Escape to Peril Sealed in Silence Named to Die Ominous Warnings The Stolen Signal Prison of Jeopardy Afire Afloat Yielded Hostage Production Jack Holt, Columbia's star of longest standing, had argued with studio head Harry Cohn. Cohn demoted him from working in feature films to this lowbrow serial adventure. Actually, it wasn't so much of a demotion because he was still working with the same feature-film crew, under producer Larry Darmour. Holt had misgivings about working in a serial, but was convinced by co-star Evelyn Brent to see it through. She knew that Darmour was making the serial for an adult audience, by making it thrilling and logical but never impossible. Darmour was also careful to cast the film with character actors who were not familiar from Darmour's serials. Reception Holt of the Secret Service turned out to be exceptionally successful in theaters, with the Jack Holt name attracting fans of action and adventure. By the time it was released, Holt had left the studio behind and there were no sequels. After the serial's copyright lapsed in 1969, Holt of the Secret Service became one of the very few Columbia cliffhangers available for modern appraisal. Authors and critics marveled at the film's breakneck pace and hectic, six-against-one fight scenes as staged by former comedy director James W. Horne. Thus Holt of the Secret Service became the poster child for Columbia serials until the advent of home video, when more of the Columbia serials went into circulation. Notes Sources Cinefania.com eMoviePoster.com External links 1941 films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures film serials Films directed by James W. Horne 1941 crime films Articles containing video clips American crime films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1940s American films