Drums of Fu Manchu

THE DRUMS OF FU MANCHU is a classic Republic-era serial in which Nayland Smith and his co-horts do battle with the ever-fiendish Dr Fu Manchu and his endless 'dacoit' army. This overlong serial clocks in at no less than fifteen chapters (with the first chapter being particularly lengthy), meaning that it has a sluggish pace. The slow and repetitive nature of the production sees it pale in comparison to the likes of RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON, for example.

Still, fans of the era will find much to enjoy here, not least the endless fisticuff action between the good guys and the bad guys. Lengthy fist-fights are the order of the day here, along with shoot-outs and knife-throwing. At least a couple of henchmen are bumped off every chapter, while the action roves around the globe and takes place in planes, trains, cars, clifftops, and hidden underground temples.

The simplistic storyline sees Fu Manchu in search of the tomb of Genghis Khan, which is said to contain a magical artifact allowing him to control the whole of Asia. A white actor, Henry Brandon, plays the villain, and he looks very sinister; the rest of the cast are a little dull, though, aside from an ever-fun Dwight Frye in a minor villainous role. Come chapter seven or eight, I couldn't help but feel this was all very repetitive and dragged out; there are only so many times you can put up with Fu Manchu being captured and escaping, for example. Still, the cliffhanger scenes are ever fun, and it's still worthwhile escapism.

Atmospheric, exciting, and with a sequential storyline (no!), this serial, IMHO, edges out Flash Gordon (Space Soldiers) and Hawk of the Wilderness as best serial of all time. Some prefer caped comic book heroes, but we have here a coherent plot, a hugely sinister villain (not to mention his dreadful daughter, Fah Lo Suee), and unforgettable cliffhangers, one after another. If you haven't seen this, you don't know what a serial can be.

"Drums of Fu Manchu" is another of the great serials turned out by Republic Pictures in the early 40s, in the days before the studio started relying on extensive stock footage in order to cut costs. This entry though, has the look of a big budget. It contains the expected superior Republic stuntwork and action sequences. It includes a spectacular train wreck (with no apparent sympathy for those who would have been killed), a giant realistic looking octopus and the swinging pendulum torture device borrowed from Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum". The story involves the diabolical Fu Manchu's (Henry Brandon) efforts to secure the long lost scepter of Genghis Khan with which he hopes to gain control of various Himalayan tribes which in turn will lead him to eventual world domination. Opposing him are his long time nemesis Sir Nayland Smith (William Royle) and his young partner Allen Parker (Robert Kellard).

Fu Manchu is aided by his sinister daughter Fah Lo Suee (Gloria Franklin) and a band of "Dacoits", who are lobotomized zombie like creatures (complete with fangs) that obey Fu Manchu's orders without question. Over the course of 15 action packed chapters, Fu Manchu and Sir Nayland and Allen follow the clues to the location of the scepter from America to the Chinese mainland. Each foil the other's attempts to find the scepter at every turn. Finally, the scepter is found and Fu Manchu and his adversaries try to outsmart each other amid several exciting chapter ending cliff hangers until justice is finally served in Chapter 15.

Henry Brandon's career dated back to the Laurel and Hardy 1934 comedy "March of the Wooden Soldiers (as Henry Kleinbach). He makes a perfect Fu Manchu. He was a tall and imposing figure and with the aid of oriental makeup, was a truly menacing figure. Although a sequel was planned to this serial, it was shelved when the U.S.A. entered WWII. Brandon enjoyed a long and varied career playing mostly villains until the late 80s. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the Indian chief "Scar" in John Ford's "The Searchers" (1956).

Robert Kellard was along to handle the action as Sir Nayland Smith was a middle aged character, The fact that Kellard resembled Republic's ace stuntman David Sharpe was no coincidence either. Sharpe visibly doubled Kellard in the action scenes. Also in the cast are George Cleveland as Parker's father, John Merton (barely recognizable as a fang-toothed Dacoit) and Dwight Frye (underutilized again) as a museum director.

An excellent serial. Too bad they never got to make the sequel.

Without a doubt,this is one of the top three serials from Republic.Along with "Adventures of Captain Marvel" and "Adventures of Red Ryder"[my top three],this is one of the few serials where the villian is more dynamic than the hero.Henry Brandon IS FU Manchu.William Royle and Bob Kellard are adequate as the heroes,but Brandon draws the most attention.Chapter endings are believable,same for the resolutions.Photography by William Nobles,Music by Cy Feuer,and direction by Whitney and English,all add up to 15 chapters of great serial action.

Sax Rohmer, author and creator of FU MANCHU conceived the enduring Criminal Master-Mind aided by Super-Science. One whose ambitions ranged further then Sir Arthur Conan Doyles, PROFESSOR MORIARTY or later Norbert Jacques, DR. MABUSE. Continental, if not World conquest was his objective. His descendent's can be traced to Flash Gordon's THE EMPEROR MING along with Marvel Comic-Book Super-Villains THE MANDARIN and THE YELLOW CLAW. FU MANCHU's primary goal is to drive out "THE WHITE DEVILS" and reward his minions with their 'WHITE WOMEN'. Sounds like some current minority political opportunists or those athlete's with their 'White Trophy Wives'!

The best known version, THE MASK OF FU MANCHU, M.G.M. (1932) featured all these concepts since it was pre-code. Actor Boris Karloff firmly setting the pattern of how a would be Conquerer should act. DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, Republic (1940) continued in a somewhat toned down manner being a code film. Henry Brandon ably handled the role though barely recognizable under his make-up and altered voice. Unfortunately his supporting cast was not up too his level and the script stretched the serial three (3) chapters to many. Though as was typical of Republic product of the time it featured plenty of fast paced action.

This is still a enjoyable Serial but would not rate it as high as the FLASH GORDON franchise. Nor Republics best efforts like the ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941), G-MEN vs THE BLACK DRAGON (1943) or THE MASKED MARVEL (1943). Our copy came courtesy of VCI ENTERTAINMENT. The DVD is satisfactorily remastered, but not restored. Some of the early chapters are very soft and the sound quality is uneven. It is obvious that original masters were not used or were in very poor condition. To see the difference, compare D.O.F.M. with their 70th Anniversary Edition of BUCK ROGERS, Universal (1939), which we rate the same. B.R. though went through a significant restoration and it shows it.