The Spy Smasher serial follows a quite rigid formula. Each installment ends in a cliffhanger, the next one starts with how Spy Smasher gets out of the pickle he was in. He chases his enemies to a new location, fights them there, and stops their plan. Then he learns of a new plot, goes to where the bad guys are, and lands in a pickle (which is the next cliffhanger).Having such a formula is not in itself a bad thing, as you can do lots of variation within it. But it is difficult to keep the excitement for 12 installments, when all of them are so similar. Spy smasher does not manage this, and could easily have been shortened to five episodes, and be all the better for it.At its best, Spy Smasher has some great stunts and fights, fun twists and enjoyable cliff hangers. At its worst, the fights and twists feels like they are obligatory rather than meant to serve a purpose. The fight scenes are all quite similar, in that it revolves around men throwing themselves at each other, falling over furniture and more often than not running up or down a staircase. The locations differ, leading to an opportunity for different stunts each place.This is probably common in serials like these, but in almost all of the cliffhangers, they cheat. Meaning that what they show in the end of one episode does not match how the next episode begins. Some of them are quite fun despite this. The last cliffhanger (chapter 11) does not cheat like this, but is instead one of the highlights of the whole serial.If you are curious about the old serials, this is a good place to start, as it is mostly very fun. It is just too bad that they had to make so many installments, as it weakens the over all experience.

This movie earns its 3 for lousy writing, poor technical merit and continuity problems. Some people have given this movie a 10--and perhaps that is okay if you are simply scoring it for its fun factor. However, technically this is an inept movie serial from start to finish--produced by 3rd-rate writers, actors and crew. That really was true of nearly all the serials because they were meant as low-brow entertainment particularly aimed at the kids. And there's nothing wrong with that, but "high art" it ain't!! Spy Smasher earns a lower than average score compared to other serials because it is of even lower quality and has MAJOR continuity problems--even for a serial. It was common for a serial to have a "cliff hanger"--i.e., a moment at the end of the episode that looked as if the good guy dies but miraculously survives when the next episode began. BUT, in this film, it's much hokier and ridiculous. You would literally SEE the hero die in the last episode, but in the next, they re-shot the scene and showed he actually DIDN'T die (even though they clearly showed him buy the farm in the last one)! Again and again in SPY SMASHER he seems to die but in the next episode they show it from a different angle and he somehow avoided death--even if he fell 1500 feet into a river, fell into a buzz saw or whatever.Watch this movie not for its quality but either for a good laugh or to learn what it was like to go to the movies on Saturday mornings decades ago.By the way, a heavily edited version of this film was released in 1966 as a full-length film. Almost 2/3 of the original film was tossed but the new product did make more sense and lacked the impossible escapes that made the original laughable at times. Well worth seeing if you don't want to devote 3 1/2 hours to seeing the entire serial.

The Movie Serial, at least since the advent of sound, has always been considered a sort of poor relative of the feature, if not an out and out bastard cousin. They were always sort of viewed with the cartoons as being strictly made for the Matinée, the juvenile trade. As a result, there really is no "CITIZEN KANE" of Serials. SPY SMASHER comes close.To be sure,it is a product of Republic Pictures' "thrill factory"*, and has plenty of stock footage of explosions, fires, floods and other assorted calamities through out.All of these are skillfully woven into the final product. It still has a bright, vital out of doors look;as well as convincing indoor sets. It also has an excellent cast which is headed by energetic,athletic Kane Richmond. Next to Buster Crabbe, Mr. Richmond is probably the best leading man in the Sound Serials. He was also prolific,having been in several other serials.We have over 100 Serials in VHS or DVD formats in our household.This one is a top notch film,period. See it, but don't expect any 'Camp Humor". It's just not there.**NOTE* Republic adapted it from the popular comic book feature appearing in WHIZ COMICS. It was property of Fawcett Publications, whose CAPTAIN MARVEL was previously brought to the screen by Republc, in 1941.NOTE **See also SPY SMASHER RETURNS (1966), the edited-down feature version made for Television.

I do so love to watch professionals at work.When you watch "Spy Smasher," you see a genre and a studio at the top of their form. Everything in this serial clicks and hums along like a well-oiled machine. The plot is exciting and as logical as it need be, the music fast and inspiring, the cliffhangers harrowing, and the acting professional and dead-on. It's Republic Studios at the height of their game, ancestor to the big action flicks of today, and sheer pleasure to watch.