UNDERSEA KINGDOM (1936) Ray Corrigan, Lois Wilde & Monte Blue | Adventure, Sci-Fi | B&W

Undersea Kingdom (1936) is a Republic Pictures 12 chapter film serial released in response to Universal's Flash Gordon. It was the second of the sixty-six serials made by Republic. In 1966, the serial was edited into a television film titled Sharad of Atlantis.

SYNOPSIS
Crash Corrigan, a recent graduate of Annapolis, and Diana, a go-getting reporter, join Professor Norton for a search for the source of a string of earthquakes, Atlantis. They ride Prof. Norton's rocket submarine searching the sea and little Billy Norton, the professor's son stows away, of course. When they find Atlantis they are caught in a war between peaceful Atlanteans, note their white capes, and war-monging Atlanteans, note their black capes.

The plot involves the main character "Crash" Corrigan trying to stop an evil tyrant ruler of Atlantis from conquering the lost continent and then the entire upper world.

Lieutenant Crash Corrigan, in his last year at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is invited by Billy Norton to visit his father, Professor Norton, after a wrestling match. At their house, the professor is demonstrating his new invention, which can detect and prevent (at short range) earthquakes, to Diana Compton and his theory about regular tremours from the area where Atlantis used to be.

When Atlantean tyrant Unga Khan and his Black Robe army turn their Disintegrator beam on St Clair, Professor Norton leads an expedition to investigate.[3] Along with him in his Rocket Submarine are Crash, Diana, three sailors (Briny Deep, Salty, Joe) and their pet parrot Sinbad. Unknown to the expedition until it is underway and in trouble, Billy has stowed away on the Rocket Sub as well.

Problems for the expedition begin when Joe, in charge of the engine room, is driven mad by the fear that the submarine cannot survive such depths. In order to prove this, he locks the engine room door and sends the sub into a fatal dive.

CAST & CREW
Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash Corrigan
Lois Wilde as Diana Compton
Monte Blue as Unga Khan
William Farnum as Sharad
Boothe Howard as Ditmar
Raymond Hatton as Gasspom
C. Montague Shaw as Professor Norton
Lee Van Atta as Billy Norton
Smiley Burnette as Briny Deep
Frankie Marvin as Salty
Lon Chaney Jr. as Captain Hakur
Lane Chandler as Darius
John Bradford as Joe
Malcolm McGregor as Zogg
Ralph Holmes as Martos
John Merton as Moloch
Ernie Smith as Gourk
Lloyd Whitlock as Captain Clinton

Directed by B. Reeves Eason, Joseph Kane
Written by Tracy Knight, John Rathmell, Maurice Geraghty, Oliver Drake
Produced by Nat Levine
Cinematography Edgar Lyons, William Nobles
Edited by Dick Fantl, Helene Turner
Music by Harry Grey
Distributed by Republic Pictures
Release date May 30, 1936 (serial)
Running time 12 chapters (226 minutes) (serial),100 minutes (TV)
Country United states
Language English
Budget $81,924 (negative cost: $99,222)

NOTES
Following a suspicious earthquake, and detecting a series of signals, Professor Norton leads an expedition, including Lt. Crash Corrigan and reporter Diana Compton, in his rocket submarine to the suspected location of Atlantis. Finding the lost continent, they become embroiled in an Atlantean civil war between Sharad (with his White Robes) and the usurper Unga Khan (with his Black Robes), who wishes to conquer Atlantis and then destroy the upper world with earthquakes generated by his Disintegrator. Thus, he will rule the world unless he can be stopped in time.

The star of the serial is Ray "Crash" Corrigan, using that screen name for the first time. The name was created to sound similar to "Flash Gordon", in one of many similarities. Formerly a stunt man – he was the person swinging on vines in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) – Corrigan went on to use this screen name for the rest of his career in serials and B-Westerns.

The first two chapters of the serial were mocked on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 in July/August 1992.

Undersea Kingdom was budgeted at $81,924 although the final negative cost was $99,222 (a $17,298, or 21.1%, overspend). It has the lowest budget of any Republic serial but it was only the third cheapest in actual production cost. The serial was filmed between 3 March and 28 March 1936 under production number 417. The only cheaper serials were the subsequent The Vigilantes Are Coming ($87,655) and, in 1938, The Fighting Devil Dogs ($92,569). By comparison, the larger Universal Pictures spent $350,000 in producing the first Flash Gordon serial.

This is the first appearance of the "Republic Robot" (as the "Volkites"). It would turn up again in Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940) and Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952). It is parodied in Star Trek: Voyager's The Adventures of Captain Proton.

Chapter titles
Beneath the Ocean Floor
The Undersea City
Arena of Death
Revenge of the Volkites
Prisoners of Atlantis
The Juggernaut Strikes
The Submarine Trap
Into the Metal Tower
Death in the Air
Atlantis Destroyed
Flaming Death
Ascent to the Upperworld