Raiders of Ghost City (1944)

Raiders of Ghost City is a 1944 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures set in California during the American Civil War.

Plot

At the height of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel, raid all gold shipments from Oro Grande, California, bound for Washington. Captain Steve Clark is recognized as a Union Secret Service agent by Morel's accomplice Trina Dessard, along with his friend Idaho Jones, is ambushed in the baggage car and sent to almost certain death when the car is un-coupled and plunges down the mountainside.

Leaping to safety, Idaho and Steve report to Colonel Sewell in Oro Grande, and Idaho introduces himself as a Wells Fargo detective to Cathy Haines the Oro Grande company agent. Steve and Idaho learn that the Morel raiders are only posing as Confederates, and their headquarters are at Morel's "Golden Eagle" saloon. He also discovers that members of the gang use old European coins with the date "1752" as identification.

In a raid on the hideout, Steve's brother Jim is killed by the gang. The next victim is Confederate Army Captain Clay Randolph who has discovered that Morel is connected with a group of Prussian spies who have been using the stolen gold to initially finance Prussia's wars but later to buy Alaska from the Russian Empire as a "club over Canada"; hed gives Steve a clue before he dies. The date 1752 of the recognition coins is explained as the date of Frederick the Great's Testament that supposedly gave instructions how Prussia would take over the world.

The clue leads Steve to a San Francisco dive owned by Abel Rackerby, who thinking he has Steve in his power, exposes the ring's activities and operation methods. Aided by the San Francisco Secret Service, Steve escapes and returns to Oro Grande where he and Idaho round up the spies.

Cast

Dennis Moore as Captain Steve Clark

Wanda McKay as Cathy Haines

Lionel Atwill as Erich von Rugen, alias Alex Morel

Joe Sawyer as Idaho Jones

Regis Toomey as Captain Clay Randolph

Virginia Christine as Countess Elsa von Merck, alias Trina Dressard

Eddy Waller as Doc Blair

Emmett Vogan as Count Manfried von Rinkton, alias Carl Lawton

Addison Richards as Colonel Sewell

Charles Wagenheim as Hugo Metzger, alias Abel Rackerby

Jack Ingram as Braddock, Confederate outlaw

Production

Stunts

Frank McCarroll

Ken Terrell

Dale Van Sickel (including being the fight double for Dennis Moore)

Henry Wills

Critical reception

Cline writes that Raiders of Ghost City had a "good cast and production values...It came off quite well."

Chapter titles

Murder by Accident

Flaming Treachery

Death Rides Double

Ghost City Terror

The Fatal Lariat

Water Rising

Bullet Avalanche

Death Laughs Last

Cold Steel

Showdown

The Trail to Torture

Calling all Buckboards

Golden Vengeance

Source:

See also

List of films and television shows about the American Civil War

List of film serials

List of film serials by studio

Notes

References

White, Raymond Hollywood Cowboys Go to War: The B-Western Movie during World War II Under Western Stars # 25 (Sept. 1986)

External links

Raiders of Ghost City at IMDb

Raiders of Ghost City at the TCM Movie Database (archived)