The Torpedo of Doom (1938)

Genres - Action, Adventure  |   Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein

The United States Marine Corps. became the focus of this typical Republic Pictures serial directed by two of the best in the business, William Witney and John English. The villain was yet another cloaked figure -- this time an inventor whose contribution to mankind was a weapon capable of discharging huge amounts of electricity from an airplane -- known only as "The Lightning." A group of alarmed scientists attempt to develop a countermeasure to the diabolical machine, and the government assigns a couple of marine lieutenants (Lee Powell and Herman Brix) to track down the master criminal. Both relative newcomers, Powell and Brix also co-starred in the year's most popular serial, The Lone Ranger. The former, sadly, lost his life in World War II, while Brix later signed with Warner Bros. and became a well-known second-lead under the name Bruce Bennett. To keep the audience guessing, Witney and English cast Lester Dorr as "The Lightning" when in costume and had Edwin Stanley furnishing his voice. Hugh Sothern played the villain's alter ego, the seemingly upstanding Ben Warfield. Fighting Devil Dogs was also released in an edited feature version, The Torpedo of Doom.

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Keywords

bad-guy, good-guy, good-vs-evil, mad-scientist, Marines, Superhero