Nat Levine and Mascot Pictures

More Mascot serials

(From Old Corral collection)

L-to-R are Smiley Burnette, great rider Betsy King Ross, Gene Autry at the microphone, and Frankie Darro in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935). This was Gene's first starring film, directed by Otto Brower, and the second unit director was B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. Antagonists were the underground civilization of Murania and the "Thunder Riders". Always in trouble, Gene had to get back to Radio Ranch in order to sing some tunes and do his required radio broadcasts. Autry had signed a contract with Levine and Mascot, and he went along in the 1935 deal that formed Republic Pictures with the combining of Mascot, Monogram, others.

(From Old Corral collection)

Gene Autry was up against this dastardly trio in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935). Left to right are Wheeler Oakman (as "Argo", the Muranian High Priest), Dorothy Christy (as "Queen Tika") and Charles K. French (as "Mal").

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above - Gene Autry does battle with one of the robots in a Chapter 7 lobby card from THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card for Tom Mix's last film, THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935), which was fifteen chapters long. The first episode, titled "The Vanishing Indian", was on five reels, and ran about 43 minutes. The total running time of the serial was about 306 minutes, making it the lengthiest of the sound serials (DICK TRACY was Republic's longest, clocking in at a tad under 290 minutes).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Inside THE PHANTOM EMPIRE pressbook was the ad on the left touting Tom Mix's return to the screen in Mascot's THE MIRACLE RIDER serial.

(From Old Corral collection)

(From Old Corral collection)

Above - Tom Mix has Stanley Price corralled in a lobby card from THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935) chapterplay. Did ya catch the boo-boo in this lobby card? Take a gander at the left side holster on Mix and Price. They did an image reversal/flip when they produced this card. Both Mix and Price wore their sixguns on their right hip.

And a few remembrances of Nat Levine's
producer credits at Republic Pictures

(From Old Corral collection)

THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING (Republic, 1936), 12 chapters, was directed by Mack V. Wright and Ray Taylor, and Nat Levine produced. Faces left to right in the bottom of this card are Raymond Hatton, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, and William Desmond. This 'Zorro-like' adventure was Bob Livingston's first starring serial, and it was among the first batch of serials from the new Republic Pictures organization and producer Nat Levine.

(From Old Corral collection)

Above from L-to-R are Charles Stevens, Bob Livingston, Heather Angel and an unidentified player in a lobby card from THE BOLD CABELLERO (Republic, 1936), a film based on the Zorro character and filmed in Magnacolor. Was another Nat Levine production during the early days of the new Republic Pictures.

(From Old Corral collection)

Among the first batch of westerns from producer Nat Levine and Republic were features with Gene Autry and the Three Mesquiteers. Above are Bob Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Sid / Syd Saylor in the Mesquiteers' first adventure ... aptly titled THE THREE MESQUITEERS (Republic, 1936).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card from GHOST TOWN GOLD (Republic, 1936) with Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune and Bob Livingston. This was the second Three Mesquiteers adventure and the first with Max Terhune (and his dummy Elmer). The producer was Nat Levine.

(Courtesy of Boyd Magers)

Above is the title lobby card from Chapter 4 of ROBINSON CRUSOE OF CLIPPER ISLAND (Republic, 1936), an early Republic cliffhanger which was produced by Nat Levine.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Another early Republic cliffhanger from producer Nat Levine was UNDERSEA KINGDOM (Republic, 1936) and the star was Ray 'Crash' Corrigan.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card from RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (Republic, 1937), the fourth film in the Three Mesquiteers series. In the center, Ray Corrigan is mixing it up with Roger Williams, the main heavy in the film. Max Terhune is on the left and Bob Livingston is shown on the right. Nat Levine was the producer.