Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The daredevils in Daredevils Of The Red Circle consist of three circus stuntman who when the little brother of one of them is killed in an arson fire on that circus. The circus is one of many things owned by millionaire Miles Mander and his old partner who Mander had sent to jail, Charles Middleton, is busy plotting to wreck and dismantle his fortune.The three heroes are Charles Quigley, David Sharpe, and Bruce Bennett under his real name of Herman Brix. Because they managed to save Mander's granddaughter Carole Landis, Landis gets the three of them hired by the millionaire to find out who's causing all the problems and to apprehend same.But this is a really deep conspiracy because Grandpa isn't who he seems. It turns out that Mander was kidnapped and Middleton is in the house impersonating him with the use of a lifelike mask and a good imitation of his voice. They've given out the cover story of a stroke and they have him behind this glass panel, rigged something Howard Hughes would later do for real.Our intrepid heroes get inside information about various plans of wrecking that Middleton has going and spend most of the 12 chapters foiling same. Why they didn't get a message out about Mander's situation is beyond me.Still it's the ultimate of inside conspiracies. The kids loved it back in the day, I'm sure its chapters played with whatever Gene Autry or Roy Rogers or whatever Republic cowboy feature film was coming out.It all looks so silly now though.

The daredevils/heroes are: Gene-- the brains of the outfit, Tiny – a gifted strongman, and Bert -- an agile escape artist. They are aided by Carole Landis who plays Blanche Grandville – the granddaughter of Horace Grandville whose multimillion dollar industrial complex is under attack by master criminal 39013. This film is twelve chapters of action packed cliff-hanging fun. I particularly liked the fact that these circa 1939 daredevils did almost all of their action scenes in double breasted three piece suits! The history of the major actors is quite interesting: Dave Sharpe,Bert, became an Army pilot during WWII and a major stuntman; having a long and celebrated career in the industry. He has been ranked with the great Yakima Canutt. Charles Quigley, Gene, had a good career but died of cirrhosis of the liver before he turned sixty. Bruce Bennet aka Herman Brix, who played Tiny, was a 1928 Olympic champion who went on to a very long career and lived to be over 100 years old. Carole Landis was 29 when she committed suicide. I bought this film because of the multitude of glowing reviews found on this forum. I was not disappointed!

I remember seeing this as an eight year old kid back at the Amo Theater in Detroit. I see it now every six months and it still thrills me to see the best of Republic at work. The principle actors are all most enjoyable. Charles Middleton is supurb once again as the nasty villan. The one episode that has really stuck with me all my 71 years is the outstanding tunnel scenes. Everytime I'm in San Francisco and take the BART under the Bay waters I think of that episode and get a little relived when I reach the other side. Al Guzman Las Vegas, NV

39013, an escaped convict, carries out his revenge on the man who put him in prison, by imprisoning Granville and impersonating him, with the aid of Granville's traitorous aides. When destroying all of Granville's holdings in order to ruin him, he burns down the Granville Amusement Center, which claims the life of the younger brother of one of three circus daredevils. The three daredevils then swear vengeance against 39013, and are hired by Granville to hunt him down, even though the impersonation is in effect. Brilliant plot, with the best chapter endings caught on film, especially one and eight, and one is probably the greatest of all, with Gene trying to outrace on motorcycle a torrent of water quickly filling up a tunnel. 12 chapters. In terms of serials, 10 out of 10.