Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great B western serials and stars, December 15, 2001
If you're more of a action type of B western cowboy fan than a singin cowboy fan ( like I am ) then Tom Tylers your man. Tom was right up there with Bob Steele,Buck Jones,Ken Maynard, and Tom Mix. A full 10 chapters and each cliffhanger was guaranteed to bring those kids back every Saturday back in 1931 when this picture was made. To me the B-westerns of the 30's were the best. They had plenty of great stunts with horses,the hats were bigger, and they had some of the toughest fights ever filmed.This serial also features Ken Maynards brother Kermit. This is a must to have in your collection for the Bwestern fan.Enjoy !
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ The Phantom of the West (1931)", October 27, 2005
VCI Entertainment, Mascot Pictures, Paul N. Robins presents... "The Phantom of the West," (1931) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 10 Chapters of vintage serial episodes jam packed with thrilling action sequences and stunts that will keep you on the edge of your seat...story line has this all talking serial of 1931 in a circle of events, who is the "Masked Phantom" and why is he trying to kill off the suspects and blame our hero Tom Tyler, he seems like a nice enough fellow...is the audience confused with the constant riding in and out of each scene with his fellow vigilantes....Who really murdered Tyler's father, and is Dorothy Gulliver really the daughter of Cortez or is she in cahoots with the Phantom...will the real identity of the villain be known or will Mascot Pictures keep us in the dark until the final episode......can this Mascot Serial keep the action, daring stunt-work and an exciting cliffhanger going the entire serial....but don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "Rogues Roundup"....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 D. Ross Lederman, editorial supervisor Wyndham Gittens, original story by Wyndham Gittens, Ford Beebe and Ben Cohn , musical score by Lee Zahler...the cast includes Tom Tyler (Jim Lester), William Desmond (Martin Blair), Tom Santschi (Bud Landers), Dorothy Gulliver (Mona Cortez, alias Mary Smith), Joe Bonomo (Keno), Tom Dugan (Osca), Philo McCullough (Royce Macklin), Frank Lanning (Francisco Cortez), Frank Hagney (Sheriff Jim H. Ryan), Halie Sullivan (Ruby Blair), Kermit Maynard (Peter Drake), Dick Dickinson (Harvey Stewart), James Carlyle (Sam Hollister), W.J. Holmes (Lafe Johnson), Al Taylor ( Deputy) ...the Mascot stuntman Kermit Maynard..... special note that Tom Tyler became one of the most popular action stars in B-Westerns and "Three Musketeers" Series, appeared in "Stagecoach" (1939) and then came the most famous role of his career in the classic serial "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941), which he played the caped hero in a 15 Chapter serial for Republic Pictures and another with "The Phantom" (1943) both were first classic productions of their time......meanwhile back to our Mascot 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 Ghost Riders
2. The Stairway of Doom
3. The Horror in the Dark
4. The Battle of the strong
5. The League of the Lawless
6. The Canyon of Calamity
7. The Price of Silence
8. The House of Hate
9. The Fatal Secret
10.Rogues' Roundup
BIOS:
1. Tom Tyler (aka Vincent Markowski)
Birth Date: 8/09/1903 - Port Henry, New York
Died: 5/01/1954 - Hamtramck, Michigan
2. William Desmond
Birth Date: 1/23/1878 - Dublin, Ireland
Died: 11/03/1949 - Los Angeles, California
3. Dorothy Gulliver
Birth Date: 9/06/1908 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Died: 5/23/1997 - Valley Centre, California
4. D. Ross Lederman (Director)
Birth Date: 12/12/1894 - Lancaster, PA
Died: 8/24/1972 - 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 "The Phantom of the West" (1931), 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: 166 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1738 ~ (11/01/2000)
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