The Phantom Empire (1935)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Otto Brower
B. Reeves Eason

Writers:

Wallace MacDonald (story) &
Gerald Geraghty (story) ...

Release Date:

23 February 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Sci-Fi | Western | Family

Tagline:

A Nation 20,000 Feet Underground

Plot:

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea...

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Radium | Death Ray | Contract | Radio Show

Cast

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Frankie Darro	...	Frankie Baxter
Betsy King Ross	...	Betsy Baxter
Dorothy Christy	...	Queen Tika
Wheeler Oakman	...	Argo (Muranian High Chancellor)
Charles K. French	...	Mal
Warner Richmond	...	Rab
J. Frank Glendon	...	Professor Beetson (as Frank Glendon)
Smiley Burnette	...	Oscar (as Lester 'Smiley' Burnett)
Peter Potter	...	Pete (as William Moore)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Cooper (as Edward Piel, Sr.)
Jack Carlyle	...	Saunders

Also Known As:

Gene Autry and the Phantom Empire

Runtime:

245 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Mascot Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: - 1. The Singing Cowboy - 2. The Thunder Riders - 3. The Lightning Chamber - 4. Phantom Broadcast - 5. Beneath the Earth - 6. Disaster From the Skies - 7. From Death to Life - 8. Jaws of Jeopardy - 9. Prisoners of the Ray - 10.The Rebellion - 11.A Queen in Chains - 12.The End of Murania

Quotes:

Queen Tika: Gene Autry! How do you like our world?
Gene Autry: I think the dampness and dead air of your land is more suited for rats and moles.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Horrible Horror (1986) (V)

The queen and the singing cowboy

"The Phantom Empire" is a unique genre mixture of western, SF, musical and adventure serial. Gene Autry, the singing cowboy, discovers Murania, an underground kingdom whose queen sends her whole army after him so he won't tell the "surface people" about the existence of her secret empire. Because a serial with 12 parts needs a few complications, there is a conspiracy against the queen. The rebels need to silence Autry because he knows their plans, but Autry is also in danger from "surface people" who wouldn't stop at anything to get hold of the valuable radium in Murania. Thus chased by everyone, the most important thing to our hero is nevertheless to be at the radio station in time for the 2 pm broadcast! Hilarious fun with clumsy bucket-head robots, ray guns and country songs, a must for fans of 30s serials.