Re-edited feature version of serial The Phantom Empire (1935). Singer Gene Autry discovers a race of advanced humans living beneath the earth.
Production
Underground city sets that outshine the budget by miles
Practical Effects
Robot soldiers and radium guns in 1935, absolutely unhinged
Director
B. Reeves Eason
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The original 12-chapter serial cost $75,000—MGM's most expensive serial ever—yet Gene Autry filmed all his scenes in just 10 days while touring with his band.
This bizarre mashup essentially invented the 'weird west' subgenre decades before Jonah Hex or Westworld, proving 1930s audiences were down for absolutely anything.
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