A Shadow doublefeature DVD issued by Marengo. The transfers are pretty darn good.
The Shadow Strikes (Grand National Films, 1937); produced by Max and Arthur Alexander; "presented" by Edward L. Alperson. Very nice opening logo for Grand National -- a building with a large moving clock hand that wipes the company name onto the screen. Directed by Lynn Shores, whose imdb filmography is very brief, ending in 1941, the same year as star Rod La Roque's last credit. I wonder if imdb has a correct listing for these folks.
This little film (listed by Marengo at 62 min., by imdb at 61 min) is a legitimate adaptation of a Maxwell Grant (Walter Gibson) Shadow story entitled "The Ghost of the Manor." Gibson/Grant is given very large title credits, so there is no confusion as to who the lead character is supposed to be.
That said, the appearances of our favorite black-cloaked, beak-nosed avenger are woefully brief, even though underworld characters express knowledge and, yes, fear of his wrath. I'm not gonna go into a lengthy synopsis of the plot on either of these films -- imdb can give you whatever you need on that score. But I will say that I was totally enthralled with Rod La Roque's acting and stage presence in both. Up to this point, I'd heard of La Roque but had never seen any of his work, probably because his filmography (if correct) shows he worked in virtually no genre productions during his career. Now I'll have to track down more of his work, because he comes across very nicely for a former silent film star -- sort of a cross between William Powell and Kent Smith: strong voice, sense of humor, quick wit, large physical presence. He probably would have made a decent Shadow in the traditional sense, if allowed to. This version also features Norman Ainsley as Henry, the Shadow's butler/chauffeur. One interesting glitch, picked up by imdb, is the spelling of Lamont Cranston's name as "Granston" in a newspaper article and also in the end credits.
Second half of the doubleheader is another Grand National film entitled International Crime (Marengo lists a 1937 release; imdb lists 1938), clocked at 64 min., directed by none other than veteran Charles Lamont who would go on to A&C Meet Invisible Man/Captain Kidd/Dr. J & Mr. H/Mars/Keystone Cops/Mummy. This guy was prolific! Again, the story is credited to Walter Gibson's "The Fox Hound." I have no idea of that is a Shadow story or not, but tend to think it isn't because the Shadow in this film is a radio show star whose newspaper column is entitled "The Shadow." Nowhere in this film does Lamont Cranston don the cape and walk the night. We get the see the beak-nosed avenger only as a newspaper column illustration. The story is weaker than that of The Shadow Strikes, but again, Rod La Roque is so much fun to watch that any other complaints are minimized. His sidekick in this film, however, is Moe the cabbie, lending a bit of credence to the character, but not much. Astrid Allwyn has a nice role as a pushy cub reporter who wants to tag along with Cranston. Her character is of the bubbly ditz mode, but not too obnoxious.
Summary -- response from Shadow purists will likely run the gamut from extreme outrage to downright disgust. La Roque's Shadow doesn't come from the pulps, he comes from the society column. I guess I'm not a Shadow purist because I really enjoyed these two little films. Mileage will vary between viewers, I suppose, but I'll issue a recommendation now and worry later about hearing evil chuckles in the darkness.
... Reed
The Shadow Strikes (Grand National Films, 1937); produced by Max and Arthur Alexander; "presented" by Edward L. Alperson. Very nice opening logo for Grand National -- a building with a large moving clock hand that wipes the company name onto the screen. Directed by Lynn Shores, whose imdb filmography is very brief, ending in 1941, the same year as star Rod La Roque's last credit. I wonder if imdb has a correct listing for these folks.
This little film (listed by Marengo at 62 min., by imdb at 61 min) is a legitimate adaptation of a Maxwell Grant (Walter Gibson) Shadow story entitled "The Ghost of the Manor." Gibson/Grant is given very large title credits, so there is no confusion as to who the lead character is supposed to be.
That said, the appearances of our favorite black-cloaked, beak-nosed avenger are woefully brief, even though underworld characters express knowledge and, yes, fear of his wrath. I'm not gonna go into a lengthy synopsis of the plot on either of these films -- imdb can give you whatever you need on that score. But I will say that I was totally enthralled with Rod La Roque's acting and stage presence in both. Up to this point, I'd heard of La Roque but had never seen any of his work, probably because his filmography (if correct) shows he worked in virtually no genre productions during his career. Now I'll have to track down more of his work, because he comes across very nicely for a former silent film star -- sort of a cross between William Powell and Kent Smith: strong voice, sense of humor, quick wit, large physical presence. He probably would have made a decent Shadow in the traditional sense, if allowed to. This version also features Norman Ainsley as Henry, the Shadow's butler/chauffeur. One interesting glitch, picked up by imdb, is the spelling of Lamont Cranston's name as "Granston" in a newspaper article and also in the end credits.
Second half of the doubleheader is another Grand National film entitled International Crime (Marengo lists a 1937 release; imdb lists 1938), clocked at 64 min., directed by none other than veteran Charles Lamont who would go on to A&C Meet Invisible Man/Captain Kidd/Dr. J & Mr. H/Mars/Keystone Cops/Mummy. This guy was prolific! Again, the story is credited to Walter Gibson's "The Fox Hound." I have no idea of that is a Shadow story or not, but tend to think it isn't because the Shadow in this film is a radio show star whose newspaper column is entitled "The Shadow." Nowhere in this film does Lamont Cranston don the cape and walk the night. We get the see the beak-nosed avenger only as a newspaper column illustration. The story is weaker than that of The Shadow Strikes, but again, Rod La Roque is so much fun to watch that any other complaints are minimized. His sidekick in this film, however, is Moe the cabbie, lending a bit of credence to the character, but not much. Astrid Allwyn has a nice role as a pushy cub reporter who wants to tag along with Cranston. Her character is of the bubbly ditz mode, but not too obnoxious.
Summary -- response from Shadow purists will likely run the gamut from extreme outrage to downright disgust. La Roque's Shadow doesn't come from the pulps, he comes from the society column. I guess I'm not a Shadow purist because I really enjoyed these two little films. Mileage will vary between viewers, I suppose, but I'll issue a recommendation now and worry later about hearing evil chuckles in the darkness.
... Reed
