The Crimson Ghost

The Crimson Ghost
Directed by	Fred C. Brannon William Witney
Produced by	Ronald Davidson
Written by	Albert DeMond Basil Dickey Jesse Duffy Sol Shor
Starring	Charles Quigley Linda Stirling Clayton Moore I. Stanford Jolley Kenne Duncan Forrest Taylor Sam Flint Joseph Forte
Cinematography	Bud Thackery
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	26 October 1946 (U.S.) (serial)[1] U.S. Early 1950s (TV)[1] U.S. 1966 (TV film)[1]
Running time	12 chapters / 167 minutes (serial)[1] 6 26½-minute episodes (TV)[1] 100 minutes (TV film)[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$161,174

The Crimson Ghost (1946) is a Republic film serial directed by Fred C. Brannon and William Witney with Charles Quigley and Linda Stirling playing the leads. This was Witney's last serial, after a career that left him one of the most praised of all serial directors. The serial was re-released as a six-episode television series in the 1950s and as a television film called Cyclotrode "X" in 1966. In the 1990s The Crimson Ghost was one of only two Republic serials to be colorised. The villain of the serial, the Crimson Ghost of the title, is one of the most visually striking of the medium. The horror punk band Misfits adapted his visage as their skull logo, and he has appeared in the music video for the song The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden.

Plot

A mysterious villain, the eponymous Crimson Ghost, is determined to steal a counter atomic device known as Cyclotrode X, which can short out any electrical device.

Cast

• Charles Quigley as Duncan Richards
• Linda Stirling as Diana Farnsworth
• Clayton Moore as Ashe
• I. Stanford Jolley as Doctor Blackton & Voice of the Crimson Ghost
• Kenne Duncan as Professor Chambers
• Forrest Taylor as Professor Van Wyck
• Emmett Vogan as Anderson
• Sam Flint as Maxwell
• Joseph Forte as Professor Parker
• Stanley Price as Count Fator

Production

The Crimson Ghost was budgeted at $137,912, although the final negative cost was $161,174 (a $23,262, or 16.9%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1946^[1] It was filmed between 28 March and 24 April 1946 under the working title The Scarlet Shadow.^[1] The serial's production number was 1597.^[1]

In order to prevent the audience deducing the identity of the Crimson Ghost, the studio cast stunt-man Bud Geary to embody the villain while several actors supplied the voice, including I. Stanford Jolley. Jolley's role was minor but he received fourth-billing and was therefore highly suspect. When The Crimson Ghost was unmasked in the 12th and final chapter, he proved to be yet another actor entirely, Joseph Forte, who had played a character seemingly above suspicion at that point in the serial.

Television's Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, played a rare villainous role in this serial as one of the Crimson Ghost's henchmen, a cold-hearted gangster named Ashe. This was director William Witney's last serial. His first was The Painted Stallion in 1937 and prior to this production had temporarily left the serial business to serve in World War II.

Stunts

• Dale Van Sickel as Duncan Richards (doubling Charles Quigley)
• Polly Burson as Diana Farnsworth (doubling Linda Stirling)
• Tom Steele as Ashe (doubling Clayton Moore & I. Stanford Jolley)
• Joe Yrigoyen as Duncan Richards & Count Fator (doubling Charles Quigley & Stanley Price)

Special effects

The special effects were produced by Republic's Lydecker brothers.

Release

Theatrical

The Crimson Ghost's official release date is 26 October 1946, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.^[1]

Television

In the early 1950s, The Crimson Ghost was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.^[1] The Crimson Ghost was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Cyclotrode "X". This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.^[1] The Crimson Ghost was one of two Republic serials to be colorised in the 1990s.^[1]

Critical reception

Cline believes that the Crimson Ghost is the most striking and visually fascinating villain in any film serial.^[2]

Chapter titles

1. Atomic Peril (20 min)
2. Thunderbolt (13min 20s)
3. The Fatal Sacrifice (13min 20s)
4. The Laughing Skull (13min 20s)
5. Flaming Death (13min 20s)
6. Mystery of the Mountain (13min 20s)
7. Electrocution (13min 20s)
8. The Slave Collar (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
9. Blazing Fury (13min 20s)
10. The Trap that Failed (13min 20s)
11. Double Murder (13min 20s)
12. The Invisible Trail (13min 20s)

_Source:^[1][3]

Influence

The poster for a March 28th, 1979 show at Max's Kansas City, featured the first use of the Crimson Ghost [1] by the band Misfits. The cover art for their Horror Business EP , the band's third single, would be the first time that the character would appear on a release by the band. It would continue to be used as the band's mascot and its skull image continues serve as the Misfits' logo.

Iron Maiden have also used the Crimson Ghost in their "The Number of the Beast" music video.

In Halloween (2007 film) a little boy (Skyler Gisondo playing Tommy Doyle) is wearing a Crimson Ghost costume.

See also

• List of film serials by year
• List of film serials by studio
• Misfits (band)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Mathis, Jack. Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 94–95. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8. 
2. ^ Cline, William C.. "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 52. ISBN 078640471X. 
3. ^ Cline, William C.. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 244. ISBN 078640471X. 

External links

• The Crimson Ghost at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Daughter of Don Q (1946)

Republic Serial The Crimson Ghost (1946)

Succeeded by Son of Zorro (1947)