The Vanishing Shadow

Most chapter serials made for theatres during the 1930s and ‘40s have been long forgotten, including this 1934 Universal effort, which was thought to be lost. Unfortunately, it is not a classic of the genre, but does provide some campy fun courtesy of its primitive special effects, which include a homelier version of the technical tricks James Whale employed in The Invisible Man (1933), as well as a hand-held ray gun (reportedly the first to appear in a film), and a particularly unconvincing robot—plus an early electric garage-door opener! The plot, however, is mundane: working together, hero Stanley Stanfield (Onslow Stevens) and scientist Carl Van Dorn (James Durkin) create a belt that makes its wearer invisible—except for his shadow. Stanfield intends to use it to defeat Wade Barnett (Walter Miller), a ruthless businessman who he blames for the death of his father, a newspaper publisher. Barnett is now employing a gang of thugs to acquire the dead man’s stocks and bonds, but what Stanfield doesn’t know is that his new girlfriend (Ada Ince) is Barnett’s estranged daughter. The Vanishing Shadow features typical serial clichés, stilted acting, and rather low production qualities, but the transfer on this 12-episode serial is surprisingly good. Extras include a classic cartoon and newsreels, and a poster/photo gallery. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)