The Fighting Devil Dogs: Difference between revisions

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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
{{trivia|date=May 2007}}
{{trivia|date=May 2007}}
* The Lighting's [[Flying wing|Flying Wing]] is [[stock footage]] taken from the earlier ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' serial. In ''Dick Tracy'' it was used by another [[Masked Mystery Villain]], The Spider.
* The Lightning is visually similar to [[Darth Vader]] from the [[Star Wars]] movies and may have been a direct inspiration.
* The Lighting's [[Flying wing|Flying Wing]] is [[stock footage]] taken from the earlier [[Dick Tracy]] serial. In Dick Tracy it was used by another [[Masked Mystery Villain]], The Spider.
* ''The Fighting Devil Dogs'' was the second cheapest serial of the sixty-six produced by [[Republic Pictures|Republic]]. It was originally budgetted for only $94,656 but actually came in under budget at $92,569 (although this was not one of the most under budget serials the studio produced). It has two Re-cap chapters rather than the usual one (or sometimes none), in which the entire plot of the serial so far is repeated, and makes extensive use of [[stock footage]]. The cheapest Republic serial was ''[[The Vigilantes Are Coming]]'' ([[1936]]) at $87,655, while the next cheapest after ''The Fighting Devil Dogs'' is ''[[Undersea Kingdom]]'' (also [[1936]]) at $99,222.
* ''The Fighting Devil Dogs'' was the second cheapest serial of the sixty-six produced by [[Republic Pictures|Republic]]. It was originally budgetted for only $94,656 but actually came in under budget at $92,569 (although this was not one of the most under budget serials the studio produced). It has two Re-cap chapters rather than the usual one (or sometimes none), in which the entire plot of the serial so far is repeated, and makes extensive use of [[stock footage]]. The cheapest Republic serial was ''[[The Vigilantes Are Coming]]'' ([[1936]]) at $87,655, while the next cheapest after ''The Fighting Devil Dogs'' is ''[[Undersea Kingdom]]'' (also [[1936]]) at $99,222.
* Director [[William Witney]] believed this to be one of the worst of the serials he ever made.<ref> {{cite book |last=Witney |first=William |authorlink= |title=In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door |year=2005 |publisher=McFarland & Company |id=ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6}} </ref>
* Director [[William Witney]] believed this to be one of the worst of the serials he ever made.<ref> {{cite book |last=Witney |first=William |authorlink= |title=In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door |year=2005 |publisher=McFarland & Company |id=ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6}} </ref>

Revision as of 06:56, 7 June 2007

The Fighting Devil Dogs
Directed byWilliam Witney
John English
Written byFranklin Adreon
Ronald Davidson
Barry Shipman
Sol Shor
Produced byRobert M Beche
StarringLee Powell
Herman Brix
Eleanor Stewart
Montagu Love
Hugh Sothern
Sam Flint
Perry Ivins
Forrest Taylor
John Picorri
CinematographyWilliam Nobles
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
1938
Running time
12 chapters (204 min)
Budget$94,656 (negative cost: $92,569)

The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix. It was directed by William Witney and John English. While not often considered one of the best serials ever made, as it contains a lot of stock footage and two recap chapters, it is famous for its main villain, The Lightning—the very first costumed supervillain. A feature version of the serial was made in 1943, also known as The Fighting Devil Dogs: The Feature Version.

Plot

The Masked Mystery Villain, The Lightning, seeks to conquer the world with his arsenal of advanced electrical weaponry. Opposing him are two Marines, Lt Tom Grayson and Lt Frank Corby. Lt Grayson has a special reason to defeat The Lightning as he killed his father, but first they must discover The Lightning's true identity.

Cast

Chapter titles

  1. The Lightning Strikes (29 min 28s)
  2. The Mill of Disaster (15 min 56s)
  3. The Silenced Witness (15 min 50s)
  4. Cargo of Mystery (15 min 47s)
  5. Undersea Bandits (16 min 17s)
  6. The Torpedo of Doom (16 min 24s)
  7. The Phantom Killer (14 min 47s) -- Re-Cap Chapter
  8. Tides of Trickery (14 min 34s)
  9. Attack from the Skies (15 min 07s)
  10. In the Camp of the Enemy (14 min 29s)
  11. The Baited Trap (17 min 24s) -- Re-Cap Chapter
  12. Killer at Bay (17 min 39s)

Cliffhangers

Template:Spoilers

  1. The Lightning Strikes:
  2. The Mill of Disaster:
  3. The Silenced Witness:
  4. Cargo of Mystery:
  5. Undersea Bandits:
  6. The Torpedo of Doom:
  7. The Phantom Killer:
  8. Tides of Trickery:
  9. Attack from the Skies:
  10. In the Camp of the Enemy:
  11. The Baited Trap:

Template:Endspoilers

Trivia

  • The Lighting's Flying Wing is stock footage taken from the earlier Dick Tracy serial. In Dick Tracy it was used by another Masked Mystery Villain, The Spider.
  • The Fighting Devil Dogs was the second cheapest serial of the sixty-six produced by Republic. It was originally budgetted for only $94,656 but actually came in under budget at $92,569 (although this was not one of the most under budget serials the studio produced). It has two Re-cap chapters rather than the usual one (or sometimes none), in which the entire plot of the serial so far is repeated, and makes extensive use of stock footage. The cheapest Republic serial was The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936) at $87,655, while the next cheapest after The Fighting Devil Dogs is Undersea Kingdom (also 1936) at $99,222.
  • Director William Witney believed this to be one of the worst of the serials he ever made.[1]

References

  1. ^ Witney, William (2005). In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6.

External links

Preceded by Republic Serial
The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Witney-English Serial
The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938)
Succeeded by