The Phantom Empire
A singing cowboy discovers an underground civilization.
The Phantom Empire, a 1935 American serial film from Mascot Pictures, ran for 12 chapters and blended Western, musical, and science-fiction elements. Directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason, it marked Gene Autry’s first starring role, with Autry playing himself as a singing cowboy. The first chapter runs approximately 20 minutes; subsequent chapters are about 17–18 minutes each. In 1940, a 70-minute feature film edited from the serial was released under the titles *Radio Ranch* or *Men with Steel Faces*. It is regarded as the first science-fiction Western.
The plot follows Gene Autry, who operates Radio Ranch—a dude ranch where he fulfills a contract for a daily live radio broadcast at 2:00 pm. His kid sidekicks, Frankie Baxter (Frankie Darro) and Betsy Baxter (Betsy King Ross), lead a club called the Junior Thunder Riders, where children pretend to be armored knights of a mysterious civilization known as the Thunder Riders, who produce a thunder-like sound when they ride. The kids wear capes and water-bucket helmets and use the motto “To the rescue!” Their play becomes real when Betsy, Frankie, and Gene are kidnapped by the actual Thunder Riders from the super-scientific underground empire of Murania. This empire features towering buildings, robots, ray-guns, advanced television, elevator tubes extending miles to the surface, and its ruler, the icy, blonde, evil Queen Tika (Dorothy Christie). On the surface, criminals led by Professor Beetson (Frank Glendon) plot to invade Murania for its radium wealth, while within Murania, Lord Argo (Wheeler Oakman) schemes to overthrow Queen Tika. The Muranians are the lost tribe of Mu, who went underground 100,000 years ago during the last glacial period and now live in a fantastically advanced city 25,000 feet below the surface. They cannot breathe surface air without oxygen masks, though surface dwellers have no trouble breathing Muranian air. The Thunder Guard emerges from a cave with a large rock door that swings upward like a garage door. Both the Muranians and Professor Beetson want to get rid of Autry—Beetson so Autry loses his radio contract and vacates Radio Ranch.
The cast includes Gene Autry as himself, Frankie Darro as Frankie Baxter, Betsy King Ross as Betsy Baxter, Dorothy Christy as Queen Tika, Wheeler Oakman as Lord Argo, Charles K. French as Mal, Warner Richmond as Rab, J. Frank Glendon as Profess
- Release year
- 1935
- Genre
- Western, musical, science-fiction
- Director
- Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason
- Starring
- Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross
- Studio
- Mascot Pictures
- Number of chapters
- 12
- Budget
- US$75,000 (reported as no more than US$100,000)
Lore & Background
The serial follows Gene Autry, a singing cowboy who runs Radio Ranch and makes daily live radio broadcasts. He stumbles upon the ancient subterranean empire of Murania, a super-scientific civilization of the lost tribe of Mu, who went underground 100,000 years ago. The empire features towering buildings, robots, ray-guns, advanced television, and elevator tubes extending miles to the surface. Queen Tika rules Murania, while on the surface, criminals led by Professor Beetson plot to invade and seize its radium wealth.
Reader's Guide
The Phantom Empire is significant as the first science-fiction Western, blending genres in a 12-chapter serial format. It was a marked box office success and launched Gene Autry's starring career. The serial influenced later works, including the 1979 television series Cliffhangers, which included a pastiche titled 'The Secret Empire', and Fred Olen Ray's 1988 film of the same name. Its underground civilization and aesthetic inspired Alejandro Pérez Cervantes' short story collection Murania and the web series The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing!. The serial was also a childhood favorite of comic strip writer Tom Batiuk, who referenced it in Funky Winkerbean and Crankshaft.
Did You Know?
- The idea for the plot came to writer Wallace MacDonald when he was under gas having a tooth extracted.
- Betsy King Ross, who played Betsy Baxter, was billed as the 'World's Champion Trick Rider' and did her own stunt riding.
- In 1940, a 70-minute feature film edited from the serial was released under the titles Radio Ranch or Men with Steel Faces.
- The serial was filmed at locations including Agoura Ranch, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Observatory, Iverson Ranch, and Keystone Studios.
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