Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine

"Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine" was the rather fanciful title of this feature version of the 1945 Republic serial "Manhunt of Mystery Island," produced for television broadcast in 1966 and never distributed theatrically. With serials easily available in the digital age, such ersatz 'features' serve no function anymore, except for those fortunate enough to catch it on TV in the days before cable, as I did on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Mar. 1 1975, the middle film on a rare triple bill, preceded by "Cyborg 2087" (1966) and followed by "The Mummy's Hand" (1940). There is a manhunt for a missing scientist, the creator of a 'radiotomic power transmitter' (shades of Dick Tracy!), and lots of entertaining cliffhangers, but goes on a bit long at 99 minutes (almost half of the original 15 chapters). It's still one of that studio's best remembered serials, though this version is far more difficult to find. Other serial features shown on Chiller Theater included "Bat Men of Africa," "Lost Planet Airmen," "Missile Monsters," and "Satan's Satellites."