The Phantom

For me as a young boy in the early 1950's going to the flicks on a Saturday arvo with my siblings was my introduction to the wonderful world of show biz and entertainment. Although watching much G rated fun I didn't see this serial but watching it now has helped me relive those times. The Phantom comic was and has been my favorite comic from that same era and this serial closely follows the iconography of those stories and now feel a glow of gratitude for the effort put in by all involved, especially Tom Tyler who made a great Phantom. Sure this is no masterpiece but boy is it entertaining.

I write my observations after seeing the 1996 version, followed by the 2010 SyFy Phantom production. I can say with confidence that the 1943 version was far ahead of its times and pretty authentic, compared to the later versions.

The fact is that in 1943, a nifty Phantom movie serial could be made, using the most primitive tools and technology (as compared to today's standards), but today's producers find it so difficult to stick to the basic canons of the Phantom mythos and make changes in almost everything, (except perhaps the name of the Phantom). Today's producers need to study this vintage production first, before venturing out on their own. Some of my reasons are below:

1. The Tom Tyler series had a tight script, focused plot and minimal deviation from whatever mythos had been built up by Falk by that time. In a 1940s scenario, with the backdrop of WW II, limited budget, no special effects, no color, no CGI and no trained wolves, the series was the most faithful portrayal of the Phantom we can hope for. Swabacker and Cox can be excused for not showing the Bandar, because the mythos was not so well developed or well known in 1942, but can Boam be excused for declaring right at the start of the 1996 film that the Touganda tribesmen rescued the first Phantom (as a child), when it was actually the Bandar, enslaved by the Wasaka, who rescued the first Phantom, when he was already a grownup? 2. Sai Pana was perhaps the precursor of Morristown; The Tonga village was perhaps the precursor of the Deep Woods. The name, Walker, was perhaps first mentioned here, although I am not sure. How much did Falk pick up from this series? We may never know. 3. Tom himself was cool, muscular and impressive, without spandex; his outfit was a faithful representation of the Phantom's costume. His eyes could be seen, but once he took over as the 21st Phantom, he stopped showing his face. And of course, there were none of the silly grins or wisecracks. Nor did a biker's suit and helmet replace the Phantom's costume, like in the latter day SyFy production. 4. Jeannie was a better Diana than Kristy; No scowling or muttering. She was feisty and expressive as Diana has always been shown to be. 5. Ace, the Wonder Dog as the talented Devil was better than the mangy wolf of the 1996 film; the woods in outskirts of Hollywood were impressive; no exotic locations were required. 6. The 20th Phantom was depicted as old but tough and impressive, by Sam Flint. There was no need to depict him as a doddering old fool, as portrayed by McGoohan in 1996. 7. Of course, the plot was racy, believable and fun. The viewer's intelligence was not sorely tried by showing stuff that was, well, plain unbelievable. I think you guys get the point.

I can go on and on.. but my submission is: why it so necessary to make goofy, avoidable changes in established canons, to make a 'modern' film? If "Breezy" Eason could pull off such an achievement 65 years ago, why is it so difficult to accept the Phantom for what he is, by modern film producers? If the Phantom is an 'aged' hero, wearing a ridiculous costume, so are the others in the DC and Marvel universes. And they are world-wide box office successes. So that 'argument just won't jell. Coming back to more modern times, adopting parkour, making the Phantom look like a Ninja Turtle, having a female Guran who is taller than the Phantom etc. might satisfy the producer's hidden talents for weirdness, but such talents will certainly not improve the fan base of the Phantom. I fully agree that the Phantom character needs to be treated with respect, and the 1943 version succeeded in this, while latter versions failed miserably.

When I was a kid, `The Phantom' was my hero number one. I liked also the magazines of `Mandrake', `Superman', `Batman', `Tarzan' and `Zorro' (in this sequence), but I would not dare to compare any of them with `The Phantom'. For my surprise, the Brazilian distributor `Classicline' released an unknown (at least for me) 1943 version of a serial of `The Phantom', in a double DVD without any extra. The story is composed by fifteen episodes as follows:

1) The Sign of the Skull (`O Sinal da Caveira');

2) The Man Who Never Dies (`O Homem Que Nunca Morrre');

3) A Traitor's Code (`Um Código de Traidor');

4) The Seat of Judgement (`O Banco de Julgamento');

5) The Ghost Who Walks (`O Fantasma Que Anda');

6) Jungle Whispers (`Sussuros da Selva');

7) The Mystery Well (`O Poço do Mistério);

8) In the Quest of the Keys (`Em Busca das Chaves');

9) The Fire Princess (`A Princesa do Fogo');

10) The Chamber of Death (`A Câmara de Morte');

11) The Emerald Key (`A Chave de Esmeralda');

12) The Fangs of the Beast (`As Presas da Fera');

13) The Road to Zoloz (`O Caminho Para Zoloz');

14) The Lost City (`A Cidade Perdida'); and,

15) Peace in the Jungle (`Paz na Selva').

The plot begins with the death of the `old' Phantom and his son (Tom Tyler) assuming his spot with his dog Devil (Capeto, in Portuguese). Meanwhile, there are two expeditions trying to reach the lost city of Zoloz: the good one leaded by Professor Davidson (Frank Shannon), with his daughter Diana Palmer (Jeanne Bates) in the team, having the intention of archeological research for an university in Melville. The evil one leaded by the diabolic Dr. Max Bremmer (Kenneth MacDonald), who is serving a foreign country, and having the intention of building a hidden airport. The foreign nation is not specified in the story, but in 1943, there were the World War II in Europe, therefore it is not difficult to guess which power Dr. Max Bremmer was serving. For reaching his intent and find the city of Zoloz, Prof. Davidson has a partial map composed of six ivory pieces, needing the last one to complete the track. The story follows the pattern of action movies of those romantic times: the hero never bleeds; the villains use the most complicated ways and tricks to get rid off the hero; in the end of each chapter, there is a missing scene, where the hero escapes from a dangerous situation (explosions, gas, avalanche of stones, fire, water, shot etc.); the heroin always screams when in danger; when a porter dies, nobody cares. Further, it is politically incorrect in the present days, having an animal hunter as Phantom's best friend. This naive type of story may be silly in the present days for the younger generations (and indeed it is), but it brings parts of my childhood back to my mind, and consequently I love it. The athletic actor Tom Tyler is in an excellent shape. I have no idea whether stunts were much used in 1943. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): `O Fantasma' (`The Phantom')

Columbia Pictures was infamous for making infamously bad serials. However, in the early to mid-1940's, they also made some good serials. One of these was called 'The Phantom.' Here are some of the things that make this serial so good:

1. Tom Tyler in the title role. He projected a strong and quietly heroic screen presence, and was athletic enough to look good in the Phantom suit. He is believable in the fight scenes. Superhero suits look good in comic strips, but usually on the screen they look completely stupid. Tom Tyler, a former champion weight lifter, could pull it off. He was also a decent actor. Totally serious, but never camp or inadvertently goofy. I rate him as being almost as good as Buster Crabbe, as far as serial heroes go. Definitely head and shoulders above Kirk Alyn or either of the poor guys that played Batman in the serials. 2. Good fight scenes. 3. Ace the Wonder Dog, playing 'Devil,' the Phantom's dog (in the comic strip, Devil was a wolf, but trained wolves were more expensive). All the great heroes each have certain gimmicks, trademarks, special weapons, etc. Such is Devil for the Phantom, and the idea of the hero being aided in a fight by a big dog is a cool idea. Devil definitely makes the fight scenes more interesting and believable here. 4. Good cliff hangers. 5. Staying reasonably faithful to the original source material. Although taking some serious liberties regarding the comic strip from whence it was inspired, this serial still retains the spirit and appeal of the Lee Falk's creations. Rightly so, the Phantom is a cool character, and should be treated with a little respect.

And now, a short commentary regarding racial stereotypes: in my mind, it has always been problematic that in the comics, the Phantom is an unelected pale-skinned person holding a high degree of authority for a large group of darker-skinned persons. To be fair, the Phantom was created in the 1930's, when there was a lot of overt racism in the U.S., when Lee Falk and most of his readers wouldn't have had anyone to point out this inequity. And to be fair, Lee Falk's representation of African tribes, though entirely fanciful, was much less derogatory than that of Edgar ('Tarzan') Rice Burroughs or of any mainstream Hollywood movie.

Which brings us back to this serial. While all the action takes place in the jungle, there are no positive indications as to whether this jungle is in Africa, South America, Asia, the Canary Islands, or southern Albania. Nor is there any coherent racial representation regarding the natives of this imaginary region. Many were played by Caucasian actors, some by Native Americans (an unbilled Jay Silverheels played a small role), as well as actors of other ethnicities. Overall, their skin color is not much, if any, darker than the Phantom's. Also, the characterization of the natives in this serial, while often fitting an unflattering stereotype, is much less offensive than you see in Tarzan and Jungle Jim films of the same era.

The plot involves a lost city called Zoloz, which is an allusion to the Lost City of Z, which is a fabelled ancient lost city in South America, for which several real-life explorers lost their lives in quest of. It was never found, so someday maybe you may go looking for it. Perhaps you will find the Phantom as well.

All in all, I would recommend this for serial fans, film buffs, and admirers of the Phantom.

Wow, what a show. Now I know the Phantom is immortal, I saw him cheat death multiple times. Since this wasn't a western or a space opera, the writers found a few new ways to put the hero in grave peril. I like most of the 15 episodes, but was a bit disappointed with Devil being a dog, when I remember him being described in the comics and funnies as a WOLF. Oh well, at least the Phantom ran out of bullets, unlike the magic 6-shooters of western fame. I also find it amazing how he had such a difficult time figuring out WHO the Bad Guys were, guess this Phantom was a little too trusting. My real beef was the ending. I endured 14, count them, 14 harrowing escapes by our hero and the the end comes up like a slap in the face. I thought the end was terrible, like the writers went home early and let the janitor finish it up. Nothing to be said about Diana Palmer, so NO spoiler alert here. This was my favorite comic strip growing up in the 60's and I did really enjoy it, actually must better than the movie attempt a few years back. I wish it was in color because I would love to see that purple costume, but all else said, watch and enjoy!!