A criminal mastermind known as The Crimson Ghost is out to steal a device called the Cyclotrode, which can short-circuit all electrical current on the planet.

The Crimson Ghost

Chapter 04: The Laughing Skull

Duncan, stop! Dr. Chambers sacrifices himself to save Duncan from the Cyclotrode trap! And somehow, Duncan escapes yet again. Meanwhile, the Crimson Ghost needs cash money, so he robs an armored car with the help of the Lil’ Cyclotrode. And did you see the gift Duncan receives at his office!? It’s the super-rare “A Message From The Crimson Ghost” 12″ LP test press. I wish I had that in my collection!! But Crimson Ghost, you fool! You used Chloratine and Duncan could smell it a mile away! He was only pretending to be knocked out and he’s heard every word you’ve said. But alas, another over-the-top fight breaks out and the Crimson Ghost escapes across an electric wire (but only after a Three Stooges-esque flower vase smashed over his head). And as Duncan follows, the Crimson Ghost dissolves the wire before Duncan can reach the end…

One of the most entertaining serials to be released by Republic Pictures, this mystery employed yet another inscrutable invention, a counter atomic device known as Cyclotrode X, sought after by yet another cloaked villain, The Crimson Ghost of the title. But just like the well-known criminologist Duncan Richards (Charles Quigley) and his lovely assistant Diana Farnsworth (Linda Stirling), the Saturday Matinee kids had a tough job spotting the person hiding behind the hideous disguise. The studio took no chances this time and ingeniously cast stunt-man Bud Geary to embody the villain while several actors supplied the voice, including I. Stanford Jolley, whose role was minor but who received fourth-billing and was therefore highly suspect. When The Crimson Ghost was unmasked in the 12th and final chapter, he proved to be yet another actor, Joseph Forte, who had enacted a character seemingly above suspicion. Instead of feeling cheated, however, the young target audience subconsciously enjoyed the above-average writing and fine direction by the talented William Witney and Fred C. Brannon, and no one complained. Quigley and Stirling were at the top of their serial game, and to the bemused surprise of more recent viewers, television’s Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, played one of the master villain’s henchmen, a cold-hearted gangster. The Crimson Ghost was also released in an edited feature version, retitled Cyclotrode. In 1966, yet another edited version was given the title Cyclotrode X.

Cast and Crew:

* Charles Quigley
* Linda Stirling
* Clayton Moore

# Writers: Albert DeMond, Basil Dickey

# Director: Fred C. Brannon, William Witney

Production Company: Republic Pictures
Original Air Date: 1946
Audio & Video: Mono – Released in Black and White (Colorized version)

Additional details in:

The Crimson Ghost in IMDB | The Crimson Ghost in Wikipedia

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