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Serial Report
    - Chapter 128
    - Chapter 127
    - Chapter 126
    - Chapter 125
    - Chapter 124
    - Chapter 123
    - Chapter 122
    - Chapter 121
    - Chapter 120
    - Chapter 119
    - Chapter 118
    - Chapter 117
    - Chapter 116
    - Chapter 115
    - Chapter 114
    - Chapter 113
    - Chapter 112
    - Chapter 111
    - Chapter 110
    - Chapter 109
    - Chapter 108
    - Chapter 107
    - Chapter 106
    - Chapter 105
    - Chapter 104
    - Chapter 103
    - Chapter 102
    - Chapter 101
    - Chapter One Hundred
    - Chapter Ninety-Nine
    - Chapter Ninety-Eight
    - Chapter Ninety-Seven
    - Chapter Ninety-Six
    - Chapter Ninety-Five
    - Chapter Ninety-Four
    - Chapter Ninety-Three
    - Chapter Ninety-Two
    - Chapter Ninety-One
    - Chapter Ninety
    - Chapter Eighty-Nine
    - Chapter Eighty-Eight
    - Chapter Eighty-Seven
    - Chapter Eighty-Six
    - Chapter Eighty-Five
    - Chapter Eighty-Four
    - Chapter Eighty-Three
    - Chapter Eighty-Two
    - Chapter Eighty-One
    - Chapter Eighty
    - Chapter Seventy-Nine
    - Chapter Seventy-Eight
    - Chapter Seventy-Seven
    - Chapter Seventy-Six
    - Chapter Seventy-Five
    - Chapter Seventy-Four
    - Chapter Seventy-Three
    - Chapter Seventy-Two
    - Chapter Seventy-One
    - Chapter Seventy
    - Chapter Sixty-Nine
    - Chapter Sixty-Eight
    - Chapter Sixty-Seven
    - Chapter Sixty-Six
    - Chapter Sixty-Five
    - Chapter Sixty-Four
    - Chapter Sixty-Three
    - Chapter Sixty-Two
    - Chapter Sixty-One
    - Chapter Sixty
    - Chapter Fifty-Nine
    - Chapter Fifty-Eight
    - Chapter Fifty-Seven
    - Chapter Fifty-Six
    - Chapter Fifty-Five
    - Chapter Fifty-Four
    - Chapter Fifty-Three
    - Chapter Fifty-Two
    - Chapter Fifty-One
    - Chapter Fifty
    - Chapter Forty-Nine
    - Chapter Forty-Eight
    - Chapter Forty-Seven
    - Chapter Forty-Six
    - Chapter Forty-Five
    - Chapter Forty-Four
    - Chapter Forty-Three
    - Chapter Forty-Two
    - Chapter Forty-One
    - Chapter Forty
    - Chapter Thirty-Nine
    - Chapter Thirty-Eight
    - Chapter Thirty-Seven
    - Chapter Thirty-Six
    - Chapter Thirty-Five
    - Chapter Thirty-Four
    - Chapter Thirty-Three
    - Chapter Thirty-Two
    - Chapter Thirty-One
    - Chapter Thirty
    - Chapter Twenty-Nine
    - Chapter Twenty-Eight
    - Chapter Twenty-Seven
    - Chapter Twenty-Six
    - Chapter Twenty-Five
    - Chapter Twenty-Four
    - Chapter Twenty-Three
    - Chapter Twenty-Two
    - Chapter Twenty-One
    - Chapter Twenty
    - Chapter Nineteen
    - Chapter Eighteen
    - Chapter Seventeen
    - Chapter Sixteen
    - Chapter Fifteen
    - Chapter Fourteen
    - Chapter Thirteen
    - Chapter Twelve
    - Chapter Eleven
    - Chapter Ten
    - Chapter Nine
    - Chapter Eight
    - Chapter Seven
    - Chapter Six
    - Chapter Five
    - Chapter Four
    - Chapter Three
    - Chapter Two
    - Chapter One

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Chapter Eighty-Six

Poster for "The Green Hornet Strikes Again!"The Green Hornet Serials

(Reprinted from online SCOOP newsletter 9/18/15)

The Green Hornet was one of the earliest superheroes, created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker along with help from James Jewell, a radio director. He began fighting crime in 1936 as part of numerous radio serials in the ‘30s.

The masked crimefighter made his film debut in the 1939 Universal serial “The Green Hornet”. The 13-chapter black and white serial was told in episodic format rather than a continuous story like most serials. It told the story of newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who becomes the Green Hornet to battle evil, and is joined in this quest by his valet, Kato.

Phillip Trent as Jasper Jenks, Gordon Jones as Britt Reid (aka The Green Hornet), Anne Nagel as Lenore Case and Wade Boteler as Mike Axford in "The Green Hornet" ('39 Universal).Together they investigate and expose criminal activity, which leads to conflict with the local police who believe that the Green Hornet and Kato are also criminals. The crimes they discover and stop are part of an organization known as the Syndicate, led by the mastermind called, the Chief.

 

 

Keye Luke is Kato and Gordon Jones is "The Green Hornet" in Universal's 13 chapter 1939 serial.

Gordon Jones and Keye Luke starred as Britt Reid/Green Hornet and Kato, respectively. Al Hodge, who played the Green Hornet in the radio show provided the voice for the superhero in the movie. The first serial was directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor and the screenplay was written by George H. Plympton, Basil Dickey, Morrison Wood, and Lyonel Margolies.

Warren Hull is now The Green Hornet and Anne Nagel is again Lenore Case in "The Green Hornet Strikes Again" ('40 Universal).Green Hornet and Kato returned a year later in “The Green Hornet Strikes Again!”. Similar to the first one, the 15-chapter serial is told in episodic format. In the sequel Reid is a wealthy publisher with Kato still working as his valet and sidekick. The duo battle ruthless Crime Lord Boss Crogan whose power grows every day. He has set up racketeering operations all over the city, all of which have links to strong foreign powers. Given the timeframe of the serial, the threat of foreign violence made the story much more frightening and powerful.

Warren Hull replaced Jones as Reid/Green Hornet and filmmakers used his voice instead of having Hodge reprise the role. Luke, however did return as Kato. The sequel was directed by Beebe and John Rawlins, written by Plympton, Dickey, Sherman L. Lowe, and Fred MacIsaac.

Gangsters surround the Hornet in Ch. 15 of "The Green Hornet Strikes Again" ('40). (L-R) Unknown, James Seay, Warren Hull as The Green Hornet, Joe Devlin, William Hall, Unknown.

Serial Profiles by Boyd Magers

Hans SchummThe ultimate screen Nazi was Hans Schumm. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, April 2, 1896, Schumm acted on the stage in Europe before emigrating to the U.S. in 1927 where he performed with U.S. touring companies and on the Broadway stage in “The Red Rainbow”.

He began film work in 1933 and was well situated when the inevitable calls for German accented actors came to the fore with the onset of WWII. With his piercing eyes and sculpted jawline, Schumm played some of the worst offenders of Nazi atrocities, real or Hollywood-imagined, in films such as “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” (‘39), “Hitler—Beast of Berlin” (‘39), “The Great Dictator” (‘40), “Moon Over Burma” (‘40), “All Through the Night” (‘41), “Berlin Correspondent” (‘42), “Foreign Agent” (‘42), “Margin for Error” (‘43), “Hangmen Also Die” (‘43), “Hitler’s Madman” (‘43), “Sahara” (‘43), “Escape in the Desert” (‘45) and many others—including two serials: “Sea Raiders” (‘41 Universal) as the submarine Captain in Chapters 9, 11, 12 battling the Dead End Kids and especially as Nazi infiltrator The Mask who corresponded visually and aurally with his Gestapo subordinates via transceivers installed in the The Mask’s submarine and at key land-based locations in Republic’s superb “Spy Smasher” (‘42).

Hans Schumm as the unmasked Mask gives orders to hirelings Paul Bryor and Tom London in Republic's "Spy Smasher" ('41).Roles inevitably became scarer after the war (one of his better parts was as a smuggler in the Bowery Boys’ “Smuggler’s Cove” in ‘48) so Schumm often returned to his native Germany. His last movie was the West Germany filmed “Captain Sinbad” in ‘63.

Schumm died at 93 on February 2. 1990. He was dead on arrival at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in L.A. from heart failure after being stricken at the Hollywood nursing home where he had been living. His body was cremated with his ashes buried in the actors’ rose garden at Westwood Village Mortuary.

Serial Heroines by Boyd Magers

Constance Worth

Constance Worth

5'5" Constance Worth was born Jocelyn Howarth in Sydney, NSW, Australia in 1912. Gaining success in Oz she was brought to the U.S. by RKO in ‘33 but dropped after two films. She spent three years at Columbia but mostly freelanced in B-films (“Mystery of the White Room”, “Meet Boston Blackie”, “Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood”, “Windjammer”, “Wages of Sin”, “Crime Doctor”, “Dillinger”, etc.). She was British Agent Vivian Marsh, the female lead opposite Rod Cameron as American Agent Rex Bennett in Republic’s “G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon” serial (‘43). She then co-starred in a couple of Charles Starrett Westerns (“Cyclone Prairie Rangers”, “Sagebrush Heroes”). “Western Renegades” with Johnny Mack Brown in ‘49 is her final film. She was briefly married to George Brent, his third of five, from May to December ‘37.

Axis agents Noel Cravat as Ranga and Nino Pipitone as Haruchi capture British agent Constance Worth, Chinese Secret Service agent Roland Got and Rod Cameron as the indomitable Rex Bennett in Republic's "G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon" ('42).

 

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