Product Details

• Actors: Kent Taylor, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan, Robert Armstrong, Richard Davies
• Directors: Noel M. Smith, Ray Taylor
• Writers: Al Martin, George H. Plympton, Morgan Cox, Phillips Lord, Victor McLeod
• Producers: Ford Beebe
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: February 16, 1994
• Run Time: 251 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302666805
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,010 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Gang Busters (1942)", November 26, 2005

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gang Busters: Serial - Vol 1: (Chapters 1-6) (DVD)

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures presents a film based on the radio program by Phillips H. Lord "Gang Busters" (1942) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 13 Chapters based on a real radio show in which unsolved crimes were reenacted in the hope of catching the criminal, stories were combined with original and completely ficitional...dedicated to law enforcement officers throughout the nation, in grateful recognition of their unending war against crime..story line has twists and turns as "The League of Murdered Men" with mad scientist (Ralph Morgan) at the helm...is there a mysterious death stimulating drug that presumes a person dead only to be resurrected by this mad man Prof. Mortis (Morgan)...will Lt. Bill Bannister (Taylor) and Det. Tim Nolan (Armstrong) stop this gang of misfits who is terrorizing the city...can Vicki Logan (Hervey) and Happy Haskins (Davies) who work for the local newspaper, get in the way or be of some assistance bringing the villains to justice...what is this strange hideout in a subterranean cell that is located beneath the city's subways...don't touch that dial or leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "Law and Order"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's Ray Taylor and Noel Smith, associate producer Ford Beebe, Original screenplay by Morgan B. Cox, Al Martin, Vic McLeod, George H. Plympton, dialogue director Jacques Jaccard, musical score by Ralph Freed, Charles Previn, Heinz Roemheld, Hans J. Salter, Frank Skinner and Franz Waxman...the cast includes Kent Taylor (Lt. Bill Bannister), Irene Hervey (Vicky Logan), Ralph Morgan (Dr. Clayton Maxton aka Prof. Mortis), Robert Armstrong (Det. Tim Nolan), Richard Davies (Happy Haskins), Joseph Crehan (Police Chief Martin O'Brien), George Watts (Mayor Hansen), George J. Lewis (Joey Morrions aka Mason), Ralf Harolde(Halliger-henchman), John Gallaudet (Wilkinson-henchman), William Haade (Mike Taboni), Vic Zimmerman (Ted Lane, alias Barnard), Johnnie Berkes (Mr. Grub ), Pat O'Malley ( Police Chemist Crandall), Eddie Dean (Blair, Police Lab Tech), William Desmond (Rogan's Death Witness), Karl Hackett (Henry, crooked watchman), Carleton Young (Highway Patrolman)........great stuntwork by Carey Loftin, David Sharpe, Tom Steele, Ken Terrell and Dale Van Sickel....meanwhile back to our Universal Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:

1. The League of Murdered Men
2. The Death Plunge
3. Murder Blockade
4. Hangman's Noose
5. Man Under Cover
6. Under Crumbling Walls
7. The Water Trap
8. Murder by Proxy
9. Gang Bait
10.Mob Vengeance
11.Wanted at Headquarters
12.The Long Chance
13.Law and Order

BIOS:
1. Kent Taylor (aka Louis William Weiss)
Birth Date: 5/11/1907 - Nashua, Iowa
Died: 4/11/1987 - Woodland Hills, CA
2. Irene Hervey
Birth Date: 7/11/1909 - Venice, CA
Died: 12/20/1998 - Woodland Hills, CA
3. Robert Armstrong (of the film "King Kong" fame)
Birth Date: 11/20/1890 - Saginaw, Michigan
Died: 4/20/1973 - Santa Monica, CA
4. Ray Taylor (Director)
Birth Date: 12/01/1888 - Perham, Minnesota
Died: 2/15/1952 - Hollywood, CA

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. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present Zane Grey's "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940) (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...is there a discovered substance called "Compound X", which may cure infantile paralysis...has Tom Merritt stumbled on such a rare find...is there a war between Canada and sources known later as the "Father Land".....get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Gang Busters" (1942), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 255 mins ~ VCI Entertainment 1731 ~ (1992)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This serial from Hermitage Hill has all 13 chapters on 2 discs!, November 15, 2009

By 

midflamagi "midflamagi" (Central Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gang Busters: The League Of Murdered Men (DVD)

In all fairness, the 2 earlier ratings are not for this version of the Gangbusters serial.

THE HERMITAGE HILL RELEASE OF GANGBUSTERS IS THE COMPLETE SERIAL ON 2 DISCS.

From the fine folks at The Serial Squadron - this is the finest digital restoration of this serial ever available.

Please check the other reviews for the content of the serial - a very GOOD serial for a studio other than Republic. This one will not disappoint someone interested in serials of the period.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great cops-and-robbers serial. The Hermitage Hill (Serial Squadron) version is the one to get, February 2, 2011

By 

Scott MacGillivray (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gang Busters: The League Of Murdered Men (DVD)

Universal Pictures made serials as far back as the 1910s, and by 1942 they were old hands at making action pictures. Cliffhanger fans agree that GANG BUSTERS is one of Universal's best serial adventures (and in this writer's opinion, Universal's very best). The story has the city being terrorized by The League of Murdered Men, a gang of criminals whose members have all been declared dead! With this intriguing premise, 13 chapters of almost non-stop cops-and-robbers action follow, as the League's criminal mastermind declares war on the city's police force.

The cast is familiar from feature films of the period: Kent Taylor as the chief investigator, Irene Hervey as a press photographer, Robert Armstrong as a police detective, and an entire company of villains with familiar faces (Ralf Harolde, John Gallaudet, William Haade, Stanley Price, George J. Lewis, and a host of others). Ralph Morgan is tremendous as the soft-spoken mastermind; you won't soon forget his bravura performance.

There are two special distinctions to this serial. First, there is plenty of outdoor action staged by Ray Taylor and Noel Smith, including an exceptional cliffhanger in Chapter 3 (a speeding car hurtling to certain doom, with Irene Hervey on the running board). Some of the action scenes are so good that Universal reused them in later serials. The other distinction is that this is one of Universal's "streamlined serials," using a novel device: instead of recapping each chapter with narration or titles, Universal shot new footage, with the principals bringing the viewer up to date with spoken dialogue. Smart move in this case, because the new scenes get each chapter off to a fast start.

The original coming-attractions trailer is a bonus feature. Assembled before the film's release, it contains stock shots that DON'T appear in the actual film (watch for some VERY old cars!). The trailer can be sampled elsewhere on the Web.

Picture and sound quality are much better than the many public-domain editions of GANG BUSTERS. This is a Serial Squadron restoration, painstakingly produced by Eric Stedman. Insist on this version, because it's probably the best print you'll ever see of this subject. A comparison showing the results of the restoration can be found on the manufacturer's website.