The Lost Jungle │ Clyde Beatty

In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring "The Lost Jungle (1934)" starring Clyde Beatty the great animal trainer.  Beatty became world famous for his fighting act, in which he entered a cage alone with wild animals, armed only with a whip and a pistol strapped to his side.  The act was designed to showcase his courage and mastery of the wild beasts, which included lions, tigers, cougars, and hyenas.  Sometimes they were all brought together in a single cage, in a potentially lethal combination.  "The Lost City" is particularly interesting as it co-stars a then thirteen-year old Mickey Rooney.  Click on the video widget below to watch this fascinating film in its entirety.

Mr. Moto │ Peter Lorre

In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring the great Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto, in "Mr. Moto's Last Warning".  It was released in 1939, and it's one of the best of the eight Mr. Moto movies that starred Peter Lorre.  Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand.  Mr. Moto appeared in six novels written by Marquand and published between 1935 and 1957.  Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories that featured an Asian hero shortly after the death of Charlie Chan's creator Earl Derr Biggers.  By-the-way,  Mr. Moto is the first authentic martial arts film "hero" in Western cinema.  He was an expert in Jiu-Jutsu and Judo.  It is not commonly known, but Mr. Moto's first name is Kentaro. 

Commando Cody

"Radar Men From The Moon" featuring Commando Cody was one of the great Republic Pictures serials of the 1940s and early 1950s.  It was released in 1952 and starred George Wallace as Commando Cody, and Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert.  The evil Retik, the Ruler of the Moon, was played by Roy Barcroft.  It was directed by Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by the Lydecker brothers.  All-in-all "Radar Men From The Moon" is an excellent serial, and it can be watched in its entirety for FREE by clicking on the video widget below.