''Invisible Avenger'' is a 1958 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

James Wong Howe Wong Tung Jim, A.S.C. (; August 28, 1899 – July 12, 1976), known professionally as James Wong Howe (Houghto), was a Chinese-born American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was one of the most soug ...

, Ben Parker and John Sledge. The film was a compilation of two

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

episodes of a 1957

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

TV show called ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

''. When the show failed to sell, the episodes (one of which was directed by cinematographer

) were edited together and released as a theatrical feature called ''Invisible Avenger''. The film was re-released in 1962 under the title ''Bourbon Street Shadows'' by the Louisiana-based MPA films. The episodes were shot on location in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. p. 304 Senn, Bryan ''Fantastic Cinema Subject Guide: A Topical Index to 2500 Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films'' McFarland 1 November 1992

Plot summary

Pablo Ramirez is an expatriate from the Caribbean nation of Santa Cruz that is under control of a military dictator called the

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...

. From New Orleans, Ramirez plots a revolution and his return to Santa Cruz. To assist in this and to protect him from the Santa Cruz

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of a ...

who are in New Orleans he seeks the help of Lamont Cranston through a mutual friend, jazz trumpeter Tony Alcade. In the midst of a telephone call to Cranston, Tony is murdered by the secret police. Cranston and his metaphysical mentor Jogendra come to New Orleans to bring Tony's murderers to justice and freedom to Santa Cruz. Though no one knows the identity of the crime fighting trouble shooter

who has

telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

powers, everyone knows that he can be contacted for help through Lamont Cranston. As Cranston protects Pablo from secret police assassination and kidnapping attempts, the Generalissimo broadcasts the execution of Pablo's twin brother that is shown on television in the United States in a scheme to draw Pablo into the open.

Cast

Richard Derr Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked on stage, screen, and television, performing in both starring and supporting roles. Early years Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Derr graduated from Norristown High S ...

as Lamont Cranston/The Shadow *

Mark Daniels Mark Roy Daniels (1881 – 1952) was an architect, landscape architect, civil engineer, and city planner active in California. He was known for creating plans that incorporated existing natural features in order to preserve a sense of local char ...

as Jogendra *

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress and former child actress. She is best known for her work in ''The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was the daughte ...

as Tara O'Neill *

Jack Donner Jack Donner (October 29, 1928 – September 21, 2019) was an American actor whose career in theater, television and film extended over six decades. Career A native of Los Angeles, Donner worked in television and film since the 1950s including ...

as Billy Sanchez * Jeanne Neher as Felicia Ramirez *

Steve Dano ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

as Tony Alcalde *

Dan Mullin Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

as Pablo Ramirez / Victor Ramirez * Leo Bruno as Ramon "Rocco" Martinez *

Lee Edwards Lee Willard Edwards (born 1932) is an American academic and author, currently a fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He is a historian of the conservative movement in America. Background Edwards was born in Chicago in 1932. Edwards says he was in ...

as The Colonel * Sam Page as Charlie, airport thug

Notes

External links

* * 1958 films 1958 crime drama films 1950s action films American black-and-white films Republic Pictures films Films set in New Orleans Films shot in New Orleans The Shadow films American crime drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub