Spy Smasher Part1 America Beware
- 12 years ago
Based on the popular (in 1941) Fawcett Comics character, Republic Pictures SPY SMASHER has everything a serial should: a dynamic hero, solid supporting characters, well-designed sets, a fast-paced story, well-choreographed action scenes, and truly innovative cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Kane Richmond delivers two charged performances in this serial, as the superheroic never-say-die Spy Smasher and as his less super but equally heroic twin brother Jack. Serials are often derided for poor acting, but Richmond was so convincing in creating two distinct personalities that I could immediately tell which brother he was portraying just by his facial expression and body language.
The stunt work of professionals like David Sharpe and Carey Loftin is truly phenomenal in this serial. These were the days when real men did real stunts. To my continued annoyance, today's action movie heroes with supposedly no superhuman powers defy the limits of physiology and physics with CG-enhanced feats. While I do find them visually interesting, I don't actually believe what I'm seeing. In SPY SMASHER, all the action occurs at a human scale. When you see Spy Smasher jump from a cruising motorcycle, it's because the stuntman (Dave Sharpe) jumped from a cruising motorcycle. When Spy Smasher dive-rolls from a high staircase, it's because the stuntman dive-rolled from a high staircase. I often long for a return to these days before wires and digital manipulation, when the feats of heroes could actually be performed by human beings.
The exciting Spy Smasher theme music, composed by Mort Glickman, connects the opening notes of Beethoven's 5th Symphony with Spy Smasher's “V . . . _” symbol, Morse code for the letter 'V.'
SPY SMASHER is the Gold Standard by which cliffhanger serials should be judged.
Directed by serial veteran William Witney, SPY SMASHER cost $156,431 to produce.
The stunt work of professionals like David Sharpe and Carey Loftin is truly phenomenal in this serial. These were the days when real men did real stunts. To my continued annoyance, today's action movie heroes with supposedly no superhuman powers defy the limits of physiology and physics with CG-enhanced feats. While I do find them visually interesting, I don't actually believe what I'm seeing. In SPY SMASHER, all the action occurs at a human scale. When you see Spy Smasher jump from a cruising motorcycle, it's because the stuntman (Dave Sharpe) jumped from a cruising motorcycle. When Spy Smasher dive-rolls from a high staircase, it's because the stuntman dive-rolled from a high staircase. I often long for a return to these days before wires and digital manipulation, when the feats of heroes could actually be performed by human beings.
The exciting Spy Smasher theme music, composed by Mort Glickman, connects the opening notes of Beethoven's 5th Symphony with Spy Smasher's “V . . . _” symbol, Morse code for the letter 'V.'
SPY SMASHER is the Gold Standard by which cliffhanger serials should be judged.
Directed by serial veteran William Witney, SPY SMASHER cost $156,431 to produce.