Le Monstre écarlate

I saw this serial in 1945 at the Fox Egyptian Theater in San Diego. The scene of the Purple Monster taking off in his rocket ship in the last chapter was forever engraved into my mind. It was great fun a few years ago to see the serial again. I was amazed at how many people who were killed appeared again and again, plus that ford convertible that was crashed a few times had 9 lives.

I have seen a color poster of the Purple Monster, and the alien is dressed in a red costume with gold trim. In the black and white movie of course he is black and silver; perhaps they should have called him the Art Deco Monster.

The Purple Monster (Roy Barcroft), vanguard of a Martian invasion force, takes over the body of Professor Layton (James Craven) as part of a plan to build a 'jet-plane' that will replace his destroyed vehicle (Martian rocket-science appears not to have mastered 'landing') and allow him to return to Mars with the technology needed to build an invasion fleet that can successfully land on Earth. Only hard-fisted and quick-witted G-man Craig Foster (Dennis Moore) and obligatory helpful/menaced dame Sheila Layton (Linda Stirling) can stop the malicious Martian and his treacherous human minions. As 'sci-fi' serials go, this 15-parter from Republic is pretty good. There are lots of chases, shootouts, and fist-fights and just about very episode produces a new scientific MacGuffin (rocket fuel, gas to replicate the Martian air, an atmosphere stabiliser, an meteor annihilator ray, etc.) that the Purple Monster needs to complete his nefarious plan and that Foster strives to keep him from obtaining. The 'science' in the fiction doesn't make much sense and there are a number of glaring plot holes (how does Professor Layton's corpse stay 'fresh' so long, why is getting Martian breathing air important when the Purple Monster has no problem breathing Earth's air) but the action is non-stop, well done and fun to watch Some cost-cutting typical of the studio's chapter-plays is apparent: only one 'Martian to human and back transition' scene was shot and the footage is reused ad nauseam, the same car is blown-up several times, the same footage is used for the arrival on Earth of The Purple Monster and the later arrival of his shapely but wicked Martian assistant Marcia (Mary More). There are several fights in each episode, often with Craig duking it out with the Monster himself and/or a couple of minions. The brawls are very energetic, well-choregraphed, full of smashed props, and everyone seems capable of absorbing impressive amounts of abuse without getting bloody (or even dirty) or losing their fedoras, even when sent flying backwards over tables. Although the action is bloodless the serial is a bit grim - numerous people are murdered or shot during fights and The Monster tests his annihilator ray by blowing up random cars on the local highway (not shown). Most of the cliff-hangers and their resolutions are nicely done (there is only one 'cheat' - the spikes about to impale Foster are much closer to him at the end of the episode than they are when he cleverly stops their advance at the beginning of the next episode). The cast is fine: Barcroft manages to be menacing despite wearing tights and Moore is fine as the heroic G-man whose prowess in fisticuffs and ability for making astute predictions based on minimal information are typical of the character-trope. Though a bit ridiculous at times, the serial takes itself reasonably seriously and is thankfully free of youthful sidekicks and comic relief. While not in the same league as the true space-opera-serials like 'Flash Gordon', 'The Purple Monster Strikes' is a entertaining sci-fi tinged adventure serial. No explanation is given as to why the Martian christens himself 'The Purple Monster' but it makes for a fun title.

A piece of trivia about the Purple Monster Strikes. The alien girl who comes to Earth to assist the Purple Monster (Roy Barcroft) was played by Mary Moore, who had been married to Clayton Moore, who was playing second leads and stunt man roles at Republic. Moore said in his biography that he and Mary were married 8/19/1940 and only stayed together for about a year. Apparently they were too focused on their careers at that time. At the time of separation, Moore said he had possession of the dog he had given to Mary and she wanted it back. When the dog did not respond to her calls, Moore said he paid her $25, which was what the dog cost when he bought it and she left the apartment. In 1945, she must have still been using her married name judging by the credits. In the fight scene she does with Linda Stirling, she was doubled by stuntwoman Polly Burson. A humorous anecdote about the serial was told by the star Roy Barcroft. Barcroft recalled having to "skinny down" his big frame to fit into the Purple Monster costume. At the time, he was living in the Los Angeles suburb of Jackson Heights. He referred to himself as "The Jerk in Tights from Jackson Heights." Regardless, this serial and Manhunt of Mystery Island (where he played the evil Captain Mephisto) are two of his best known and best loved serials for Republic.

When scientist Dr. Cyrus Layton (James Craven) witnesses a meteorite fall, he rushes to the area to investigate. What he finds is not a piece of space rock, but rather the crashed vehicle of a Martian. The otherworldly visitor introduces himself as the Purple Monster (Roy Barcroft), the first strike in an impending Martian invasion of the Earth. The Purple Monster says that the one thing the Martians lack is a safe, reusable rocket ship to travel back and forth between planets, and it seems Dr. Layton has just designed one. The Purple Monster possesses the body of Dr. Layton and, using an army of criminal henchmen led by Garrett (Bud Geary), he sets out to acquire the necessary materials to build a prototype rocket ship. The only people standing in his way are Dr. Layton's niece Sheila (Linda Stirling) and criminologist Craig Foster (Dennis Moore).

This ridiculous-yet-fun serial is rare in that the villain is the main character. I'm not sure why his name is "the Purple Monster". It seems like an odd name for somebody, even a Martian. In the second half of the serial, he sends for help from back home, and Marcia (Mary Moore) arrives to assist. That's right...Marcia the Martian. The Purple Monster has a variety of skills and weapons from Mars to help in his efforts, but he often just uses a revolver and his fists.

The hero of the piece, played by Dennis Moore, is bland and completely forgettable. Linda Stirling is easy on the eyes, but her acting isn't much. The movie was still enjoyable for the well-done action scenes, the groan-worthy cheats at the chapter breaks that alter prior events to save the protagonists, and for the camp sensibilities of the Purple Monster, his pal Marcia, and their boss, the Emperor of Mars. Serial enthusiasts may notice that much of this serial's footage was later reused in other serials of the late 40's and early 50's.

I first saw the entire fifteen chapters at the Fairbanks theater in Springfield,OH when I was 8 yrs. old. It scared the hell out of me. I saw it again at age 62, and couldn't believe that Dennis Moore beat up the same 4 guys in every episode. Nonetheless, it's a cool piece of cinema, and Roy Barcroft was the best bad guy there ever was.