Daredevils of the West

This serial is so "long-lost" that it had not been seen in its entirety in 65 years. It exists only in the Republic archives at Brigham Young University. I had the great good fortune of seeing it on the big screen in its one and only showing on May 16-17, 2008, at the Serial Squadron's SerialFest in Newtown, PA. The sound in half of four of the twelve chapters is still missing, but it was shown with music from Republic's archives and a written explanation of what was going on when the dialogue was not audible--the action was pretty self-explanatory in any event. If the legal entanglements are ever cleared up, it may someday be restored properly for all to enjoy. The theater audience cheered wildly at the end of each and every chapter, and gave it a standing ovation at the very end.

This is simply the best Western serial I have ever seen. Allan Lane is at his very best, as is former model Kay Aldridge. Sidekick Eddie Acuff pretty much comes into his own here as one of the "daredevils." These weren't daredevils in the sense that the characters were in "Daredevils of the Red Circle," but I guess the title suggests that they dared to be brave enough to fight against heavy odds. The real daredevils in this movie were the stunt men whose work in the long and frequent fights represent some of the best stunt work ever shown in serials. The team of eight stunt men was headed by veteran Tom Steele, stunt double for Allan Lane, and Babe DeFreest, who stood in for Kay Aldridge.

Director John English almost always co-directed his serials with William Witney, but Witney was away in the Navy during World War II. The word has always been that Witney directed the fights and other tough scenes while English handled the scenes that involved a lot of talk. So it was a real eye-opener to discover that there have seldom been better fights in serials than there are in this one. Either English was a better action director than anyone gave him credit for, or an awful lot of Witney rubbed off on him over the years. I can see English saying to himself, "Now how would Bill have directed this scene?" He also did a great job with the cliffhangers, although I did spot one cheat where the hero clearly goes over a cliff and the resolution shows that he actually grabbed a rope that had not been there previously.

All in all, a great serial, right up there with the very best of all time.

The Serial Squadron is currently holding a pledge drive for Daredevils of the West along with three other vintage serials.BYU has provided a copy to the Squadron for restoration.The process includes replacing missing dialog using professional actors.When the required number of pledges are reached,restoration will begin. Presently this serial exists only in the form of four fragmented chapters for the general public. Another entry,depending on pledges ,is the very popular Drums of Fu Manchu.An almost pristine print has been provided to the Squadron for restoration.Depending on pledges,a Blu-ray and / or regular DVD edition will be available.For complete information go to serialsquadron.com. These serials were made during the golden years when Republic Pictures were at their peak. Drums of Fu Manchu,a fifteen chapter concerns the evil Dr. Fu Manchu who strives to be supreme ruler of the world. DVD prints are available now but leave a lot to be desired.Daredevils star the popular western action actor Allan Lane and serial queen Kaye Aldridge. Update....As of January 2011,this serial has been completely restored and will be ready for shipment! For complete details go to serial squadron.com

I can now say I've seen every single Republic serial!

There really wasn't much plot to this serial - I can't even remember what it was that the bad guys were trying to do or why they were bad. Thats OK, because its a serial with nonstop action that never lets up.

Everyone in this serial seemed to have a lot of barrels lying around with "Explosives" or "Powder" written on the side. You know what that means! :-) There are some renegade Indians that are told one of the most outrageous lines I've heard in a serial: "Remember, white people must die". The fights seemed extra long in this serial as compared to other Republics. It contains that sequence where the wagon with the explosives goes off as it rolls down a path along a cliff side. Its contains the locked in the jail cell while the jail is on fire sequence. It also has two times where the pin comes out of that swivel thing on the front of a wagon so it ends up rolling off the edge of a cliff. I mean where you see it approach the edge and go over from the point of view of someone in the wagon. There's a cave with a fire pit and more too!

I can only hope that it will one day be available for home viewing.

DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (1943) 4 stars out of 4. Starring Allan Lane, Kay Aldridge, Eddie Acuff, Robert Frazer, William Haade, George J. Lewis, Ted Adams, Jack Rockwell and Stanley Andrews. Written by Ronald Davidson, Basil Dickey, William Lively, Joseph O'Donnell and Joseph F. Poland. Directed by John English. A Republic serial in 12 chapters.

An inherent danger arises when a movie has disappeared or has been out of circulation for several years or decades.

Its qualities grow in proportion to the time it has gone unseen until its attributes almost reach mythic status.

Thus when it is eventually seen, it can sometimes lead to disappointment — an almost, "is that all there is?" backlash.

Happily, it can be reported that such is not the case with "Daredevils of the West," which was screened on May 16 and 17 at Serial Fest 2008 in Newtown, Pa.

For years serial fans have read and seen excerpts of the four available chapters of this action-packed Western and have savored seeing the chapterplay in its entirety.

The question always has been would the serial as a whole maintain the quality of those existing episodes.

The answer is a definite and resounding "yes."

Republic was known for its non-stop action, stunt work, special effects and fight choreography in its heyday of producing serials and B-Westerns and "Daredevils" maintains and at time exceeds the studio's high standards.

From start to finish, the chapters roll by offering fans of the genre chases, explosions, gun battles, fistfights and well-done cliffhangers.

If features a strong and stalwart hero in Allan Lane, a plucky and fiery heroine in Kay Aldridge and two formidable action heavies in William Haade and George J. Lewis.

Forget the standard plot about wrecking the stage line to keep out settlers so the big land baron can buy up all the acreage for his cattle empire.

It is the way the story flows seamlessly from situation to situation without any let-up.

"Daredevils of the West" is a prime example of why Republic was tops not only in the serial arena but in the B-Western market as well.

After going unseen for 65 years, "Daredevils of the West" did not disappoint. It even surpassed expectations among those who fondly cherish the cliffhangers of yore.

Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Ind., and for the Gannett News Service. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bloomjc@yahoo.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal & Courier Web site: www.jconline.com

Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com.

Republic's "Daredevils of the West" is a 1943 twelve chapter serial once considered lost. This action-filled cliffhanger starred Allan Lane and Kay Aldridge. It's only been publicly screened in the U.S. twice in recent years.

Through special arrangement with Brigham Young University, Paramount Pictures, and Swank Films it was first shown at SerialFest in Newtown, PA, in the Spring of 2008. This past October it was run a second time at the Lone Pine Film Festival in Lone Pine, CA.

Now this exciting serial is coming to America's heartland for the first time. It can be seen at the Memphis Film Festival in Olive Branch, Mississippi June 3-5 of 2010. It will be personally projected by BYU archivist James D'Arc.

So, why doesn't BYU make it available on a DVD for all serial fans to enjoy?

Edit: Question answered by Boyd Magers of "Western Clippings." BYU has the print donated to them by the late Jack (Valley of the Cliffhangers) Mathis. Paramount has the rights to the film, and they have deemed the negative flawed and unacceptable and, as such, unmarkable.