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4.0 out of 5 stars
"Galloping Ghost (1931) ... Red Grange ... VCI Home Video", January 30, 2007
This review is from: Galloping Ghost [VHS] (VHS Tape)
VCI Entertaiment and Mascot Pictures present "GALLOPING GHOST" (1931) (226 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Harold 'Red' Grange, Dorothy Gulliver, Tom Dugan and Walter Miller, 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 Mascot Serials department, released in September 1, 1931, the plot line involves a gambling ring run out of the Mogul Taxi company is intent on fixing college football games. Football star Harold "Red" Grange is a target for the gamblers, whose thugs try to eliminate Grange from playing. Grange's buddy Buddy is himself vulnerable to blackmail, since he has broken team rules by marrying. The crooks use all their wiles to keep Grange and Buddy from leading their team to victory ... the cinematography is excellent and the stunts are well orchestrated with Grange displaying his acrobatics in every chapter ... doesn't measure up to the Republic serials of the genre's heyday, but comes off a lot better than most serials of the early '30s ... remember this serial from the Saturday double features at our neighborhood theater ... 12 breathtaking chapters come across with all the gusto Mascot Studios has to offer.
Under B. Reeves Eason (Director), Benjamin H. Kline (Director), Nat Levine (Producer), Ford Beebe (Screenwriter), Wyndham Gittens (Screenwriter), Helmer Walton Bergman (Screenwriter), Tom Galligan (Cinematographer), Benjamin H. Kline (Cinematographer), Ernest Miller (Cinematographer), Ray Snyder (Editor), Gilmore Walker (Editor), Lee Zahler (Musical Director) ------ the cast includes Harold 'Red' Grange (Red Grange (as Harold Grange), Dorothy Gulliver (Barbara Courtland (Buddy's sister), Tom Dugan (Jerry, stuttering cabbie), Gwen Lee (Irene Courtland (Buddy's wife), Ralph Bushman (Buddy Courtland (as Francis X. Bushman Jr.), Theodore Lorch (The crippled stranger (Dr. Julian Blake), Walter Miller (George Elton), Edward Hearn (Coach Harlow), Ernie Adams (Brady (henchman), Tom London (Mullins (henchman), Frank Brownlee (Tom (cab garage manager), Edward Peil Sr. (Coach of Baxter Team), Joe Mack (Lefty, Henchman), Stepin Fetchit (Snowball, football fan), Dick Dickinson (Mogul Taxi Clerk-Henchman), Wilfred Lucas (Sportscaster), Yakima Canutt (Henchman), Lon Chaney Jr. (Henchman), Al Ferguson (Henchman), George Magrill (Henchmen Sherman), Lafe McKee (Narrator/Police broadcaster (voice), Rolfe Sedan (Waiter at Red Raven), Fred 'Snowflake' Toones (Football fan) --- great stunt work by the Mascot stunt personnel Yakima Canutt (stunts ), Bert Goodrich (stunt double), George Magrill (stunts), Paul Mantz (stunt pilot) --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter ... another winner from the vaults of Mascot Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.
BIOS:
1. Harold 'Red' Grange (aka: Harold Edward Grange)
Date of birth: 13 June 1903 - Forksville, Pennsylvania
Date of death: 28 January 1991 - Lake Wales, Florida
Special footnote, Red Grange played halfback/defensive back/tailback/blocking back
for the National Football League's Chicago Bears (1925, 1929-34) and New York
Yankees (1927). Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963 (charter member).
Scored four touchdowns in 12 minutes against Michigan in 1924 in the dedication game
of the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium.
2. Dorothy Gulliver
Date of birth: 6 September 1908 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Date of death:23 May 1997 - Valley Centre, California
Special footnote, Dorothy got her chance to go to Hollywood when she won a Salt Lake City
beauty contest sponsored by Universal Pictures. Signed by Universal after her successful screen
test, Dorothy became one of the many contract actors working in small bit parts. She became well
known due to her roles in series and serial movies from "College Love" (1929)' to "'The Last Frontier" (1932),
Dorothy appeared in a number of low budget B-Westerns such as 'In Old Cheyenne" (1931)' and
'The Fighting Marshal" (1932)'. The Shadow of the Eagle" (1932/Serial)"Lone Star Pioneers" (1939),
she appeared in B-Westerns, she worked with actors such as Tim McCoy, Hoot Gibson, Wild Bill Elliott
and John Wayne.
3. Ford Beebe (Director/Screenwriter)
Date of birth: 26 November 1888 - Grand Rapids, Michigan
Date of death: 26 November 1978 - Lake Elsinore, California
Special footnote, director Ford Beebe took on every genre in films during his 50-year career;
called the shots on westerns, detective pictures, and had a fondness for serials. The best of Beebe's
nearly 200 chapter plays include "The Last of the Mohicans" (1932/Harry Carey),
"Gallant Defender" (1935/Charles Starrett), "Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars" (1938/Buster Crabbe),
"Buck Rogers" (1939/Buster Crabbe), "The Green Hornet" (1940/Keye Luke) and
"Don Winslow of the Navy" (1942/Don Terry), "Bomba on Panther Island" (1949/Johnny Sheffield)
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: 226 mins on VHS ~ VCI Home Video ~ (6/25/2002)
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