The Masked Marvel (1943)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply Perfect

Highly Overrated But Still Good

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

For me this is one of the best serials Republic ever put out. It's a grand wartime serial about a group of insurance investigators, one of which is the masked marvel, battling the evil Sakima. Sakima is in cahoots with the head of the insurance company the men work for and he is giving enemy agents info on which targets to pick. Its got great action, wicked dialog and pacing that just won't quit. For me it's the point at which Republic hit their prime with balancing a fast pace with its tendency to have plots that are little more then fleshed out Cliff Notes. To be certain there are other Republic serials that may be better or more detailed or have better action, but this is the one serial where what would be the studios plan for how to make mass produced serials all came together to make something special. Where other similar serials are too plot heavy (Captain Marvel) or too action oriented (Spy Smasher) this just balances it all together for great effect. One of the best. Look for this one. (Interesting footnote, Tom Steele the stunt man who plays the Marvel through the whole serial is didn't not play one of the investigators who might be the hero. He actually gets no screen credit what so ever, despite being on screen more than most other characters. (A possible in joke has Steele in one of the chapters, sans Mask, asking someone who the Marvel is)

Picture this. It's 1943, we are involved in the greatest conflict in history, namely World War II. Did we have The Senate & The House of Representatives playing games with trying to impose unrealistic deadlines and further making attempt to cut the legs out from under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration? Did we see people, other than Axis Sympathetic, 5th Column Traitors turning "debate" about policy into comfort and emotional aid for America's deadly enemies? No, of course we didn't. But, that was then, this is now. In those days, the whole nation mobilized all of our resources behind the Roosevelt Administration, to give the best support our American and Allied Forces.Hollywood gave its full support with production of movies putting full support behind the war effort. They even extended to the Juvenile Faire as follows.The story goes that Republic Pictures was in negotiations with Mr. Will Eisner to get the rights to do a chapter-play bringing his Comic Book/Newspaper Comic, THE SPIRIT, to the movies. For whatever reason, the deal never came to fruition, This was during the height of World War II,at a time when the outcome was very much of an unknown.But, we must remember that because of the War, there was already a shortage of many commodities. Raw materials, once plentiful, even in surplus, were now being used up, feeding an industrial giant-now re-tooled for War. Whatever we had, it just couldn't be wasted, and in that area, Republic was most conscientious.The screenplay that was potentially to be THE SPIRIT, became instead another secret crime fighter, THE MASKED MARVEL! The powers that be made sure that nothing was wasted.* The 1st Chapter starts really fast, even for an action packed serial. Using a quick moving montage of destruction, amplified by radio news broadcast and newspaper extras, the story is quickly set up. There has been an epidemic of sabotage directed against the insurance company of Mr. Martin Crane (William Forrest), Mr. Warren Hamilton (Howard C. Hickman), and his daughter Anne Hamilton (Louise Currie).After suffering through all the humiliation, destruction and robberies; Senior Partner Mr. Hamilton is slain by hold up man.When it becomes known that the enemy agent they are facing is Imperial Japanese Super Spy, Mura Sakima, Anne calls a news conference to announce that the (apparently)well known espionage-agent busting 'Investigator' known only as The Masked Marvel, will be brought in to direct the investigation and secure safety for the insurance company and the War effort.The M.M. shows a lot of spunk, hitting the ground running-foiling yet another robbery. Soon, one at a time, there are no less than four (4), (you count 'em, folks!)Investigators, all dressed alike on the case. Surely, one of these Detectives is the one who dons the mask to strike fear into wrong-doers, especially Axis spies and traitorous 5th Column, Home Grown,"American" terrorists.During the following Chapters, there is a lot of action and even loss of life some 'Investigators', leaving us to guess which guy is the Marvel.*** One of the highlights of film is the casting of Caucasian actor,Johnny Arthur, as the ever so evil, blood thirsty Mura Sakima. Mr. Arthur had been prominently featured in Hal Roach's OUR GANG comedies, playing Spanky's Father.Johnny Arthur's Sakima, speaks in the so slow, deliberate manner. He always feigns politeness, but to such a degree as to demonstrate his lack of sincerity.**** As this writer has stated before, Serials just do not come any better. We're sure that in addition to providing the 40's bubble gum crowd with plenty of action, THE MASKED MARVEL serial also gave good example to the kids, who were bearing witness to the greatest conflict in history.* To be sure, Republic Pictures had never known as a studio to waste anything, be it a script, or costume, or any filmed 'cafastrophes', which could be blended into any one of a number of serials & westerns.** The use of the multiple Investigators, and the unknown Masked Marvel was a good ploy to keep us guessing. It is similar to their adaption of THE LONE RANGER to the Serial Screen.They took Lone Ranger's origin, in which he was the only survivor of a massacre of a group of Texas Rangers to having one victim killed on a Chapter by Chapter basis.*** Actor Johnny Arthur(a Caucasoid) did give a really fine job of creating the characterization of Sakima. Admittedly, it was exaggerated, camp and definitely not politically correct. It was meant to be all of those things (much like J. Carroll Nash's Dr. Daka in Columbia's BATMAN Serial (1943),for we must remember, there was War going on. Mr. Arthur, by the way, looked exactly like The photo of Emperor Hiro Hito, which he displayed over his desk (albeit a 'slightly' older version).**** Mr. Arthur's characterization would probably be castigated and panned as being 'racist'. For that matter, any dialectition would be branded and banned in today's politically correct, bass-ackwards society!

In 1966 or so during the "camp"craze, the 1943 Columbia serial of "Batman" was released to ride the publicity generated by the Batman-TV program. (As an aside, as a True Believer I quickly tired of that program, haven't watched it since) Republic edited several of its much better made serials into 2 hour or so movies, sold them in syndication. Among the ones I remember were "Fighting Devil Dogs", "The Invisible Monster", "Manhunt of Mystery Island" and of course "The Masked Marvel" My mother joked that the actors hats seemed to be stapled to their heads, I later learned that they wore elastic bands so you couldn't tell it was a stuntman and not an actor, if in a fight scene one of the performers' hat came off he was a stuntman all along. Sort of a screen convention of the time. That said, this is one of the best wartime serials, I occasionally needed an adult to explain some of the wartime reference-the gas rationing stamps that the Marvel uses to track down Mace's car, e.g.One sad bit of trivia, in Chapter One the actor David Bacon looks at a secret message dated September 13, 1943, he was murdered on September 13, 1943.

Perplexing? It is never revealed how the Masked Marvel acquired his aura.He doesn't possess magical powers, super brains, or any particular crime fighting skills. He does sport a mask. But what for? What's he trying to hide? He's truly not much, if all, different from the other three good guys.One thing is clear. Men's hats must have been surgically attached. No amount of fighting, falling, leaping out of cars or boats, can dislodge the hats.It appeared all of the serials many pugilists were in tremendous physical condition. How many blows to the chin, back flips, kicks, hurling into walls could you take? They are simply indefatigible.The Masked Marvel serial makes Steven Segal foes seem like pre-schoolers.