record as particularly "tough". However, in Steele's most visible secondary role, as a murderous assassin, he disguises his voice, apparently believing that his natural voice would be used for the Marvel. Bob Barton was a "jinxed" role. David Bacon got the role because four previous actors had injured themselves and were unable to work. While filming one of the serial's big fight scenes, every actor but Bacon was seriously injured. He had joked: "I'll probably get hurt going home in the car". Just two weeks after the production of the serial had been completed, Bacon was murdered and died moments after exiting his car. Rod Bacon who played Jim Arnold was murdered in 1948. The Masked Marvel was screenwriter George Plympton's only work at Republic. Cliffhangers Chapter four has an unusual cliffhanger, especially for Republic, as it has no action or death involved. Instead, Sakima, sitting behind his desk in his secret basement, simply (although incorrectly) announces "So, Jim Arnold is the Masked Marvel". Stunts In addition to playing the main character, Tom Steele was also the stunt gaffer on this serial. As stated above, he received no screen credit for this. As an odd outcome of playing both the Masked Marvel and other stunts and bit parts, in one scene Tom Steele chased himself up some stairs. Steele himself was doubled by a dummy in the scene in which the Marvel is thrown off the top of an enormous gas tank. On the way down one of the dummy's arms gets caught in the rigging of the tank and is clearly ripped off. Yet when the Marvel lands in the back of the truck below, he has both arms intact. The budget and schedules of serials mandated that retakes only occur in the most dire circumstances. One stunt in Chapter 10 is particularly notable: to prevent a rolling handcar filled with explosives from destroying a train transporting aircraft parts, the Masked Marvel crashes his own car into the handcar. The Masked Marvel survives by jumping aside at the last second. Harmon and Glut write that "the scene is both thrilling and perfect craftsmanship". Tom Steele, Republic's stunt gaffer Fred Graham doubling Roy Barcroft & Harry Woods Duke Green doubling Anthony Warde & Stanley Price Betty Miles doubling Louise Currie Allen Pomeroy Ken Terrell doubling Johnny Arthur Carey Loftin Eddie Parker Special effects The effects in The Masked Marvel were