Volume 12 , Issue 28

Remembering Phantom Empire Serial

Roy submitted this information concerning a serial, The Phantom Empire, that Gene Autry made using his real name. I had watched this serial at Putnam City Elementary school when I was in the 5th grade. They played a chapter each week, in addition to a classic feature such as: "Young Tom Edison", "Alexander Graham Bell", etc. and charged each child 5 cents to see the films.

"It is the only serial that Gene Autry ever made, and he went by his own name in it. I had forgotten that Smiley Burnett was in it too. Did you know that both of Smiley's parents were Christian Church preachers? I have a book of songs that he published and it shows him and his wife on his motor scooter at their small ranch in California. He'd already written and performed over a hundred songs at that time. Later I heard him telling the story (on a live show that we did at Channel Nine, KWTV) about how he was strumming his guitar (he played dozens of instruments) while riding in the back of Gene Autry's convertible and he asked Gene if he'd like to buy a song for just a dollar? Of course Gene said yes and the song was "Riding Along In A Canyon", another of Gene's hits.

"I would love to have a copy of this serial to add to my collection. I have several serials (on VHS tape and DVDs) of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s in my collection. Many of them are copies of the ones we played at the Britton Theatre."

The Phanton Empire was a 1935 serial with 12 chapters, directed by Otto Brower, B. Reeves Eason; Music by Arthur Kay, director; Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette singing the songs.



It Starred Gene Autry as himself; Frankie Darro as Frankie Baxter; Betsy King Ross as Betsy Baxter; Dorothy Christie as Queen Tika; Wheeler Oakman as Lord Argo; Lester "Smiley" Burnette as Oscar.

As the stroyline goes, Cowboy Gene Autry has no idea what's in store for him as he sings "Uncle Noah's Ark" cheerfully on his daily Radio Ranch program broadcast -- he and his young friends Frankie and Betsy are about to embark on some of the most amazing adventures in serialdom.

You see, not only do some crooked scientists plan to run him off the property to gain the rich radium deposits on the ranch, there's a whole underground civilization that's ticked about getting awakened in the middle of the afternoon by his singing -- and determined that no "surface people" discover the secret cave entrance to their "scientific city."

Frankie and Betsy have seen the mysterious helmeted "Thunder Riders" with their own eyes, and heard the ominous rumble of their horses, and decided to create their own national Junior Thunder Riders' Club in their honor. The gesture isn't appreciated, though, as Gene, Frankie, and Betsy are mistreated again and again by Queen Tika and her men, who detest the selfish, violent ways of the surface people.

Finally, all three must escape imprisonment, giant ray cannons and even execution to save each other from the Queen's vengeance.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---