for divorce, which never went through because her death interceded. On the Fourth of July in 1948 she had dinner with Rex Harrison, a married man with whom she reportedly was having an affair. The next day Harrison found her dead body in her home, caused by an overdose of Seconal. She was 29 years old.

Republic Pictures present "DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE" (1939) (217 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Charles Quigley, Herman Brix, David Sharpe, Carol Landis & Charles Middleton, relive those thrilling days week after week venue brought you to the theater, as you were mesmerized in your seat waiting for the final chapter ... exciting action within 12 episodes from the Republic Serials department, released in June 10. 1939, the plot line follows the diabolical mastermind 39-0-13 (Harry Crowel), escapes and 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 the loss of innocent lives, the three heroes swear to capture 39-0-13 ... 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!. ... the once fabulous Republic Studio serial machine turned out true masterpieces of action during the late 30s and early 40s ... remember this serial from the Saturday double features at our neighborhood theater ... 12 breathtaking chapters come across with all the gusto Republic Studios has to offer.

Under William Witney (Director), John English (Director), Robert M. Beche (Associate Producer), Barry Shipman (Screenwriter), Franklin Adreon (Screenwriter), Rex Taylor (Screenwriter), Ronald Davidson (Screenwriter), Sol Shor (Screenwriter), William Lava (Original Score), William Nobles (Cinematographer), William P. Thompson (Editor), Edward Todd (Editor) ------ the cast includes Charles Quigley (Gene Townley), Bruce Bennett/Herman Brix (Tiny Dawson), David Sharpe (Bert Knowles), Carole Landis (Blanche Granville), Miles Mander (Horace Granville), Charles Middleton (No. 39013, Harry Crowel), C. Montague Shaw (Dr. Malcolm), Ben Taggart (Dixon), William Pagan (Police Chief Landon), Corbet Morris (Klein), Raymond Bailey (Stanley, Secretary), Fred 'Snowflake' Toones (Snowflake), George Chesebro (Sheffield), Harry Anderson (Ward, Lead Thug), Roy Barcroft (Mine Superintendent), Yakima Canutt (G-man), Edmund Cobb (Oil Field Foreman), George DeNormand (G-man), James Fawcett (Man ), Art Fowler (Sloan, Thug), Bud Geary (Mine Thug at Phone), Earle Hodgins (Hinkle, Amusement Center Barker), Reed Howes (Derrick Thug), Ted Mapes (Man), John Merton (Davis, Thug), Monte Montague (Tom, Power House Tech), Eddie Parker (Pete, Drilling Crew Boss ), Stanley Price (Prof. Selden), Al Taylor (Al, Man in Office/Desk Clerk), Duke Taylor (G-man), Ken Terrell (Gas Plant Thug), Wally West (Thug at Selden's Lab), Robert J. Wilke (G-man), Bill Wilkus (Office Thug/Gas Plant Thug), Bud Wolfe (Dognapper-Driver), Joe Yrigoyen (Power Thug) ... great stunt work by the Republic stunt personnel George DeNormand (stunt double: Charles Quigley), James Fawcett (stunt double: David Sharpe), Ted Mapes (stunt double: Herman Brix), Helen Thurston (stunt double: Carole Landis), Earle D. Bunn (stunts), James Fawcett (stunts), Loren Riebe (stunts), Duke Taylor (stunts), Ken Terrell (stunts) --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter ... another winner from the vaults of Republic Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.

BIOS:
1. Charles Quigley
Date of birth: 12 February 1906 - New Britain, Connecticut
Date of death: 5 August 1964 - Los Angeles, California

2. Bruce Bennett (aka: Herman Brix)
Date of birth: 19 May 1906 - Tacoma, Washington
Date of death: Still Living

Special footnote, Herman Brix was a star shot-putter in the 1928 Olympics
he was picked by Edgar Rice Burroughs for his own production of
The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935/I), resulting in the Tarzan and the
Green Goddess (1938) After "Adventures" he made a number of serials for Republic,
including a Tarzan-like Kioga in Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), "Daredevils of the Red Circle" (1939),
"Hi-Yo Silver" (1940), changed his name to Bruce Bennett, made many movies after that, gaining fame
as a leading man in many Warner Bros. roles."Mildred Pierce" (1945/Joan Crawford),
"Dark Passage" (1947/Bogart & Bacall), and one of my favorite all time films
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948/Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt and Alphonso Bedoya as the bandit).

3. David Sharpe (Crown prince of stuntmen)
Date of birth: 2 February 1910 - St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death: 30 March 1980 - Altadena, California

Special footnote, Sharpe was one of the famous members of Republic's
stable of stuntmen. Republic would often have him doing double duty playing
his own character and also doubling for other actors in the same film
Probably holds the honor of being in more films (albeit, often uncredited as a stuntman)
than any other person in Hollywood history. Sharpe's film/TV resume, if complete, would
likely total more than 5000 entries. Ranks with Yakima Canutt as Hollywood's premier stuntman.
Sharpe was inducted in the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame in 1980.

4. William Witney (aka: William Nuelsen Witney) (Director)
Date of birth: 15 May 1915 - Lawton, Oklahoma
Date of death: 17 March 2002 - Jackson, California

Special footnote, Witney broke into the business in 1933, working at Mascot, the leading producer
of low-budget serials, Mascot merged in 1935 to form Republic,Witney teamed with director John English
on many of the era's best serials, most of them highlighted by kinetic fight and chase scenes that helped
change the face of action moviemaking...Witney became a director at 21, he was Hollywood's youngest.

5. John English (Director)
Date of birth: 25 June 1903 - Cumberland, England, UK
Date of death: 11 October 1969 - Los Angeles, California

Special footnote, directing classic serials "Zorro Rides Again" (1937),
"Daredevils of the Red Circle" (1939), "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940),
"Adventures of Red Ryder" (1940), "Jungle Girl" (1941),"Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941),
and "Captain America" (1944), worked closely with director William Witney over the years.

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.The Lost City (Kane Richmond, William Stage Boyd & George Gabby Hayes)
16.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
17.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
18.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
19.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
20.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
21.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
22.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
24.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
25.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
26.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
27.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
28.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
29.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 217 mins on VHS ~ Republic Video ~ (5/30/1995)

Gene (Charles Quigley), Tiny (Bruce Bennett), and David (Bert Sharpe) are circus daredevils, working at Horace Granville's theme park. Granville (Miles Mander) made a terrible enemy years ago when he helped to send Harry Crowell (professional serial bad guy Charles Middleton) to jail for a life sentence. Now Crowell has broken out, and going only by his prison number, 39013, has vowed to wreak terrible vengeance on Granville by destroying all of the industrial tycoon's businesses - and eventually, the people he cares about. But he messed with the wrong folks this time, as his bombs that destroy the cirucs end up killing Sammy, the kid brother of Gene, and the three daredevils vow to bring 39013 to justice!

This is an above-average Republic serial, told in a fast-paced 12-part, just over 200-minute timeframe, with some of the best cliffhangers you'll see in the genre - and with only a couple of them being real "cheats". The ending of chapter 1 is justly famed, as Gene races on a motorcycle to warn Mr. Granville's lovely granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis) and a group of others about the about-to-flood tunnel that they're unwittingly driving into, a wall of water rushing behind him. None of the other chapter endings are quite as exciting, but most are well done, as are the numerous fight sequences - hardly anybody in this serial seems to use a gun when fisticuffs are an option. It's also neat that so much of the serial involves industrial sabotage - we get a lot of factory/mine/oil rig type scenes which lend some variety to the action. And the action is terrific - all three "daredevil" actors were athletic and able to do many of their own stunts and fight sequences, and there are lots of high falls, escapes through fire, and knockabouts in every episode; on the whole I'd say the action here is probably the best I've seen in a serial from this period.

But the most compelling element here is the central conceit - I'm not spoiling too much, we learn about it in the first chapter - which involves Granville being impersonated by 39013 - the industrialist's factories and companies are being decimated by a man taking his place, in his own house! This is handled quite ingeniously, with Granville supposedly having a serious illness and needing to be behind a glass wall, only communicating through a microphone and a couple of people allowed into his sanctum sanctorum - all while he keeps the real industrialist locked up and out of sight. Turns out nearly everyone working for the good Mr. Granville is a baddie - and so our heroes end up having to fight both an external battle and an internal one, realizing early on that their movements are known, but not knowing how. At the same time, they have a mysterious ally who keeps dropping hints as to what's to come in the form of messages on paper with a red circle printed over.

This is lots of fun, and the only real problem I think is that the three daredevils take a while to come across as particularly distinct personalities - in fact I had trouble for quite a while remembering who was supposed to be the strong guy, who the fast guy was, and who was supposed to be the brains of the outfit. Quigley as Gene is the most charismatic and makes the strongest impression on the whole, but even he doesn't register as well as villain Charles Middleton, or as Buster Crabbe does in his serial appearances. But this is not a major quibble, and serial fans shouldn't hesitate to pick this up. It's rather surprising that VCI or The Serial Squadron haven't put this out on DVD yet, as so many great serials have gotten the treatment and this is a pretty well-known one, but the VHS looks fine and if you're a real fan, it's worth it.

I am enjoying the old time serial movies from my childhood!! these were made in 1939 and are pretty much stereotyped in their acting skills, especially the fist fighting sequences. None the less, it is entertaining.
I doubt the younger generation would like them, but to me they are classics!!

BES