King of the Texas Rangers (1941)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

John English
William Witney

Writers:

Ronald Davidson (original screenplay)
Norman S. Hall (original screenplay)

Release Date:

4 October 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Western

Tagline:

FROM KING OF THE GRIDIRON TO KING OF SERIAL STARS! This amazing hero of might and brawn now brings to the screen the powerful slashing, smashing attack that gave him immortal fame on the football field! (original release)

Plot Keywords:

Serial | Sabotage | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Sammy Baugh	...	Ranger Tom King Jr. (as Slingin' Sammy Baugh)
Neil Hamilton	...	John Barton / Felix Hauptman
Pauline Moore	...	Sally Crane
Duncan Renaldo	...	Lt. Pedro Garcia
Charles Trowbridge	...	Mr. Robert Crawford [Chs. 2-6,10,12]
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Col. Lee Avery [Chs. 1,12]
Frank Darien	...	Pop Evans
Rudolph Anders	...	His Excellency [Chs. 1,3,6,10-12] (as Robert O. Davis)
Monte Blue	...	Capt. Tom King Sr. [Ch. 1]
Stanley Blystone	...	A.J. Lynch
Kermit Maynard	...	Ranger Wichita Bates [Chs. 1-5, 7-11]
Roy Barcroft	...	Ross (thug) [Chs. 1-7]
Kenne Duncan	...	Nick (thug) [Chs. 1-4,6-9]
Jack Ingram	...	Shorty (thug) [Chs. 2-4,6-8,10-11]
Robert Barron	...	Blake

Runtime:

215 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: - 1. The Fifth Column Strikes - 2. Dead End - 3. Man Hunt - 4. Trapped - 5. Test Flight - 6. Double Danger - 7. Death Takes the Witness - 8. Counterfeit Trail - 9. Ambush - 10.Sky Raiders - 11.Trail of Death - 12.Code of the Rangers

Movie Connections:

Featured in Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996)

Slingin' Sam sets the standard for Quarterbacks in a serial.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 1940 NFL season, Republic executive Bill Saal (Texas Christian University alum)called Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian University alum)at his ranch near Rotan, Texas about the prospects of Baugh starring in a Republic serial; A telephone conversation that led to one of the best overall serials Republic Pictures Corporation produced in their valley of the cliffhangers.

Republic assigned five writers to this serial and each writer was given a specific chapter to work on: Norman S. Hall on Chapter 1 (The Fifth Column Strikes) and Chapter 6 (Double Danger); Joseph Poland (and billed as such)on Chapter 2 (Dead End), Chapter 7 (Death Takes the Witness) and Chapter 11 (Trail of Death); William Lively on Chapter 3 (Man Hunt)and Chapter 8 (Counterfeit Trail); Ronald Davidson on Chapter 4 (Trapped), Chapter 9 (Ambush)and Chapter 12 (Code of the Rangers), and Joseph O'Donnell was given Chapter 5 (Test Flight) and Chapter 10 (Sky Raiders.) Based on the order of chapter numbers (1-2-3-4-5) one might assume (if one was given to making assumptions and there are ones who do) that such was the writer's order on the screen credits...but one would assume (as assumers often do) incorrectly. Republic, as they most often did, credited the writers in (nearly) alpha order on the screen credits ( Davidson, Hall, Lively, Poland and O'Donnell, and gave each an Original Screen Play (not a typo and not written as one word--- Screenplay) credit.

The October, 1941 release of this serial pre-dated The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and FDR's Declaration of War against the Axis powers by more than two months (and most of the writing assignments carry April, 1941 dates), and is just one of the many "watch-out"/preparation films and serials Hollywood produced circa 1938-December 7, 1941. Truly, taken in context of the time and era and limitations of serial budgets (and judged against serials and not "Citizen Kane",) "King of the Texas Rangers" ranks high as a great example of serial-making at its best.