Consume All Media! Spy Smasher: "Chapter One: America Beware"

Joe Heath is a big fan of comic books and watching things in order. So they made this spreadsheet containing every serial, short, film, television episode, commercial, motion comic, and web series based on a comic book. Now they’re watching them all. Previously, Joe watched a Superman animated short about a really cool car. This time, they smash some spies.

Spy Smasher

Film Info

Release date: April 4th, 1942

Studio: Republic Pictures

Written by Ronald Davidson, Norman S. Hall, William Lively, Joseph O'Donnell, & Joseph Poland

Based on the Fawcett Comics* character Spy Smasher created by Bill Parker & C.C. Beck

Produced by William J. O'Sullivan

Directed by William Witney

*Rights later obtained by DC Comics.

Writer Highlights

Comic Creator Highlights

Director Highlights

Following up on the success of the Adventures of Captain Marvel serial, Republic Pictures brought along most of the same creative team to adapt another Fawcett Comics character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck... Alan Armstrong AKA… Spy Smasher!

The character was eventually reimagined in 2007 as Katarina Armstrong, an antagonist in the Birds of Prey comics.

On television, the original Spy Smasher briefly appeared in the 2005 Justice League Unlimited episode “Patriot Act” voiced by Nathan Fillion.

But we’ll get there someday. For now, let us look at the 1942 serial in a little bit more detail.

Spy Smasher: “Chapter One: America Beware” - 28:33 (Available on YouTube)

After the opening credits set to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, this serial dives immediately into the action! No time for an origin story here! In German occupied Paris, Spy Smasher (Kane Richmond) is caught stealing information from Nazi headquarters.

Actor Highlights

Kane Richmond (1906-1973)

Other memorable credits: Portrayed Lamont Cranston in three 1946 films based on the popular pulp character The Shadow.

The head of the gestapo reveals that the information Spy Smasher was attempting to steal was communication about a plan to flood the US with counterfeit money. He’s worried that Spy Smasher might have been able to get some of this information out, so he’s going to go to the US to warn the man for whom this information was intended… The Mask (Hans Schumm). (No, not the Dark Horse character.)

Not pictured: A mask.

Actor Highlights

Hans Schumm (1896-1990)

Other interesting facts: Schumm was a German actor who portrayed many Nazis throughout his career. He was also a part of The Continental Players, a group that aimed to help European actors make their way in Hollywood, especially Jewish exiles from Germany and Austria.

After being tortured and refusing to give up any information, Spy Smasher is ordered to be executed. He is shot in a firing range and put in a box.

Wow. That was quick.

But it turns out Spy Smasher’s execution was faked.

Capt. Pierre Durand (Franco Corsaro), not only helps stage the fake execution, but then helps smuggle Spy Smasher out of the country.

Later on a train in the United States, the head of the gestapo bumps into the man he just recently saw executed. They immediately get into a fight.

Then… while they are fighting down below... Spy Smasher jumps on top of the train???

At this point, I was very confused. But don’t worry. It gets cleared up in a second.

Spy Smasher saves the guy I thought was Spy Smasher by throwing the Nazi off of the train.

I’m not including this on the kill count, because it’s possible someone could survive falling off of a train, right?

Spy Smasher reveals that he is Alan Armstrong, the presumed dead twin brother of the other man, Jack Armstrong (also played by Kane Richmond and a not always well-hidden stand-in).

Alan faked his death and took the alias of Spy Smasher to better fight the Nazis.

Jack catches Alan up on his life and says that he’s engaged to an admiral’s daughter, Eve Corby (Marguerite Chapman).

In the comics, Eve Corby is instead Alan’s girlfriend. Probably due to the fact that Jack isn’t in the comics and was created specifically for this serial.

Jack explains that he was on his way to visit Eve and her father. This worries Alan and they charter a plane at the next stop to get there faster.

But it’s too late. Some henchmen have already beaten them there. They force Admiral Corby (Sam Flint) to open his safe and give them what’s inside.

Actor Highlights

Sam Flint (1882-1980)

Other comic book media credits: Dr. G.H. Borden in Batman (1943) and various roles in two episodes of Adventures of Superman (1952-53)

Admiral Corby is also from the comics and provided assistance to (and received a lot of assistance from) Spy Smasher.

Spy Smasher parachutes out of a plane and rushes in to fight the bad guys. During a shootout, one of the bad guys drops the briefcase with the stolen goods and they all drive away empty-handed.

Alan brings Corby back his stolen goods and is mistaken for Jack. He doesn’t dissuade them from this mistake, even after Eve kisses him.

Admiral Corby tells him that the papers he returned are mine charts for Shark Bay. The Admiral tells Jack he’s going to swear him in as an operative.

Alan asks if he can borrow a car to go to his apartment and change clothes. At the apartment, he updates Jack (but not about the kiss) and says Shark Bay would be a good place to smuggle in counterfeit money. They leave to check it out.

In a U-boat, we finally meet the Mask, who calls in to his henchmen to tell them where to pick up the money.

Pictured: THE MASK!

The Mask is the first comic book villain to make his way onto the screen! Though by the time this serial was released, in the comics Spy Smasher had finally caught and killed The Mask. (Sorry, that doesn’t go in the kill count either.)

The Mask’s henchmen get in a boat and retrieve buoys full of counterfeit money, but are caught by Alan and Jack (also in a boat, if that wasn’t obvious).

Jack scoops up one of the buoys and a gunfight begins. Jack shoots one of the henchmen, but Jack doesn’t get a kill count. Only Spy Smasher. Sorry, Jack.

The remaining henchmen throw a net into the propeller of Alan’s boat and they get away. They hide the money in a secret underground lair.

Spy Smasher follows their trail and finds a cigar wrapper one of them left behind in their boat. It conveniently has the name of a nearby café on it.

Jack takes the buoy to Admiral Corby while Alan stakes out the café. At the café, Alan catches a litterbug dropping his cigar wrapper and follows him into a secret entryway phone booth.

Sadly, he doesn’t change outfits in it. That would have been something, huh?

He calls in to Admiral Corby and fills him in on the situation. Then he changes into Spy Smasher OUTSIDE of the phone booth. So close.

Spy Smasher gets into a big fight with the henchmen. A couple of the henchmen escape through a tunnel and Spy Smasher chases them. Before they exit, they explode a conveniently placed tank of fuel. Spy Smasher is forced to flee from the oncoming fire on a mine cart that inconveniently has grenades in the back of it.

The fire catches up to the cart, exploding the grenades.

Should you watch it, though? I love how it just immediately drops you in without explaining anything about Spy Smasher. He’s just Spy Smasher. He smashes spies. And despite this being only the second serial ever based on a comic, it still managed to subvert my expectations. The fast beginning, the fake out execution, and the twin brother are all things that surprised me. Besides that, the fight scene in the underground lair is a blast to watch. This serial is starting strong!

Tune in next time for Spy Smasher "Chapter Two: Human Target" (Available on YouTube.)

A version of this article was previously published on The Dipp.

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