The Monster and the Ape

1945 American film

April 20, 1945 (1945-04-20)

Running time

15 chapters
234 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

The Monster and the Ape was the 26th serial released by Columbia Pictures and was released in 1945.^[1]

Plot

The Monster of the title is the "Metalogen Man", a robot created by Professor Franklin Arnold. After displaying his invention, the robot is stolen by Professor Ernst with the aid of his trained ape, Thor. Ken Morgan leads the attempts to recover the stolen robot.

Cast

Robert Lowery as Ken Morgan
George Macready as Prof. Ernst
Ralph Morgan as Prof. Arnold
Carole Mathews as Babs Arnold
Willie Best as Flash, Arnold's assistant
Jack Ingram as Dick Nordik, henchmen
Anthony Warde as Joe Flint, henchmen
Ted Mapes as Joe Butler, henchmen
Eddie Parker as Blake
Stanley Price as Mead, henchmen
Bud Osborne as Zoo's Night Watchman
Ray Corrigan as Thor, trained ape

Critical reception

The Monster and the Ape was, in the opinion of Cline, "strikingly similar to Republic's serial Mysterious Doctor Satan."^[2] However, he describes Professor Ernst as one of "the serial form's...choicest villains."^[3]

Chapter titles

The Mechanical Terror
The Edge of Doom
Flames of Fate
The Fatal Search
Rocks of Doom
A Friend in Disguise
A Scream in the Night
Death in the Dark
The Secret Tunnel
Forty Thousand Volts
The Mad Professor
Shadows of Destiny
The Gorilla at Large
His Last Flight
Justice Triumphs

_Source:^[4]

References

^ Kinnard, Roy (1998). Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF Cliffhangers. McFarland & Co. p. 116. ISBN 978-0786437450.
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 50. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Masters of Menace (The Villains)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 112. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 240. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.