(Courtesy of Les Adams) Tarzan is prominently mentioned and also note the reference in the center of this title lobby card to: and GENE AUTRY "Cowboy Idol of the Air"

There were two more stops to make before really hitting the skids.  The first was with producer Nat Levine at Mascot Pictures.

There, Maynard would do the feature IN OLD SANTA FE (Mascot, 1934) as well as MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934), a twelve chapter serial.  Both are now remembered more as the debut films of Gene Autry (and his sidekick Lester Alvin 'Smiley' Burnette).  However, at the time they were made, Autry and Burnette were newcomers.

Levine knew that Ken Maynard was still a drawing card for the Saturday matinee crowd and his pay at Mascot for doing MYSTERY MOUNTAIN was big money, about $40,000 ($10,000 per week).  Scuttlebutt was that Maynard was also under consideration as the star of another chapterplay being planned by Levine, THE PHANTOM EMPIRE.

But Maynard began meddling into production details, suggesting changes, etc., and there were temper tantrums and interludes of profanity ... and purportedly, a few minutes of Maynard's tirades on the set were filmed and shown to Levine.  None of this endeared him to the thrifty boss/owner of Mascot.  The end result --- Maynard was done at Mascot.

As to THE PHANTOM EMPIRE cliffhanger, Levine cast Autry in the lead and had Gene do a bunch of tunes from "Radio Ranch".  The antagonists were the underground civilization of Murania and it's "Thunder Riders".

Above, from L-to-R are Jack Rockwell, H. B. Warner, Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp and Kenneth Thompson.  IN OLD SANTA FE (Mascot, 1934) was one of Ken Maynard's better westerns and he did sing a tune or two ... I mean lip synch a song or two.  Thx to Shoot-Em-Ups co-author Les Adams, who notes that Ken didn't do the singin' in this film, but he was dubbed by none other than Bob Nolan of Sons Of The Pioneer fame - just listen to the opening tune, "As long as I have my dog ...".  Les also mentioned that the player between Maynard and Warner is William (Bill) McCall. Above, from L-to-R are Maynard, Tarzan and George Hayes (yep, it's 'Gabby') in IN OLD SANTA FE (Mascot, 1934).  The film takes place place on a dude ranch.  There's a superb horse race.  Hayes, who plays Ken's sidekick 'Cactus', makes a bet with the no-goods and loses Tarzan to them.    IN OLD SANTA FE is generally recalled as the movie singing debut of Gene Autry (with his sidekick 'Smiley' Burnette).  And that's a shame because it is a fine B-western, and certainly among the best of Maynard's films. Ken Maynard and Tarzan versus the 'Rattler' in the twelve chapter cliffhanger, MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934).  Above is the title lobby card for Chapter Two. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Tarzan, Verna Hillie, Ken Maynard and Syd Saylor in a scene from the cliffhanger MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934).