The Valley of Vanishing Men
| The Valley of Vanishing Men | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet |
| Written by | Harry Fraser Lewis Clay George Gray Original screenplay |
| Produced by | Larry Darmour |
| Starring | Bill Elliott Slim Summerville Carmen Morales |
| Narrated by | Knox Manning |
| Cinematography | James S. Brown Jr. Black and white |
| Edited by | Dwight Caldwell Earl Turner |
| Music by | Lee Zahler |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 15 episodes 280 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Valley of Vanishing Men (1942) was the 20th film serial (of 57) released by Columbia Pictures.
Plot
In this serial, Wild Bill Tolliver and Missouri Benson are a pair of adventurers who ride into the vast territory of New Mexico in search of Bill's father, Henry Tolliver, who mysteriously disappeared while prospecting for gold. They soon discover that a ruthless outlaw leader, Jonathan Kincaid, owns an immense mine of gold in which he uses captured Mexican patriots, among others, to work as slaves in the mine. They also learn that Kincaid has joined forces with Colonel Carl Engler, a renegade eastern European soldier, to carry out his cruel intentions. Then Bill and Missouri meet with Consuelo Ramírez, a diligent Mexican agent, who informs them that Bill's father is among the prisoners in the mine. After that, the heroes find themselves in a conflict with the outlaws in the middle of incessant fights, chases and action.
Cast
- Bill Elliott as Wild Bill Tolliver. Bill Elliott starred in three serials at Columbia Pictures, and The Valley of Vanishing Men was his last cliffhanger at that studio or anywhere else. Shortly after making this chapterplay, Elliott signed with Republic Pictures where his contract excluded him from doing any more serial work.[citation needed]
- Slim Summerville as Missouri Benson
- Carmen Morales as Consuelo Ramírez
- Kenneth MacDonald as Jonathan Kincaid
- Jack Ingram as Butler, a henchman
- George Chesebro as Taggart, a henchman
- John Shay as Mullins, a henchman
- Tom London as Slater, a henchman
- Arno Frey as Colonel Carl Engler
- Lane Chandler as Major Stacy Roberts
- Roy Barcroft as Deputy Jed "Luke" Lucas
- Rick Anderson as Henry Tolliver
- Ernie Adams as Stubby, bartender
- Billy Bletcher as the voice of Jericho
- Hank Bell as a wounded prospector
Production
Writing about the film's atmosphere, Cline says that this serial was a "grim tale...[with a] mood of ominous dread." Missouri was added to the cast because a normal comedy relief character would have not have worked.[1]
Chapter titles
- Trouble in Canyon City
- The Mystery of Ghost Town
- Danger Walks by night
- Hillside Horror
- Guns in the Night
- The Bottomless Well
- The Man in the Gold Mask
- When the Devil Drives
- The Traitor's Shroud
- Death Strikes at Seven
- Satan in the Saddle
- The Mine of Missing Men
- Danger on Dome Rock
- The Door that Has No Key
- Empire's End
Source:[2]
See also
References
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "6. Guardians of the Sword (The Assistants)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 99. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 234–235. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
External links
- The Valley of Vanishing Men at AllMovie
- The Valley of Vanishing Men at Cinefania.com
- The Valley of Vanishing Men at IMDb