Undersea Kingdom (1936)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Directors:

B. Reeves Eason
Joseph Kane

Writers:

Tracy Knight (story) and
John Rathmell (story) ...

Release Date:

30 May 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

BATTLING UNKNOWN TERRORS IN A LAND OF PERIL UNDER THE OCEAN'S FLOOR! (original 1936 poster)

Plot:

Crash Corrigan, a recent graduate of Annapolis, and Diana, a go-getting reporter, join Professor Norton...

Plot Keywords:

Atlantis | Professor | Earthquake | Submarine | Escape

Cast

Ray Corrigan	...	Crash Corrigan (as Ray 'Crash' Corrigan)
Lois Wilde	...	Diana Compton
Monte Blue	...	Unga Khan
William Farnum	...	Sharad
Boothe Howard	...	Ditmar
Raymond Hatton	...	Gasspon
C. Montague Shaw	...	Prof. Norton
Lee Van Atta	...	Billy Norton
Smiley Burnette	...	Briny Deep
Frankie Marvin	...	Salty
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Capt. Hakur
Lane Chandler	...	Darius
Jack Mulhall	...	Lt. Andrews [Chs. 1, 12]
John Bradford	...	Joe [Ch. 1]
Malcolm McGregor	...	Zogg

Runtime:

226 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Finland:K-12 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

The serial was completed in 25 days.

Goofs:

Continuity: Crash Corrigan and Billy refer to the Volkites and the Juggernaut by name before ever making contact with anyone from Atlantis.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[flexing muscles during a Naval Academy physical]
Crash Corrigan: How 'bout it, Doc. Do you think I'll live?
Navy Doctor [Ch. 1]: You look kind of weak and puny, but I think you'll pull through.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Muppet Babies: Journey to the Center of the Nursery (#4.5)" (1987)

Even The Lydecker Aircraft Can't Save This Turkey

Despite being born in 1966, I have actually seen about 20 old time movie serials in my time, the ones made in the 1940s and 1950s actually stand the test of time rather well, but this one, dating back to 1936, is just a bit too old for me.

From the first frames, it has 1930s written all over it, from the clothing to the acting to general look of the production.

Being a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea nutcase, I was actually looking forward to seeing some Voyage/Sea-ish submarine miniature effects from the Lydeckers (Howard Lydecker created effects for Voyage/Sea) but The Undersea Kingdom submarine looks ugly.

Then again, one later chapter features a fancy aircraft, flying in daylight, that resembles much later effects that Howard would do for Irwin Allen TV.

Sorry folks, this serial just does not cut it for me, in fact, I destroyed the video tape. Maybe I am just too young for it?