''The Valley of Vanishing Men'' is a 1942 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

. It was the 20th of 57 released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. Directed by

Spencer Gordon Bennet Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Benne ...

, it stars

Bill Elliott William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955), also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill, or Wild Bill is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing ...

Slim Summerville Slim Summerville (born George Joseph Somerville; July 10, 1892 – January 5, 1946), was an American film actor and director best known for his work in comedies. Early life Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother d ...

, and

Carmen Morales Carmen Morales (10 October 1939 – 13 August 2021) was an Argentine comic actress of film, stage and television. Biography Morales lived in a neighborhood on Calle Pilcomayo de Piñeyro in Avellaneda, in the Don Santin butcher shop. Morale ...

Plot

In this serial, Wild Bill Tolliver and Missouri Benson are a pair of adventurers who ride into the vast

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

in search of Bill's father, Henry Tolliver, who mysteriously disappeared while prospecting for gold. They soon discover that a ruthless outlaw leader, Jonathan Kincaid, owns an immense mine of gold in which he uses captured Mexican patriots, among others, to work as slaves in the mine. They also learn that Kincaid has joined forces with Colonel Carl Engler, a renegade eastern European soldier, to carry out his cruel intentions. Then Bill and Missouri meet with Consuelo Ramírez, a diligent Mexican agent, who informs them that Bill's father is among the prisoners in the mine. After that, the heroes find themselves in a conflict with the outlaws in the middle of incessant fights, chases and action.

Cast

as Wild Bill Tolliver. Bill Elliott starred in three serials at Columbia Pictures, and ''The Valley of Vanishing Men'' was his last cliffhanger at that studio or anywhere else. Shortly after making this chapterplay, Elliott signed with

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 ...

where his contract excluded him from doing any more serial work. *

as Missouri Benson * Carmen Morales as Consuelo Ramírez

Production

Writing about the film's atmosphere, Cline says that this serial was a "grim tale...

ith a The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

mood of ominous dread." Missouri was added to the cast because a normal comedy relief character would have not have worked.

Chapter titles

# Trouble in Canyon City # The Mystery of Ghost Town # Danger Walks by night # Hillside Horror # Guns in the Night # The Bottomless Well # The Man in the Gold Mask # When the Devil Drives # The Traitor's Shroud # Death Strikes at Seven # Satan in the Saddle # The Mine of Missing Men # Danger on Dome Rock # The Door that Has No Key # Empire's End _Source:

References

External links