The Fighting Marines (1935)

Directors:

B. Reeves Eason
Joseph Kane

Writers:

Wallace MacDonald (story) &
Maurice Geraghty (story) ...

Release Date:

23 November 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

THE DEVIL-DOGS OF THE AIR! THE SHOCK TROOPERS OF LAND! THE G-MEN OF THE SEA! (original poster-all caps)

Plot:

Corporal Larry Grant and Sergeant "Mac" McGowan, of the Uniteed States Marine Corps, are rival for the love of Frances Schiller...

Plot Keywords:

US Marine | Island | Held At Gunpoint | Ambush | Stock Footage

Cast

Grant Withers	...	Cpl. Larry Lawrernce
Adrian Morris	...	Sgt. Mack McGowan
Ann Rutherford	...	Frances Schiller
Robert Warwick	...	Col. W. R. Bennett
George J. Lewis	...	Sgt. William Schiller [Chs. 1-4] (as George Lewis)
Pat O'Malley	...	Capt. Grayson [Ch. 1]
Victor Potel	...	Hench - Fake Native Chief, Ch. 12
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Kota (as Jason Robards)
Warner Richmond	...	Henchman Metcalf
Robert Frazer	...	H. R. Douglas
J. Frank Glendon	...	M. J. Buchanan (as Frank Glendon)
Donald Reed	...	Henchman Pedro
Max Wagner	...	Henchman Gibson
Richard Alexander	...	Henchman Ivan [Chs. 1-4, 7-9]
Tom London	...	Miller, Hench M-90

Runtime:

216 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved

Company:

Mascot Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: - 1. Human Targets - 2. Isle of Missing Men - 3. Savage Horde - 4. Mark of the Tiger Shark - 5. Gauntlet of Grief - 6. Robber's Roost - 7. Jungle Terrors - 8. Siege of Halfway Island - 9. Death From the Sky - 10.Wheels of Destruction - 11.Behind the Mask - 12.Two Against the Horde

Movie Connections:

Featured in Horrible Horror (1986) (V)

There Was a Lot of Fighting

The Marines, out of their San Diego base, are working on construction of a landing strip for their planes on Halfway Island in the pacific. Their efforts are being sabotaged on the island by a group headed by a masked criminal calling himself the Tiger Shark. Sgt. Schiller invents a gyrocompass which would pinpoint the where on the San Diego-Halfway Island route the planes are being brought down, but is kidnapped by the Tiger Shark's men in order to learn the secrets of the instrument. Cpl. Lawrence and Sgt. McGowan go after to rescue Schiller and stop the sabotage on the island, while trying to avoid the danger set by the Tiger Shark. It seemed like a decent serial on paper, but this serial drags on for long periods, with many time consuming chapter replays. Withers and Morris have great teamwork together which gives these characters personality. Ann Rutherford is absent for long spells, which doesn't give this serial a good heroine. The Tiger Shark is unfortunately an unmenacing villain, who is basically seen only in the last couple of chapters and given an identity easy to figure out (true to the Mascot formula in this regard), since Mascot didn't work much on the red herrings. Plenty of action and fights, but not enough. Rating, based on serials, 4.5