The Crimson Ghost (1946) Online

Beginning, I believe, with their far-better serial, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, Republic Studios had a knack for disguising their criminal masterminds and leaving them masked until the last chapter (Republic probably got the idea from Fritz Lang's THE LAST TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE). Because it worked so well with CAPTAIN MARVEL, the studo would reuse it again and again (ie, DICK TRACY vs. CRIME INC., among others) and it got old fast.

However, with this one, the criminal mastermind has got the best looking mask of the bunch. He looks like a traditional, and fearsome, grim reaper incarnate and all he seems to lack is his scythe. Even this villain's name, "the Crimson Ghost," sounds like an alternate appellation that the grim reaper would call himself.

I personally dislike the action scenes the Ghost partakes in, because it almost belittles his mystical presence. He should sit majestically in a high chair, speaking orders, like Bond's Blofeld or all the other big league bad guys. He should let his minions do all the dirty work of fighting the heroes. When he puts up his dukes, smashes chairs, or even points a forty-five, he reduces his august presence and appearance. A mastermind should never belittle himself by acting like a henchman.

Created in 1946, THE CRIMSON GHOST was among the last of the major serials created by Republic Studios. Like most serials, it has a formula plot that tends to be uneven from episode to episode, but in many respects GHOST proves not only entertaining but quite influential as well.

The plot concerns a scientist that has developed a machine capable of neutralizing electricity. The "cyclotrode" is quickly targeted by a master criminal known as "the Crimson Ghost," an entity that hides behind a skull mask and flowing robes--and needless to say fights, thefts, torture, kidnapping, and murder is soon the order of the day.

While the story line occasionally falters (one episode consists of the characters recalling incidents from previous chapters), THE CRIMSON GHOST sets a fairly smart pace and the art designs are enjoyable, particularly re the cyclotrode, remote control collars, and various other gizmos. The single most appealing thing about the show, however, is actress Linda Stirling. In an era in which most serial heroines still screamed and fainted, Stirling got into fights, jumped out of cars, and quite often took on the bad guys on equal terms. Her roles seldom allowed her to fully challenge the male leads, but you never doubt that she could have done so--and it is quite refreshing to see.

All of this said, THE CRIMSON GHOST is presently available only on VHS, and it comes in two versions: a two-tape VHS, which preserves the chapter-format of the original serial, and a single tape VHS that condenses the show by knocking out chapter headings and redundant scenes. The single tape format is also colorized, and a dreadful job it is indeed. For myself, I enjoy the chapter headings and the cliff-hangers, and where THE CRIMSON GHOST is concerned, the two-tape VHS is the one I recommend.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I have fallen in love with serials as of late. You begin with the lengthier first chapter and soon cannot wait - no matter how poor the budget and performers are - to find out who the masked villain is in the last chapter. Well, The Crimson Ghost is no exception except that as far as Republic serials go this one has a slightly better budget then many and slightly better performers as well. Much of this praise can be directly attributed to directors Fred C. Brannon( a regular fixture in films and serials of this ilk), and even more so to William Whitney who worked on like material including the wonderful The Adventures of Captain Marvel. The pacing is crisp, the action plentiful, and the actors right on character. The story concerns a professor of physics creating a Cyclotrode that stops electrical engines in their tracks. A villain known as The Crimson Ghost, who is also a professor at the university(we get this info very early as it is our task to find out which one of the four men is the villain), will stop at nothing to get this so he can build an even larger model and live out his evil plans of world domination/great wealth. The Crimson Ghost created necklaces that he places over people to control them to do his bidding and if one tries to remove it - the victim dies. This serial has loads of action from innumerable fights(okay, maybe too many), electrical fires, gun fights, explosions, and even a tense operation scene. The set pieces are pretty decent as are the special effects. The story meanders here and there and the whole four or five chapters devoted to getting heavy water did get a bit tiresome at moments, but overall the suspense is maintained at a high level. The acting is all workmanlike with leads Charles Quigley as the hero Duncan Richards and Linda Stirling as his devoted pretty Friday doing well enough. The Lone Ranger himself, Clayton Moore, gets to parade around as a key henchman sans mask. He is quite good. How about the ghost himself? Well, I don't think you will be overall surprised who the ghost is despite the clumsy final chapter's resolution, but I will say that his outfit and that skull mask are awesome. I think that mask is easily one of the best of its kind I have ever seen in anything and one can see the influence it had on subsequent productions. If you have not had an opportunity to sit down to a serial, The Crimson Ghost is a good first foray.

I got this for Christmas (today), and it's great. The plot doesn't make much sense, the acting is barely acceptable, and the production values are "budget", but my kids and I think that it's a hoot. The story is something about a villain in a skull mask and a ray that will disable electrical equipment, but who cares? It's really about the square-jawed scientist and his beautiful and plucky assistant dashing about risking death to bring the master criminal to justice, with constant fight scenes (filmed at a slower rate so that people move with astonishing speed onscreen) and cliffhanging endings.

There are plenty of unintentionally funny moments, too, as when the gang leader's right-hand-thug (played by Clayton Moore, eventually to be the TV version of The Lone Ranger) returns with a piece of equipment and the leader hisses that it's a "cheap decoy" (as if it looks any cheaper than anything else on the set). If you think that you might like it, you will, and if you think that you'll hate it, you're probably right about that, too.

very good serial. a lot of suspense and (for the time, hey, even now they will hold up) fast paced fight scenes, and a fast paced story. Buy this serial (but try to find your copy in black and white) and have fun with this classic.

Source of the Skull face that was stolen by Glenn Danzig for one of his band The Misfits album covers and t-shirts. The serial itself is so over the top in images and ideas that its become the source of a minor cult and is one of the few non-Flash Gordon serials that my non-serial fan friends know about.

The plot has a scientist creating a machine called a "cyclotrode" which will stop atomic missiles from working. It will also stop other things which is why a skull clad villain known as the Crimson Ghost wants it.

This action filled serial is a great deal of fun thanks to one of the silliest looking villains in movie history. Taking the idea of a masked bad guy and placing it into the realm of camp you can't help but watch the craziness that ensues. The mask looks great but you can't believe anyone would actually listen to a guy in a mask like that. Helping things along is dialog that is unintentionally silly thanks to the passage of time(The heroine is given a diaphragm from which her orders will come). It plays like the old Batman TV show but with better action and with out the knowing wink to the audience. Frankly if it wasn't so unintentionally silly you would never have heard of this serial or seen its iconic villain, even if it was pretty good on its own terms.

Definitely worth a look, after all it isn't often you get to see Clayton "the Lone Ranger" Moore as a bad guy.

During the 30's,40's,and 50's,republic pictures was known and remembered as the studio that produced some of the greatest action serials of all time!.In the"crimson ghost",a scientific maniac wearing a skull mask and a red robe steals an atomic device called the cyclotrode,which can stop cars,planes,and any electrical device,after it's inventor(kenne duncan) is kiddnapped and killed,a criminologist(charles quigley) and his female assistant(linda sterling) risk their lives through 12 chapters of action packed thrills to stop this maniac from building a larger cyclotrode and bring him to justice!there are many fight scenes and the music score is great too!(for the serial buffs,most of the music in this film is used from republic pictures mysterious doctor satan and dick tracy's g men)this film also stars clayton moore who is later known for playing the lone ranger. this is a great serial to watch for the serial buffs and for anyone who enjoys action,

The Crimson Ghost is a criminal mind whose identity is unknown to anyone. He attempts to acquire a 'death-ray' device known as the 'cyclotrode'. C.G. orders henchmen to take the machine, or components of it. He communicates by radio; his minions wear a 'death-collar'. The collar compels obedience or death; C.G. may send a radio signal to activate the collar killing the wearer. Death also occurs if the collar is removed; it is booby-trapped. Duncan and Diana thwart C.G's. plans in every chapter (every 20 minutes in the long version); C.G. knows every move made with the development of the cyclotrode. It all balances out. Listen carefully to the dialogue--can you detect the voice of the 'Lone Ranger'?

In this edition, with all the episodes condensed onto one tape, it's pretty obvious that many of the cliff-hangers are resolved the same way. If the car crashes, or explodes, or goes off a cliff, the next episode starts with the same event, but this time we see a scene where the hero hops out the door just in time. Pretty cheap.

Well the Crimson Ghost is a very bad man and I guess wants to take over the world or something. More people will know him as The Misfits logo than this villain and I think they might enjoy him in action. I enjoyed almost the whole serial, but found the end all too sudden, at least in the "movie version" I bought.

Ripsnorting fight scenes, a villain in costume, a device designed for good being used for evil and a two-fisted professor who is going to save the day, by golly! If you're looking for a Bergman film, you and your pince-nez are in the wrong place, Charlie! This is pulp of the cinema! I fell in love with serials when I got to see them at the matinees at the base theater when our family was stationed in Japan. That old love was resuscitated years later when the local PBS station in San Antonio started running them as "Midnight Smacks". If you're looking for old-fashioned fun and don't spend all your time looking for plot holes, watch it! Buy it! Also check out (the original) CAPTAIN MARVEL and DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE. And don't take any wooden cyclotrodes!

I only watched this because of the Misfits. This is actually one of the better movies they wrote a song about(they also stole the skull). It's a decent action packed serial but I find it weird that this character was not in a horror movie. It was also highly disappointing that one episode was just characters telling us what has already happened. The ending was such a disappointment that I am seriously considering getting my Misfits tattoo removed. One reviewer said the end was "sudden" and that's a total lie. I completely saw it coming long in advance.

"The Crimson Ghost" is really a hoot. There is Clayton Moore playing one of the henchmen. Then there is Kenne Duncan, a perennial henchman, playing a good guy. He did play another good guy in "The Green Archer." I was disappointed in the fact that two of the suspects behind the Ghost mask were killed off and only two remained at the end. That cut down on the suspense. I had suspected Forrest Taylor as his name was higher in the credits than the final suspect. Don't know why I. Stanford Jolley was fourth billed as he had only a couple of minutes of screen time. It might be that he was a little more known as a character actor at the time. Rex Lease, a serial star in the 1930s, was another henchman. He is probably best known for his 10-second part as the head diner in the opening scene of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Saboteur." A couple of more observations. A white car goes over a cliff at the end of the first chapter. Have seen that same scene in other serials. This is a short serial running 167 minutes. Most serials are over three hours. I wonder who really wore the Crimson Ghost outfit. Probably one of the stunt men. I will not mention the plot as that has been done very well by the other reviewers on this page.