The Phantom of the West (1930)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Crappy film

A Major Disappointment

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Tom Tyler (Jim Lester), William Desmond (Martin Blair), Dorothy Gulliver (Mona Cortez), Frank Lanning (Francisco Cortez), Hallie Sullivan (Ruby Blair), Tom Dugan (Oscar), Joe Bonomo (Keno), Frank Hagney (Sheriff Jim Ryan), Tom Santschi (Bud Landers), Philo McCullough (Royce Macklin), Kermit Maynard (Peter Drake), Dick Dickinson (Harvey Stewart), James Carlyle (Sam Hollister), W.J. Holmes (Lafe Johnson), Al Taylor (deputy).Director: D. ROSS LEDERMAN. Script: Wyndham Gittens, Ford Beebe, Ben Cohen. Photography: Ben Kline and Joe Novak (exteriors), M.A. Anderson (studio interiors). Film editor: Wyndham Gittens. Music director: Lee Zahler. Stunts: Kermit Maynard. Assistant director: Theodore Joos. Sound recording: George Lowerre. Producer: Nat Levine.Not copyrighted by Mascot Pictures Corporation. U.S. release: 1 January 1931. A serial in 10 chapters, titled as follows: (1) The Ghost Riders; (2) The Stairway of Doom; (3) The Horror in the Dark; (4) The Battle of the Strong; (5) The League of the Lawless; (6) The Canyon of Calamity; (7) The Price of Silence; (8) The House of Hate; (9) The Fatal Secret; (10) Rogues' Roundup. Total running time: 172 minutes.SYNOPSIS: After serving fifteen years, Francisco Cortez breaks out of jail in an attempt to prove that he was wrongly convicted of the murder of Jim Lester's father. NOTES: Third of Mascot's twenty-four sound serials. COMMENT: Chapters one through six are absolutely marvelous. They rate as possibly the best thing director D. Ross Lederman ever did in a 21-year Hollywood career from 1929 to 1950. He is helped immeasurably by Levine's lavish budget and some wonderful pictorial effects achieved by stirring up the dust on actual locations and inspired costuming of the greatcoated night riders.Unfortunately, Levine's money obviously ran out at the end of chapter six. The remaining episodes are a jerky and even contradictory amalgam of previous footage and long reprises, interspersed with a little bit of new material that appears to have been shot on the run but used anyhow.Nonetheless, not even inept editing or budgetary restraints can dampen our enthusiasm for Tom Tyler who gives a most ingratiating account of the in-favor, out-of-favor hero. Miss Gulliver is likewise attractive and the support players likewise give their all.For all the serial's defects and shortcomings, it's impossible to forget such stirring scenes as the spectacular staircase fire or the legion of night riders silhouetted against the evening sky.

Mascot's first all talking serial, "The Lone Defender" (1930), allowed the movie going public to hear Rin Tin Tin bark for the first time, their next one "Phantom of the West" was the first talkie for popular Western star Tom Tyler. Tyler was one of the few silent screen Westerners to make a smooth transition to talkies. He was surrounded by silent screen stalwarts William Desmond and Tom Santschi as well as Ken Maynard's brother Kermit and his leading lady was cute Dorothy Gulliver, fresh from "The Collegians" series.When escaped convict Francisco Cortez claims he did not kill Jim Lester's father (the crime he was incarcerated for) he also tells Jim (Tyler) that there are seven men in town, one of whom is the guilty one. When a sheriff's posse ride over to the ranch Cortez's disappearance coincides with the appearance of a masked phantom who is the leader of a ruthless gang called "The League of the Lawless". He begins to leave threatening notes around the town claiming if the guilty man does not confess all seven will die!!! Initially it looks like cute Mona (Gulliver) is under a cloud of suspicion - she is the daughter of Cortez, she confesses to leaving one of the notes and she is making it extremely difficult for Jim, she even rides off when he falls during a horse stampede!!I found the serial pretty good - as with most of the serials I have seen, the plot only seems to come together in the last few episodes. There are some pretty exciting cliff hanger endings - a fire where the phantom carries Mona downstairs, Mona being rescued by fighting horses and Mona escaping from prison - if it wasn't for Mona this serial would fall pretty flat!!! There is some excellent stunt work which kept the action flowing. I have seen a few Westerns from the early sound period and mostly all action stops when conversation takes place - this is not the case with "The Phantom of the West".The one weak point is Tom Dugan who plays the "light relief" - a stuttering deputy sheriff (where is Roscoe Ates when you need him)??? For once the villains are a surprise - one of them starts out bad then midway through seems to be ousted as a good guy, obviously to put the audience off the scent!!

I love Mascot serials! This being one their early 100% all-talking serial however it does creak a bit, but that's the charm of any early talkie. Frank Lanning, the actor playing Cortez is without doubt the most uncomfortable with sound,in chapter 10 actually reading his lines out of camera! Tyler is good as the hero, as always and would go on to better pictures later. Tom Dugan (in my opinion) is absolutely annoying as the stuttering "deputy", comedy-relief, hardly, just annoying! Maybe I missed something but I believe Joe Bonomo is killed in Chap.1, but amazingly makes appearances all thru the rest of the serial.Keep in mind these weren't made to be seen all at once, but 1 chap each week. I LOVE MASCOT SERIALS!!!!!

"Phantom of the West" was advertised as an "All Talking Serial", which it was. Unfortunately, most of the actors in the picture hadn't learned to act for sound. You see many of the exaggerated facial expressions and movements that were commonplace in silent films. I have to admit that this serial was a "poverty row" quickie and that the budget probably didn't allow for the hiring of better talent.I found the plot to be very confusing, especially in the first nine chapters. Granted, all is explained in Chapter 10, but it sure made the watching of the first nine very an arduous process.The plot is typical "B" western. A man has been falsely accused of murdering a rancher and escapes jail to find the real killer. Along the way we meet a masked "Phantom" whose purpose seems to be to kill off the suspects and place the blame on hero Tom Tyler. The Phantom's costume by the way, looks ridiculous. We also have, and this is where it gets confusing, a group of masked riders garbed not unlike the Phantom who ride in and out of the story for no apparent purpose other than to confuse the viewer.Tyler, does his best as the hero whose father was the original murder victim. The fetching Dorothy Gulliver plays Mona Cortez the heroine of the story. Frank Lanning is just horrible in the role of Cortez, the man out to avenge his wrongful imprisonment. Among the murder suspects are silent veterans William Desmond, Tom Santschi, Philo McCullough and Kermit Maynard. Tom Dugan as Oscar the stuttering Deputy Sheriff provides the comedy relief. Speaking of comedy relief, strong man or wrestler (I don't remember which) Joe Bonomo appears as "one of the boys".Tom Tyler would go on to better days. Though best remembered for his many western portrayals (on both sides of the law), he did star in two classic serials in the 1940s, "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941) and "The Phantom" (1943).