Customer Reviews

The Miracle Rider (Complete Serial - 15 Episodes) [VHS]

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

 

 

One reviewer must've gotten the wrong video, because this is definitely Tom Mix, and Rin Tin Tin is nowhere to be seen in it! Besides Tom Mix, you get Charles Middleton as the villian. He's not nearly as menacing as he is in the Flash Gordon serials, but he's still a notable villian.

This is truly a contemporary western, taking place in 1935 when the movie was made. The bad guy is bent on chasing the indian tribe off their reservation so he can mine it for a secret explosive that he plans to sell to an unnamed European country. In one scene, he mentions the added power this powerful explosive would give a dictator, so if you know enough history to know what was happening in Europe in 1935, you can guess what country was being suggested here.

Tom Mix and Middleton together make this one of the better western serials, and I quite recommend it.

I've never been a big fan of the Mascot serials but this one is a good one! Tom Mix is past his prime but still fun to watch (along with his horse Tony of course!). Fine supporting cast headed by Joan Gale as the Indian heroine, Charles Middleton (the perfect villain for any serial!), Robert Frazer, Niles Welch and Jason Robards, Sr. 15 action packed chapters on 2 discs plus some bonus serial trailers. VCI's source material appears to be a fine grain 16mm print and it's very good. Highly recommended for serial or western fans!

Tom Mix is probably the best known of the early western heroes. Besides his roles, he's also credited for being an early mentor for a hopeful young actor by the name of John Wayne.

This Mascot serial was made at the end of Tom Mix's career. He was one who suffered from the advent of sound.

One interesting facet of the serial is its foreshadowing of events in Europe. The bad guy is mining a powerful explosive for an unnamed European country which is preparing for war. I don't think I'm spoiling the ending by letting you know that Tom Mix, aided by his horse Tony, successfully thwarts the scheme by the final chapter.

Quite recommended for those who enjoy vintage western action.

If you are looking for realism in a western serial, this isn't it. Not even close. It has 1935 automobiles, a villain whose name begins with Z, a secret weapon that would change warfare, a bubbling laboratory, and a horse, Tony, that can out-lassie Lassie when it comes to seeking help and communicating. But most of all it has a great cowboy, Tom Mix, who was a fine rodeo and circus rider, doing his own stunts. He certainly could ride and was especially creative in getting on a horse. Once he even jumps out a window, and Tony is right there, situated perfectly, saddled and waiting.

The story doesn't really matter, now, does it? It's Tom Mix without the Ralston ads, and that's just about enough. He was supposedly John Wayne's mentor and severest critic. He could certainly outdo The Duke when it came to horsemanship.

It's crude. The story is predictable. But it's still great fun.

VCI Entertainment, Mascot Pictures and Nat Levine present "The Miracle Rider" (1935) (Dolby Digitally Remastered), 15 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with plenty of action, fist fights and hard riding... Tom Mix joins the Texas Rangers, can he avenge his father's death and help the Ravenhead Indians...what is X-94 and does Zaroff plan to rule the world with his secret weapon...will the use of the "Firebird" scare the Indians off the reservation...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...you have to love the serial format when viewed over time in single or double chapter installments there is nothing better.
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Under director's Armand Schaefer and B. Reeves Eason with screenplay by Gerald Geraghty and Maurice Geraghty...the cast include Tom Mix (Tom Morgan), Joan Gale (Ruth), Charles Middleton (was Ming in the Flash Gordon series) (Zaroff), Niles Welch (Metzger), Edward Hearn (Emil Janns), Bob Kortman (Longboat), Charles King (Hatton - Henchman), George Chesebro (Crossman - Henchman), Tom London (Sewell - Henchman), Edmund Cobb (Vining - Henchman) and Edward Earle (Christopher Adams, Indian Agent)...another great serial provided by Mascot Pictures during their heyday in the early '30s... Tom Mix and his horse, Tony Jr make the perfect pair in this exiciting serial as he uses his rope as much as his gun in a few of the episodes...Charles Middleton was the perfect nasty cold blooded leader of this Mascot serial...any B-Western with Charles King as the heavy has to be good just because it has Charles King in it.. King plays the henchman Hatton on Zaroff's payroll...for once he didn't play the character they call "Blackie".

Tom Mix birth name was Thomas Hezikiah Mix...birth date was January 6, 1880 in Mix Run, Pa and left us Oct 12, 1940 in Florence, Arizona..."The Miracle Rider" is a top-notch serial inclusive of everything you would expect from our hero and legendary Tom Mix...this was Tom Mix farewell film performance...he retired from the screen and died in a car accident four and half years later.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One)
1. The Vanishing Indian
2. The Firebird Strikes
3. The Flying Knife
4. A Race with Death
5. Double Barreled Doom
6. Thundering Hoofs
7. Dragnet

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc One)
1. Tom Mix Photo Gallery
2. Tom Mix Bio:

VCI CLIFFHANGER COLLECTION (Disc One)
1. Zorro Rides Again (John Carroll & Duncan Renaldo)
2. Zorro's Black Whip (George J. Lewis & Linda Stirling)
3. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
4. Hurricane Express (John Wayne)

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Two)
8. Guerilla Warfare
9. The Silver Band
10.Signal Fires
11.A Traitor Dies
12.Danger Rides with Death
13.The Secret of K-94
14.Between Two Fires
15.Justice Rides the Plains

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc Two)
1. Tom Mix Photo Gallery
2. Tom Mix Bio:

VCI CLIFFHANGER COLLECTION (Disc Two)
1. The Fighting Marines (Grant Withers & Ann Rutherford)
2. Phantom Empire (Gene Autry & Smiley Burnette)
3. Shadow of the Eagle (John Wayne)
4. Lost Jungle (Clyde Beatty)

Own them now on DVD....if you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...if you enjoyed this serial why not try another exciting western adventure featuring Johnny Mack Brown serial "Fighting with Kit Carson" (1933) from VCI Entertainment and Mascot Pictures (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of hard riding cliffhangers blazing the trail of the pioneer west...mixed with hair breadth escapes ending each episode.

While you're at it check out Bobby J. Copeland's book on "Silent Hoofbeats", a salute to the horses and riders of the bygone B-Western era...finally a book listing each and every steed that carried our heroes over the dusty trails and plains...Copeland has composed each section in his book to perfection...names of our western stars with the most comprehensive information of movie and TV horses...Tom Mix and Tony appear several times...published by Empire Publishing and available on Amazon.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '30s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch serial from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 306 mins on 2 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8316 ~ (2/24/2004)

One of Mascot's last serials before merging with Republic Pictures, "The Miracle Rider" (1935) is best known as Tom Mix's screen farewell. The cowboy legend plays a Texas Ranger in this creaky yet entertaining sci-fi Western - with 15 chapters of hard-riding action and memorable villainy from Charles Middleton. No match for Mix's silent classics, but good fun. VCI's two-disc set remains superior to the numerous public domain offerings.

The Miracle Rider was the last film of Tom Mix and his horse Tony, Jr. (Tony Sr. had departed this earthly realm). It is a sound serial from Mascot with twice the normal Mascot budget. Mix was 55 when he made this and showing it. Although his voice was deep and suitable for sound, and he was still in good shape, Mix looked his age and was now using a stunt double for complicated stunts. Mix had made several sound films for Universal, but they fared only moderately well. Mix had officially retired and was promoting his Tom Mix circus when he was talked back to the silver screen for one last go round. It is fortunate he did. The Miracle Rider was an astounding success, making both Mix and Mascot over ten times its investment. The serial is one of the better serials of the period, too, and so Mix went out on top, dying five years later in an automobile accident. Even though Mix had been out of the public eye for five years following Miracle Rider, his death caused a large outpouring of grief. Mix's enigmatic life, career and tragic demise are the stuff of legend.

The Miracle Rider begins with the history of native Americans and how they were treated by white men. Daniel Boone (who looks nothing like Fess Parker) warns white men to leave the Indians alone, to no avail. Later, Davey Crocket (who looks nothing like Fess Parker) warns white men to leave the Indians alone, to no avail. Buffalo Bill does the same, again to no avail. Tom's on-screen father, a Texas Ranger. is killed by white men as he tries to protect Indian land. Many years later, the adult Tom Mix, as "Tom," steps into his father boots as a Texas Ranger himself.

Tom is made an honorary chief of a tribe and is called "the Miracle Rider." The evil oil baron with the very serial-sounding name of Zaroff (played by Charles Middleton, so memorable a villain in films like Mystery Ranch and Flash Gordon) is not pleased. Zaroff wants the Indians off the land so he can mine something called X-94, which is an explosive that can make kings and queens grovel at his feet. The Ravenhead reservation is rich in X-94 deposits and now, but with Texas Ranger Tom being made an honorary chief, this complicates things.

The Miracle Rider is another B western that mixes sci fi elements and modern automobiles within the old west. Zaroff receives transmissions from a radio control apparatus, which bleeps a lot. The transmission informs Zaroff that Europe is wanting more orders of X-94. What is an evil madman to do? Well, in addition to henchman Jason Robards (Sr.) Zaroff hooks up with a Judas of an Indian named Longboat, who is a half-breed aspiring to be chief. With Longboat's help, Zaroff makes the tribe believe they are cursed by the great firebird, courtesy of some x-94 effects. Zoroff's has an evil scientist assistant, hiding in a secret lab, who makes X-94 bullets and a robot glider, meant to scare the Indians off the land.

Chief Black Wing (Bob Frazer) will not be frightened by the robot glider, so he is dispensed with. Tom goes after Black Wing's murderers, jumping from Tony, Jr. onto a speeding truck carrying a shipment of X-94.

Black Wing's daughter Ruth, played by Joan Gale, has the arrow that killed her father and she knows that this is no arrow made by a Ravenhead. But, the arrow is stolen and, in pursuit of the thief, Tom finds himself trapped inside a flying robot glider!

There's plenty of intrigue and derring-do atop oil rigs, in automobiles driving off cliffs, amidst explosions, and inside secret caves. There seems to always be a hidden telephone inside a rock for henchmen to call Zaroff. Tony, Jr. sees plenty of action too, and the whole serial has the feel of a wild and wacky 20th century wild west show being filtered through primitive sci fi sensibilities.

Zaroff tells Tom, "If it wasn't for your meddling...", sounding just like a Scooby Doo villain. Of course, Tom saves the day and lives to ride off into one more sunset.

Surprisingly, Tom is not given a love interest at all. Perhaps a white man hooking up with an Indian girl would have been too much for 1935 audiences, even if she is being played by a white girl. There are no actual Indians in Miracle and, par for Hollywood's course, the greatest Indian is a white man, ala Dances With Wolves; but unlike the mawkish, overblown Kevin Costner film, this Miracle is fun.

* my review was originally published at 366 weird movies

A 15-part serial from 1935, directed by B. Reeves Eason and Armand Schaefer, The Miracle Rider marks the end of the career of Tom Mix (1880-1940), the most popular of all of the silent western stars. It was his 10th sound film, and judging from his performance here I have to say that it's not that hard to see - or rather hear - why he didn't fare too well in the talkies. Of course, he was 55 when he made this, and looks it in his closeups though he still seems quite fit. Given that he was known for doing most of his own stunts and riding and that he's pretty tough-looking, it's not hard to see why he had some success in the more programmatic of the silent westerns. But his flat and slightly nasal delivery and exaggerated expressions don't serve him that well here. Or rather - they serve him all right, because it's what we expect in serial acting - and because, apart from Charles Middleton as the villain Zaroff, he's not really any worse than anyone else.

The plot, such as it is, involves Mix as Texas Ranger Tom Morgan trying to discover who is behind a plan to drive the Ravenhead Indian tribe off of their reservation. Their chief, Black Wing (Robert Frazer) is resistant to the scare tactics, which include a mythical "firebird" that has supposedly come to show the Indians that they're not wanted. He is opposed by Longboat (Bob Kortman) who is so obviously a bad guy that I'd defy the average 5-year-old not to spot him in a few seconds. Black Wing has a daughter, Ruth (Joan Gale) who not only looks fetching in her buckskins and seems to hold a torch for Morgan, but also speaks perfect English, unlike the pidgin attempts by everybody else.

At first Morgan suspects Janss (Edward Hearn), a local shopkeeper who owns some land that he stands to make a tidy profit on if the government buys it to move the reservation - interestingly enough neither Morgan nor anyone else ever suspects Longboat of being in cahoots with the bad guys until about 12 episodes in. We the audience know pretty much right away that Zaroff is behind things though - a ruthless owner of an oil business who has found a secret element, "X-94" which is such a powerful explosive that it will make him master of the world - a fact that he mentions roughly once per episode. He's got a bunch of henchmen, secret phones located all over the countryside to get in touch with them, and a scientist in a secret lab working on making X-94 into a fuel, X-94 bullets, etc. But as long as Tom Morgan is alive and getting closer and closer to his secret, he can't put his plans into action.

This is basically a modern-dress western serial - cars and automatics mingling with horses and six-guns - with some science-fiction undertones. It bears comparison with another Mascot serial of the same year, also co-directed by action specialist B. Reeves Eason, Phantom Empire. While I probably enjoyed the latter more with its delirious mixture of an underground city, singing cowboys, slapstick humor and wild west action, MIRACLE RIDER is a pretty solid piece of work and benefits from Mix and a good group of stuntmen and riders; the horseback sequences are excellent throughout - Mix is on his horse "Tony Jr." and has a really cool sequence where he and Ruth switch horses while at full gallop - and if he isn't doing his own stunt-work anymore, it's doubled pretty effectively. Sure, it's repetitive and silly and poorly acted for the most part, like the majority of 30s serials, but it's loads of fun if you can let yourself fall under the sort of alternate-universe spell of a grown-up Hardy Boys type plot with western trappings and a cliffhanger ever 20 minutes. As I said, Charles Middleton takes the acting honors - he's best known for playing Ming the Merciless starting the next year in the three FLASH GORDON serials, but he had a long and distinguished character player career, appearing many other serials and in small roles in films like DUCK SOUP and ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS.

The VCI disc is a solid job from them, reasonably clear-sounding and clean enough looking apart from a few minutes of jitter in one episode and the occasional few seconds of dropout. Extras are limited to eight trailers (4 per disc) and a fairly useless brief bio of Mix. A must for all serial or 30s western fans.

glad to see that an old movie lie this is still around.I always wanted to see a Tom Mix movie and this is the only one on dvd

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO VIEW A TOM MIX MOVIE AND NOW I HAVE DONE SO.IT WAS O.K CONSIDERING IT'S AGE.WHAT DOE'S HAVE ME INTRIGUED IS THE SWASTIKA DESIGH ON THE INDIAN BLANKED.AS THE MOVIE WAS BY ALL ACCOUNTS MADE IN 1935 IT SEEMS TO BE A DANGERIOUS THING TO DO.I HOPE TOM MIX DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.