Manhunt of Mystery Island

Manhunt of Mystery Island
Directed by	Spencer Gordon Bennet Yakima Canutt Wallace Grissell
Produced by	Ronald Davidson
Written by	Albert DeMond Basil Dickey Jesse Duffy Alan James Grant Nelson Joseph Poland
Starring	Richard Bailey Linda Stirling Roy Barcroft Kenne Duncan Forrest Taylor Forbes Murray Jack Ingram Harry Strang
Cinematography	Bud Thackery
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	17 March 1945 (serial)[1] 2 January 1956 (re-release)[1] 1966 (TV)[1]
Running time	15 chapters (219 minutes (serial)[1] 100 minutes (TV)[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$167,912 (negative cost: $182,388)[1]

Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945) is a Republic Movie serial. It was the thirty-sixth serial produced by Republic (of a total of sixty-six) and the first released in 1945.

It is the penultimate 15-chapter serial to be released by the studio. The year 1945, the end of the Golden Age of Serials,^[2] was the last in which Republic released any 15-chapter serials, the remainder being either 12- or 13-chapters in length.

In 1966 footage from the serial was edited together into the 100-minute film Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine.

Plot

A mad genius seeks to conquer the world, using a Transformation Machine to disguise himself as "the legendary" pirate Captain Mephisto. To do so, he kidnaps Prof Forrest, resulting in his daughter Claire Forrest, with Lance Reardon, coming to the rescue.

Cast

• Richard Bailey as Lance Reardon
• Linda Stirling as Claire Forrest, daughter of Professor Forrest
• Roy Barcroft as Cpt Mephisto and Higgins
• Kenne Duncan as Sidney Brand
• Forrest Taylor as Professor William Forrest, inventor of the Radiatomic Power Transmitter
• Forbes Murray as Professor Harry Hargraves
• Jack Ingram as Edward Armstrong
• Harry Strang as Frederick "Fred" Braley

Production

Manhunt of Mystery Island was budgeted at $167,912 although the final negative cost was $182,388 (a $14,476, or 8.6%, overspend).^[1]

It was filmed between 16 October and 18 November 1944 under the working titles Mystery Island and Manhunt.^[1] The serial's production number was 1496.^[1]

Release

Theatrical

Manhunt of Mystery Island's official release date is 17 March 1945, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.^[1]

The serial was re-released on 2 January 1956 between the similar re-releases of Dick Tracy's G-Men and Adventures of Frank and Jesse James. The last original Republic serial release was King of the Carnival in 1955.^[1]

Television

Manhunt of Mystery Island was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.^[1]

Chapter titles

1. Secret Weapon (24min 38s)
2. Satan's Web (14min 27s)
3. The Murder Machine (14min 26s)
4. The Lethal Chamber (14min 27s)
5. Mephisto's Mantrap (14min 26s)
6. Ocean Tomb (14min 27s)
7. The Death Trap (14min 27s)
8. Bombs Away (14min 26s)
9. The Fatal Flood (13min 20s)
10. The Sable Shroud (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
11. Satan's Shadow (13min 20s)
12. Cauldron of Cremation (13min 20s)
13. Bridge to Eternity (13min 20s)
14. Power Dive to Doom (13min 20s)
15. Fatal Transformation (13min 20s)

_Source:^[1][3]

See also

• List of film serials by year
• List of film serials by studio

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Mathis, Jack. Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 82–83. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8. 
2. ^ Images Journal, The Golden Age of Serials, retrieved 30 November 2007
3. ^ Cline, William C.. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 239–240. ISBN 078640471X. 

External links

• Manhunt of Mystery Island at the Internet Movie Database
• Manhunt of Mystery Island at AllRovi
• Manhunt of Mystery Island: A review from an Objectivist perspective by David P. Hayes
• Manhunt of Mystery Island at Sci-fi Movies

Preceded by Zorro's Black Whip (1944)

Republic Serial Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945)

Succeeded by Federal Operator 99 (1945)