Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion

Government Agents vs Phantom Legion (1951) is a 12-chapter American black-and-white action film serial produced and distributed by Republic Pictures Corporation in 1951. It is an original, studio-commissioned screenplay by Ronald Davidson, produced by Franklin Adreon and directed by Fred C. Brannon.

Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion
Directed byFred C. Brannon
Written byRonald Davidson
Produced byFranklin Adreon
StarringWalter Reed
Mary Ellen Kay
Dick Curtis
John Pickard
Fred Coby
Pierce Lyden
George Meeker
CinematographyJohn L. Russell
Edited byCliff Bell
Music byStanley Wilson
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • July 4, 1951 (1951-07-04)[1]
Running time
12 chapters / 167 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$153,083 (negative cost: $153,612)[1]

Plot

Two American government agents, Hal Duncan and Sam Bradley, must prevent agents of a foreign power, led by Regan and Cady, from hijacking trucks and stealing defense materials being transported by truck. They are hired by an interstate trucking association whose constituent truck lines have been principal targets of the hijacking, and it becomes evident that one of the four directors of the association is "the Voice," the secret leader of the gang who provides them with shipment and route information necessary for the gang's success.[2]

Cast

Stunts

Production

Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion was budgeted at $153,083 although the final negative cost was $153,612 (a $529, or 0.3%, overspend). It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1951.[1]

It was filmed between May 1 and 23, 1951 under the working title Government Agents vs. Underground Legion.[1] The serial's production number was 1931.[1]

All special effects in Government Agents vs Phantom Legion were produced by Republic's in-house team of the Lydecker brothers.

Release

Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion's official release date was July 4, 1951, although this was actually the date upon which the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]

The film was followed by a rerelease of Haunted Harbor, retitled as Pirates' Harbor, instead of a new serial. The next new serial, Radar Men from the Moon, followed in 1952.[1]

Chapter titles
  1. River of Fire (20 min)
  2. The Stolen Corpse (13 min 20s)
  3. The Death Drop (13 min 20s)
  4. Doorway to Doom (13 min 20s)
  5. Deadline for Disaster (13 min 20s)
  6. Mechanical Homicide (13 min 20s)
  7. The Flaming Highway (13 min 20s)
  8. Sea Saboteurs (13 min 20s)
  9. Peril Underground (13 min 20s)
  10. Execution by Accident (13 min 20s) (a recap chapter)
  11. Perilous Plunge (13 min 20s)
  12. Blazing Retribution (13 min 20s)

Source:[1][3]

See also

References
  1. Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 126–127. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
  2. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 364. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  3. Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 252. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
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