The Vanishing Shadow

I don't have to much to add that the others haven't already added only to say that it's got pretty good gizmos and special fx for a cheap serial of the era. It's fun and kinda funny at times.

In the middle 1970's, the Dade County (Miami, FL) school system, in an attempt to get kids to read, gave 7th grade students (which I was one), the script to the Vanishing Shadow. One of the TV stations broadcast all 12 episodes, which we were required to watch and read along with the script.

The show was a real blast for a 12 year old kid. I still remember the vanishing belt and the cornball dialog (which we had to act out in class the following day). I remember Ada Ince, who played Stanley's love interest, was a real babe and I remember the Stanley was my hero.

I would recommend this serial to anybody who enjoys the low-tech attempts to create high-tech effects in the 1930's. A must!

An electrical engineer, Stanley Stanfield (Onslow Stevens), brings his newest invention to the famous electrical wizard, Carl Van Dorn (James Durkins)--- a vest-like apparatus that enables the wearer to vanish, leaving only a shadow. Hey, back off...it's a good start.

Anyway, Van Dorn is vastly impressed and, with the aid of the machine, the pair set out to bring about the downfall of power-crazed Wade Barnett (Walter Miller) and his crony Dorgan (Dick Cramer), whose political-group activities, through a vicious smear campaign, had hounded Stanfield's father to death. Stanfield's efforts are complicated by the fact that his girlfriend, known to him as Gloria Grant (Ada Ince), is really Barnett's daughter, who has rejected her father and goes by an alias.

Wizard Van Dorn also stays busy inventing new gadgets to fight the gang with but, someway or another, he or Stanfield or Gloria always end up as the victim rather then Barnett, Dorgan or their henchies. Going back to the drawing board in chapter 10 (The Iron Death), Van Dorn comes up with a short-wave radio controlled robot and, in chapter 11 (The Juggernaut), he remotes it into a room to kill Barnett, but by mistake, the robot attacks Stanfield, who is tied helpless in a chair. Barnett was long gone.

They would have been better served by spending all their time and energy in trying to get rid of the shadow caused by the invisibility vest.

Toss in Ada Ince in the highest-budgeted film she ever made, and Edmund Cobb as a derby-hat wearing henchie (looking a lot like "Doiby" Dickles, the Green Lantern's cab-driving pal) and add Kenneth Strickfaden's art-deco lab and amazing electrical gadgets...and this becomes a Keeper.

This is a little known and under rated serial. It is a fun semi-mystery with all the proper cliche's included. Most anyone will find some fun,in the traditional chases and period genre. I enjoyed this very early bit of SF with invisibility belts and a robot of unique design. Remember this came first. Theres plenty of period auto and trains to keep the action going. Some of the acting (perhaps its the script) is limited, but as a Universal serial it is far superior to most Universal efforts at that time. I recommend this to anyone who can find a copy.

Historically hard to see, now VCI has released this rare title on DVD and Blu Ray. While fantasy and comic book films are now the most expensive films to produce, in the golden age of Hollywood they were on the lowest rungs of film making. And serials such as this were among the lowest! Yet, serials are where fantasy, sci-fi and super heroes all had there start. Vanishing Shadow is a fun serial with invisible rays, destroying rays, electronic keys and other sci fi devices including a killer robot. Far fetched but cut it some slack. Made by Universal, who reached their apex in serials in a couple more years with Flash Gordon. It's also the first film of future Academy Award winner Lee J. Cobb who pops in on episodes 3&4. So hooray and thanks to VCI for making the chapterplay available to a broader audience.