Mandrake the Magician (1939) is the seventh serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based upon the King Features comic strip of the same name. Plot Mandrake and his assistant Lothar are working the cruise lines and make the acquaintance of Professor Houston who has developed a radium energy machine, which is much coveted by a masked crime lord known as "The Wasp". The Wasp unleashes his army of accomplices in waves to steal the invention by any means necessary. Mandrake and his allies finally catch up to "The Wasp" and discover the crime lord is actually scientist Dr. Andre Bennett, posing as a close friend of Houston. Cast Warren Hull as Mandrake the Magician Doris Weston as Betty Houston Al Kikume as Lothar, Mandrake's Assistant Rex Downing as Tommy Houston Edward Earle as Dr. Andre Bennett/The Wasp Forbes Murray as Professor Houston Kenneth MacDonald as James Webster Don Beddoe as Frank Raymond Dick Curtis as Dorgan, a henchman John Tyrrell as Dirk, the "spearpoint heavy" (chief henchman) Lester Dorr as Gray Chapter titles Shadow on the Wall Trap of the Wasp A City of Terror The Secret Passage The Devil's Playmate The Fatal Crash Gamble for Life Across the Deadline Terror Rides the Rails The Unseen Monster At the Stroke of Eight The Reward of Treachery Source: See also List of film serials by year List of film serials by studio References External links Cinefania.com 1939 films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films 1939 fantasy films 1939 crime films Columbia Pictures film serials Films about magic and magicians Films based on comic strips Films directed by Sam Nelson American fantasy films American crime films Films with screenplays by Joseph F. Poland 1930s American films