Manhunt Of Mystery Island

Turning into Roy Barcroft
Richard Bailey didn't cut the most heroic figure among Republic's serial heroes, and his voice sounds a tad on the sissy side. But he was built like stuntman Tom Steele which is what counts, because Steele made his character look like quite a battler. Even so, heroine Linda Stirling saves the life of Bailey's criminologist character about as many times as vice versa in this exciting chapter-play, about one of a group of suspects on an island who has developed a Frankenstein-like spark-throwing transformation machine which can literally turn him into another person, the physical personification of his pirate ancestor, played by Roy Barcroft. It is said that this was one of Barcroft's favorite roles, because it was something different from western heavies. Indeed it was, and Barcroft revels in it.

Great Serial to enjoy...
This serial is a good one in that it stars the great Roy Barcoft as the villian. Followers of serials know that he was one of the best and gives a first rate performance here.

Out, Out, Damn Jacket!
Why Richard Bailey? Maybe all the good leading men hadn't come back from World War Two yet. And why that ugly checked jacket? After spending the wardrobe budget on Captain Mephisto's bellbottoms, they probably had to get Bailey's jacket at Goodwill. Heck, in most of his fights his jacket doesn't even become unbuttoned and his hat doesn't fall off!

The undistinguished Bailey plays distinguished criminologist Lance Reardon, who helps Claire Forrest, played by serial queen Linda Stirling, search the island for her scientist father. Professor Forrest is a prisoner of Captain Mephisto, an 18th century pirate who has invented a machine which turns him into one of his four descendants who inhabit an island--or maybe it's the other way around. Anyway, Mephisto is played by one of the all-time popular baddies, Roy Barcroft. Barcroft is much better in this role than he was as the title character in "The Purple Monster Strikes," which he made in the same year (maybe the...

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