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Cowboy Cliffhangers
Some visual remembrances via photos, posters, lobby cards, and pressbook ads


(Courtesy of Les Adams)


The last starring movie for Tom Mix was for Nat Levine and his Mascot 'thrill factory'.  THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935), 15 chapters, was directed by B. Reeves 'Breezy' Eason and Armand Schaefer. Mix's adversary was Charles Middleton who was trying to corner the market on an explosive known as X-94. Middleton is best remembered as "Emperor Ming" in the Flash Gordon serials. Veteran stuntman Cliff Lyons doubled Mix in most of the action sequences.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)


Above is the cover of the pressbook for THE PHANTOM EMPIRE.  Inside the pressbook was the announcement on the right for Tom Mix's THE MIRACLE RIDER. The first episode of THE MIRACLE RIDER was on 5 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)



(From Old Corral collection)

Above from L-to-R are Smiley Burnette, great rider Betsy King Ross, Gene Autry at the microphone, and Frankie Darro in producer Nat Levine's cliffhanger, THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935), Gene's first starring film.



(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).


In THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935), Gene Autry - with help from Betsy King Ross and Frankie Darro - had to save Radio Ranch from the evil powers of the underground Muranian Empire.

PHANTOM EMPIRE is probably the most famous of the Mascot cliffhangers, and was directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves 'Breezy' Eason.



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