''Government Agents vs Phantom Legion'' (1951) is a 12-chapter American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

action

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 ...

produced and distributed by Republic Pictures Corporation in 1951. It is an original, studio-commissioned screenplay by

Ronald Davidson Ronald Anstuther Davidson (July 13, 1899 – July 28, 1965) was an American screenwriter. He was born in Arizona, raised in Los Angeles, and died in San Diego, California. He was the son of Dr. Ansthuther and Alice Davidson. He graduated from t ...

, produced by Franklin Adreon and directed by

Fred C. Brannon Fred C. Brannon (April 26, 1901 – April 6, 1953) was an American film director of the 1940s and 1950s. He directed over 40 films between 1945 and his death. His first film ''The Purple Monster Strikes'' in 1945 was co-directed with Spencer ...

Plot

Two American government agents, Hal Duncan and Sam Bradley, must prevent agents of a foreign power, led by Regan and Cady, from hijacking trucks and stealing defense materials being transported by truck. They are hired by an interstate trucking association whose constituent truck lines have been principal targets of the hijacking, and it becomes evident that one of the four directors of the association is "the Voice," the secret leader of the gang who provides them with shipment and route information necessary for the gang's success.

Cast

* Walter Reed as Hal Duncan *

Mary Ellen Kay Mary Ellen Ruffalo ( Keaggy, August 29, 1929 – 2017), better known as Mary Ellen Kay, was an American television and film actress. Biography Kay was born in Boardman, Ohio, on August 29, 1929. She was one of ten siblings and the sister of virt ...

as Kay Roberts *

Dick Curtis Richard Dye (May 11, 1902January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career. Early years Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dy ...

as Regan * Fred Coby as Cady * John Pickard as Sam Bradley *

Pierce Lyden Pierce W. Lyden (January 8, 1908 – October 10, 1998) was an American actor best known for his work in television and film Westerns. Early life Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near Hildreth, Nebraska on January 8, 1908. The son of a hor ...

as Armstrong *

Arthur Space Charles Arthur Space (October 12, 1908 – January 13, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver, the veterinarian, in thirty-nine episodes of the CBS television series '' Lassie''. Early years Bor ...

as Crandall *

Mauritz Hugo Mauritz Hugo (January 12, 1909 – June 16, 1974) was a Swedish-born American film and television actor. Selected filmography * ''Wanted by the Police'' (1938) * ''Criminal Investigator'' (1942) *''The Crime Smasher'' (1943) * ''Outlaws of St ...

as Thompson/The Voice * George Meeker as Willard Stunts *

Dale Van Sickel Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years. Van ...

as Hal Duncan/Brice/Kern (doubling Walter Reed) * Tom Steele as Regan/Armstrong/Brandt/Warehouse Thug (doubling

and

) * Eddie Parker as Payne *

Duke Taylor Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

as Kirk * David Sharpe

Production

''Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion'' was budgeted at $153,083 although the final

negative cost Negative cost is the net expense to produce and shoot a film, excluding such expenditures as distribution and promotion. Low-budget movies, for example ''The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural ho ...

was $153,612 (a $529, or 0.3%, overspend). It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1951. It was filmed between May 1 and 23, 1951 under the

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

''Government Agents vs. Underground Legion''. The serial's production number was 1931. All special effects in ''Government Agents vs Phantom Legion'' were produced by Republic's in-house team of the

Lydecker brothers Howard and Theodore Lydecker, always known—and billed—as such, were Howard "Babe" Lydecker (June 8, 1911 – September 26, 1969) and Theodore Lydecker (November 7, 1908 – May 25, 1990), a special effects team primarily working as contract ...

Release

''Government Agents vs. Phantom Legions official release date was July 4, 1951, although this was actually the date upon which the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges. The film was followed by a rerelease of ''

Haunted Harbor ''Haunted Harbor'' (1944) is a Republic serial, based on the novel by Ewart Adamson. Plot Sea captain Jim Marsden is about to be hanged for a murder he didn't commit, and is rescued from the gallows by two of his crewmen. To clear the captain' ...

'', retitled as ''Pirates' Harbor'', instead of a new serial. The next new serial, ''

Radar Men from the Moon ''Radar Men from the Moon'' is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Pictures' 12-chapter movie serial, the first Commando Cody serial starring newcomer George Wallace as Cody, Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert, and serial veteran Roy Barcroft ...

'', followed in 1952.

Chapter titles

# River of Fire (20 min) # The Stolen Corpse (13 min 20s) # The Death Drop (13 min 20s) # Doorway to Doom (13 min 20s) # Deadline for Disaster (13 min 20s) # Mechanical Homicide (13 min 20s) # The Flaming Highway (13 min 20s) # Sea Saboteurs (13 min 20s) # Peril Underground (13 min 20s) # Execution by Accident (13 min 20s) (a recap chapter) # Perilous Plunge (13 min 20s) # Blazing Retribution (13 min 20s) _Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Government Agents Vs. Phantom Legion 1951 films 1950s English-language films American spy films American black-and-white films Republic Pictures film serials Films directed by Fred C. Brannon 1950s spy films 1950s American films