Todd’s Serial Blog

Unfortunately all actors grow old and there comes a time when it is obvious that they can’t do on screen what they use to do, such as Sean Connery in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).  For the silent superstar Rin-Tin-Tin, that film was Mascot’s serial The Lightning Warrior (1931).

The film opens with the settlers in an unnamed western town being menaced by a mysterious mask villain called The Wolf Man, who is sending notes warning all of the white settlers to leave or else they will be killed by Indians. After the latest note, Sheriff Brown (Pat O’Malley) goes out to look for these maurading warriors.

Meanwhile, up in the mountains, young Jimmy Carter (Frankie Darro) and his father (Hayden Stevenson) are fishing, when the older man is shot and killed by an arrow.  Jimmy runs to get help and finds a cabin.  Venturing inside, he discovers a dead man.  While Jimmy is looking over the dead man, the cloaked Wolf Man locks him in the room with it.  Preparing to leave the villain spots a message chalked on the floor saying the report is in Rinty’s collar.  The Wolf Man rubs out the message before leaving.

Rinty (Rin-Tin-Tin) returns and hears Jimmy calling for help.  He lets the boy out and finds his dead master.  Hearing something outside, the faithful dog puts off mourning and investigates.  Spotting drifter LaFarge lurking outside (Theodore Lorch), Rinty jumps out a window and gives chase.  Running the man into the arms of the Sheriff, LaFarge is promptly arrested when the lawman hears Jimmy’s story.

Coming upon this scene is Alan Scott (George Brent), who Rinty seems to know.  He volunteers to bring in the body for the Sheriff.  Back in town, while the Sheriff is locking up LaFarge, henchman Wells (Bob Kortman) tries to steal Rinty’s collar.  Rinty leaps to the attack and chomps on Wells’ arm.  Alan hears the struggle and beats up Wells, telling him to leave his dog alone.

Later up in his hotel room, Alan tells Jimmy, who the older man has taken under his wing, that he is a Federal Agent assigned to look into the Indian attacks.  The dead man was Alan’s brother who was working undercover.  This is overheard by The Wolf Man, who was skulking outside.

The Sheriff’s daughter Dianne (Georgia Hale) visits the jail.  It turns out that Dianne is actually LaFarge’s daughter, but was raised by the Sheriff when LaFarge was convicted of murdering his mining partner.  LaFarge has always maintained his innocence and escaped jail to prove it.  Though Dianne believes LaFarge is innocent, the Sheriff doesn’t and is openly hostile to the man, making arrangements to send him back to prison. That night The Wolf Man helps LaFarge escape from jail, and then frames him for the murder of the deputy on guard after the man is gone.

The Sheriff has no time to get together a posse as another note arrives saying that because they won’t leave “their land”, the Indians will take it back by force.  The note has barely been read before a horde of attacking braves come riding in over the hills.  The Sheriff has everyone head for the old abandoned mine in the hills.

The entire town hightails to the safety of the mine in wagons and on horses.  Dianne’s wagon is attacked.  Alan rides up on his horse and leaps aboard the wagon, battling with the knife weilding brave.  The horses break loose and the now free rolling wagon goes over a cliff……………

This is one of Macot’s best serials.  A fast paced action film with lots of great stunts by Yakima Canutt doubling for star Brent.  The mystery is really good, with three suspects; The Sheriff who seems to work against the hero catching any bad guys, rich townsman Hayden played by Lafe McKee, who is openly hostile to the hero and constantly ridiculing him, and Frank Lanning’s Indian George, a half breed who may or may not be the leader of the attacking Indians.

The Wolf Man’s costume is a big bulky cloak and floppy hat pulled down low.  It looks like it was reused as The Rattler’s costume in Mystery Mountain (1934), and the look is a precursor to the masked and robed mystery villains that Republic would use in the thirties and forties.  The voice sounds like McKee’s.

As I stated in the opening, this was the original Rin-Tin-Tin’s final film, after this Rin-Tin-Tin, Jr. would pick up the mantle in subsequent serials, movies and Rin-Tin-Tin III would go on to TV.  But none of the ones who followed had that something that Rinty had.  He is fascinating to watch in closeups and you can see those amazing eyes he had and that almost humanly expresive face. You can see why he became a star.  Sadly you can also see he was getting two old.  It is obvious he is being doubled in all of the action sequences, the double’s face is lighter toned than Rinty’s.  And it is painful to watch scenes with Rinty doing simple things like just walking as his legs are stiff and wobbly.  Though a trooper who gave it his best shot, watching him slowly make his way up a slight incline with the rest of the cast brings tears to your eyes, as he is in obvious pain.

Brent is a virile hero, showing off those acting chops that would make him a popular leading man in just a few years.  My only complaint is that while he is suitibly tough commanding in the role, he comes off a little too smug at times, as if he is better than the material and wants you to know it.

Georgia Hale is okay as the heroine, ginving a low key performance.  Lafe McKee is his usual blustery self, doing a lot of suitibly sinister glances to the side in the early chapters.  Bob Kortman gives a great sly and smirky performance as the main henchman, and is a nice change from the brutal and sneering portrayals he would do later in the thirties.

Theodore Lorch is hammy as the pseudo villain.  He is so over the top with his ranting that he comes off as a rival to the mystery villain, the only thing missing is a manical laugh. He also commits more crimes in his attempts to exonerate himself, including trying to kill the hero several times, that it makes his good guy turn at the serial’s end feel phony.

The best performance in the serial is by Frankie Darro.  He is a plucky, intelligent and enthusiactic kid sidekick.  His best scene is his tearfully holding his dying father in his arms and then his scared investigation of the dead man in the dark cabin.  Darro was a true acting treasure and it is a shame he never became a big star in adulthood.

Tags: Reviews //