Starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross, Dorothy Christy, Wheeler Oakman
Directed by Otto Brower & Breezy Easton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Singing cowboy Gene Autry puts on a daily radio show at his ranch, unaware that he's in close proximity to the entrance of an ancient underground civilization.
Mixing western adventure and science fiction, this movie serial has always had to have been a surprise to anyone who's discovered it, (myself included several years ago), but there's no discounting the fact that it's entertaining and well-assembled, with surprisingly good art direction depicting the underground city of Murania. Robot laborers, a missile launcher, devices that kill with electricity and restore life to the dead, and a giant television screen that allows Murania's queen (Christy) to spy on the upper world offer plenty to take notice of in the secret kingdom. Autry and his charming young proteges, Darro & Ross, give the kids in the audience heroes to root for, and despite Autry being framed for murder, he still manages to find a way to broadcast a number of songs while on the run from the law. Despite all that, the serial could really use a music score to heighten excitement, and add accompaniment to the many chase sequences. Nevertheless, it's a solid piece of entertainment.
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