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G-Men Never Forget
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by Republic Pictures
Sales Rank: 25483
Price: $19.98
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Clayton Moore was one of the busiest serial actors around, before his TV fame as the Lone Ranger (he and Buster Crabbe could legitimately compete for the serial hero king title). He does a good job here as an FBI agent, but veteran villain Roy Barcroft steals the storyline in a dual role, as a police commissioner and as the criminal who impersonates him after plastic surgery. B-westerns have been only half-jokingly described as a series of pictures in which different heroes beat up or shoot Barcroft; this serial shows what a good actor he was.
Viewer Reviews
Republic Pictures present "G-MEN NEVER FORGET" (1948) (163 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Clayton Moore, Roy Barcroft, Ramsay Ames, Drew Allen & Tom Steele, relive those thrilling days week after week venue brought you to the theater, as you were mesmerized in your seat waiting for the final chapter ... exciting action within 12 episodes from the Republic Serials department, released in November 13, 1947 our plot line has Federal Agent Clayton Moore being summoned from Washington to stop the crime spree of an escaped underworld czar, who has secretly undergone plastic surgery and is masquerading as the police commissioner in the guise of Roy Barcroft.
Under Fred C. Brannon (Director), Yakima Canutt (Director), M.J. Frankovich (Associate Producer), Franklin Adreon (Screenwriter), Basil Dickey (Screenwriter), Jesse Duffy (Screenwriter), Sol Shor (Screenwriter), Mort Glickman (Original Score), John MacBurnie (Cinematographer), Cliff Bell Sr.(Editor), Sam Starr (Editor), Frank Arrigo (Art Director), Russell Kimball (Art Director) ------ the cast includes Clayton Moore (Agent Ted O'Hara), Roy Barcroft (Vic Murkland/Commissioner Angus Cameron), Ramsay Ames (Frances Blake), Gil Frye (Duke Graham), Tom Steele (Parker (lanky thug), Dale Van Sickel (Brent (thug), Edmund Cobb (R.J. Cook), Stanley Price ('Doc' Benson), Jack O'Shea (Slater (Benson's aide), Barry Brooks (George (orderly), Douglas Aylesworth (Det. Hayden), Eddie Acuff ('Fiddler'), Ken Terrell (Kelsey), David Sharpe (Trent), Robert J. Wilke (Phony detective) ------ our Republic Serial has hero Clayton Moore as Specal Agent Ted O'Hara and King of the Badmen Roy Barcroft playing a dual role as underworld racketeer and Police Commissioner ... can Moore tell them apart, does he have any hint that the Commissioner is an imposter ... it's the old protection racket game and Barcroft is good at it ... great stunt work by the Republic stunt personnel David Sharpe (stunts), Tom Steele (stunt double: Clayton Moore, Drew Allen & Roy Barcroft), Ken Terrell (stunts ), Dale Van Sickel (stunt double: Drew Allen & Clayton Moore) --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter "Exposed" ... another winner from the vaults of Republic Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.
CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Death Rides the Torrent
2. The Flaming Doll House
3. Code Six-Four-Five
4. Shipyard Saboteurs
5. The Dean Man Speaks
6. Marked Money
7. Hot Cargo
8. The Fatal Letter
9. The Death Wind
10.The Innocent Victim
11.Counter-Plot
12.Exposed
BIOS:
1. Clayton Moore (aka: Jack Carlton Moore)
Date of birth: 14 September 1914 - Chicago, Illinois (some sources say 1908)
Date of death: 28 December 1999 - Los Angeles, California
Special Footnote, Clayton Moore was a circus acrobat at the age of eight and grew up in the Midwest (Illinois) ... worked in the circus and traveled to New York and then Hollywood where he became a stuntman and bit player ... appeared in various serials "Peril of Nyoka" (1942), "The Crimson Ghost" (1946), "Jesse James Rides Again" (1947), "The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James" (1948), "G-Men Never Forget" (1948), "Ghost of Zorro" (1949), "Radar Men from the Moon" (1952), "Jungle Drums of Africa" (1953) ... .inducted into the "Stuntman's Hall of Fame" in 1982...also received the "Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame'" also the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" both in 1990...Clayton was once quoted "Playing him [the Lone Ranger] made me a better person.", "Once I got the Lone Ranger role, I didn't want any other. I was playing the good guy."..."I will continue wearing the white hat and black mask until I ride up into the big ranch in the sky." (On his costume as the Lone Ranger, February 4, 1985)...Clayton very much enjoyed quoting and lived by "A Ranger's Creed" which included this moral lesson "That God put the firewood there, but every man must gather and light it himself."
BIOS:
2. Roy Barcroft (aka: Howard Harold Ravenscroft)
Date of birth: 7 September 1902 - Crab Orchard, Nebraska
Date of death: 28 November 1969 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Second Special Footnote, actor Roy Barcroft one of the most sought after badmen of the Saturday Matinee era --- His face appeared in more westerns than any cowboy villain who rode the range in the '40s and '50s --- an complete account of "Roy Barcroft:King of the Badmen", which is the title of Bobby J. Copeland's book on the life and times of "Republic Pictures Number One Villain". Barcroft appeared in B-Westerns and Serials - became one of the most recognized actors, when you heard that familiar voice --- you were in for it. Roy was one of the few bad guys that once you saw his name in the credits, you were going to get your money's worth. Barcroft was my first favorite and my second was Harry Woods, who in many ways reminded me of each other --- I remember watching Barcroft in a variety of Republic Serials --- "Manhunt of Mystery Island" (1945), as Captain Mephisto --- "The Purple Monster Strikes" (1945), as the invading Martian --- "G-Men Never Forget" (1948), a dual role as the honest police commissioner and the lead villain (good & bad look-alikes) --- "Don Daredevil Rides Again" (1951) --- "Radar Men from the Moon" (1952), as Retik --- My favorite B-Westerns were the casting of Wild "Bill" Elliott and Allan "Rocky" Lane vs the under handed dealings of Roy Barcroft, boss, leader of the gang or henchmen --- every frame was B-Westerns at their best --- With knock-down-drag-out fight scenes that gave you everything you ever wished for and more in an action film --- fellow actors, producers and directors all agree Roy Barcroft was as beloved as anybody else in the Motion Picture business.
If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 163 min on VHS ~ Republic Video ~ (5/30/1995)
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