G-Men Never Forget

"G-Men Never Forget" is another exciting serial from the serial factory, Republic Pictures. It was co-directed by Fred C. Brannon and veteran stunt man Yakima Canutt. With Canutt directing the fight scenes, we get to see Republic's stunt men performing at the top of their game.

This serial gives Republic's busiest villain, Roy Barcroft a dual role, one on either side of the law. It also stars Clayton Moore as G-Man Ted O'Hara just a year before he donned the mask of The Lone Ranger for TV.

The story has racketeer Vic Murkland (Barcroft) escaping prison. He goes to the Benson Sanitarium where his cohort Doc Benson (Stanley Price) performs plastic surgery on his face to make him look identical to Police Commissioner Cameron (Barcroft again). Murkland's henchmen led by Duke Graham (Drew Allen) kidnap Cameron allowing Murkland to take his place at police headquarters. From there he directs his protection racket.

Federal agent Ted O'Hara (Moore) has been trying to re-capture Murkland but is unaware of Murkland's masquerade. Police Sergeant Frances Blake (Ramsay Ames)is assigned to assist O'Hara. After surviving the stock serial cliff hanger chapter endings, O'Hara and Blake discover an information leak in the Commissioner's office and..............

Republic's three top stunt men, Tom Steele, Dale Van Sickel and David Sharpe are evident in all of the picture's action sequences, in fact they appear in one or more small parts as Murkland henchmen. As in most serials of the period, this one borrows heavily from stock footage. For example, the tunnel sequence and the motorcycle over the cliff sequence are taken from the 1939 serial "Daredevils of the Red Circle". And yes, that shot of the edge of a cliff just before the vehicle goes over is in there too. And nobody could jump out of a speeding car or roll out of danger in the nick of time better than Clayton Moore.

Others in the cast are Edmund Cobb as industrialist R.J. Cook, Jack O'Shea as Benson's assistant and Eddie Acuff as Fiddler the car dealer. And watch for the brief early appearance of Robert J. Wilke as a phony cop.

Great action.

This fast paced serial is another good example of Republics skill of using scenes,endings and the like from other serials, combined with a new screen play to produce an action packed cliffhanger. Roy Barcroft has a field day with the dual role of the police Commissoner and the mastermind out to take over the city. He is ably assisted by the likes of henchmen Drew Allen,Tom Steele and Dale van Sickle to name a few. His efforts are in vain when G man Clayton Moore and policewoman Ramsey Ames get on the case. Serial devotees will notice several endings from their favorites, but everything is so tightly edited that it all seems to make sense. Add a rousing theme and score by Mort Glickman, crisp photography,and Yakima Cannut doing co-directing,there's always something exciting going on. Twelve chapters of non stop action.