The Vanishing Shadow

The Vanishing Shadow
The Vanishing Shadow
	Original serial lobby card
Directed by	Lew Landers
Written by	Basil Dickey; George Morgan; Ella O'Neill; Het Mannheim
Produced by	Henry MacRae
Cinematography	Richard Fryer
Edited by	Saul A. Goodkind (supervisor); Alvin Todd; Edward Todd
Music by	Edward Ward
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	April 13, 1934;
Running time	12 chapters (242 min)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Vanishing Shadow, Chapter 1

The Vanishing Shadow is a 1934 Universal science fiction film serial directed by Lew Landers.^[2] It features what is believed to be the first appearance of a hand-held ray gun in film.^[3] (apart from The Death Ray). Many science fiction gadgets, including a robot and The Destroying Ray, are also featured in the serial.

Plot

Stanley Stanfield is the inventor of the Vanishing Ray, a wearable device which, when active, leaves only the user's shadow still visible. After meeting with fellow scientist, Carl Van Dorn, a prototype Ray is built. Stanley intends to sell bonds to finance his invention. He inherited them from his late father, the publisher and editor of the local Tribune newspaper, but the stockbroker he meets is corruptly involved with Wade Barnett, the businessman who hounded Stanley's father to his death. Barnett wants the bonds and will go to any length to acquire them. A conflict ensues between Stanley and Barnett during the 12 chapter serial. However, Stanley's new girlfriend, Gloria Grant, is really Gloria Barnett, his enemy's estranged daughter. Neither hero nor villain wants to see Gloria hurt and must work around this motive in their on-going struggle.

Dorgan, Barnett's "spear-point heavy", is unhappy with having to hold back to protect Gloria. Eventually, he captures both Stanley and Gloria, but blackmails his boss to ensure her safety. Barnett turns up with both the ransom money and the police, but he is shot in the ensuing fight. Before dying, he makes his peace with his daughter. Gloria and Stanley finally marry and take over operation of the Tribune.

Cast

Onslow Stevens as Stanley Stanfield, inventor of the Vanishing Ray and son of the late editor of the Tribune newspaper.
Ada Ince as Gloria Grant, Stanfield's girlfriend, who is also the estranged daughter of Wade Barnett, having changed her name from the original Gloria Barnett.
James Durkin as Carl Van Dorn, mad scientist ally of Stanfield
Walter Miller as Wade Barnett, villainous businessman
Richard Cramer as Dorgan, Barnett's spear-point heavy
Edmund Cobb as Kent, one of Barnett's henchman
Monte Montague as Badger, one of Barnett's henchman
Al Ferguson as Stroud, one of Barnett's henchman
Sidney Bracey as Denny, Barnett's office clerk
J. Frank Glendon as John Cadwell, stockbroker
William Desmond as Editor MacDonald
Beulah Hutton as Sal, a gun moll
Lee J. Cobb as Roadwork Foreman in chapters 3 and 4. This was Cobb's first appearance in films

Chapter titles

Accused of Murder
The Destroying Ray
The Avalanche
Trapped
Hurled from the Sky
Chain Lightning
The Tragic Crash
The Shadow of Death
Blazing Bulkheads
The Iron Death
The Juggernaut
Retribution

_Source:^[4]

Availability

In his 1998 book on science fiction film serials, Roy Kinnard noted that the serial was difficult to assess as no print of it appeared to have survived.^[5] A 35mm nitrate preview trailer containing three minutes of the serial was held by the George Eastman House archive in Rochester, New York. It was unavailable in 1998 for screening, due to it never having been transferred to safety film stock.^[5] In 2010 all 12 Chapters of the serial were made available for viewing on YouTube. In August 2019, it was released on DVD by VCI 2019.^[6]

References

^ "Port Chester—STAGE—Westchester—SCREEN—Metropolis". The Port Chester Daily Item. April 14, 1934. p. 9.
^ Kinnard, Roy (1998). Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF Cliffhangers. McFarland & Co. p. 11. ISBN 978-0786437450.
^ "San Francisco Museums".
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 210. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
^ ^a ^b Kinnard 1998, p. 13.
^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "(1934) The Vanishing Shadow Chap 01 Part 1 of 2". YouTube.