As the roving range detective, battling rustlers with a ghost town hideout, Buck Jones is ideally cast in the first of his four serials for Universal. Madge Bellamy is the feisty heroine and former silent serial stars, William Desmond and Walter Miller, provide excellent support as the crusty rancher and his sneaky foreman. Just about every chapter has Buck and Silver being chased by the bad guys or chasing after them and the plot is enlivened by the ghost town being inhabited by a mystery man. The best line in the movie must be when Buck is trussing up a rustler and says, "I'd rock you to sleep if I could find a rock!" If you like Buck Jones or Western serials, both are combined here to good effect.
3 Reviews
Just misses a place as one of the best serials ever made!
JohnHowardReid10 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SYNOPSIS: A stranger who presents his credentials by capturing a couple of rustlers, is hired by a ranch owner to track down the rest of the gang.
NOTES: The first of Buck Jones' six serials. The others: The Red Rider, Roaring West, The Phantom Rider, White Eagle, and Riders of Death Valley.
COMMENT: Chapter One introduces both Gordon and Ghost City most effectively. The hanger incorporates the most thrilling under-the- speeding-wagon stunt I've ever seen. Two contains more solid action, though it's a surprise to find Walter Miller identified as the villain in the Foreword. Optical wipes are the rule in Three which also features lots of Francis Ford. Although billed as "The Mysterious Man", we are pretty sure of his identity. Four has a remarkable saloon scene which firmly places the serial in Buck Jones territory. Hard riding and fast-paced running inserts come to the fore in Five. Six makes use of a bit of stock footage. There is very little in the serial as a whole, though for some reason Jones swaps hats in the later chapters. Maybe he really lost his chapeau, but sudden changes of apparel often herald the introduction of copious library material. I didn't spot any to speak of, but I did discover a slight lapse in continuity, which fortunately few viewers will notice. I'm glad to say there are no economy chapters or flashbacks either. And no slackening in the action as we glide towards the end. In fact, Eleven has one of the most lavishly and excitingly staged hangars in the whole serial.
Yes, "Gordon of Ghost City" has certainly been produced on a high budget from first to last. Lots of location lensing, lots of thrilling action, lots of extras riding, chasing and shooting. The script knits pretty tight with few extraneous episodes or detours, the characters seem interesting and the dialogue often gives the players opportunities for real conflict, drama, wit and even punch. The acting rates as generally first-rate. Jones himself excels as usual, receiving first-rate support from Walter Miller and William Desmond. Alas, heroine Madge Bellamy is a bit of a liability with her silent-days mannerisms.
Production values are superb, with marvelous photography, and direction of unusual vigor and style from Taylor.
NOTES: The first of Buck Jones' six serials. The others: The Red Rider, Roaring West, The Phantom Rider, White Eagle, and Riders of Death Valley.
COMMENT: Chapter One introduces both Gordon and Ghost City most effectively. The hanger incorporates the most thrilling under-the- speeding-wagon stunt I've ever seen. Two contains more solid action, though it's a surprise to find Walter Miller identified as the villain in the Foreword. Optical wipes are the rule in Three which also features lots of Francis Ford. Although billed as "The Mysterious Man", we are pretty sure of his identity. Four has a remarkable saloon scene which firmly places the serial in Buck Jones territory. Hard riding and fast-paced running inserts come to the fore in Five. Six makes use of a bit of stock footage. There is very little in the serial as a whole, though for some reason Jones swaps hats in the later chapters. Maybe he really lost his chapeau, but sudden changes of apparel often herald the introduction of copious library material. I didn't spot any to speak of, but I did discover a slight lapse in continuity, which fortunately few viewers will notice. I'm glad to say there are no economy chapters or flashbacks either. And no slackening in the action as we glide towards the end. In fact, Eleven has one of the most lavishly and excitingly staged hangars in the whole serial.
Yes, "Gordon of Ghost City" has certainly been produced on a high budget from first to last. Lots of location lensing, lots of thrilling action, lots of extras riding, chasing and shooting. The script knits pretty tight with few extraneous episodes or detours, the characters seem interesting and the dialogue often gives the players opportunities for real conflict, drama, wit and even punch. The acting rates as generally first-rate. Jones himself excels as usual, receiving first-rate support from Walter Miller and William Desmond. Alas, heroine Madge Bellamy is a bit of a liability with her silent-days mannerisms.
Production values are superb, with marvelous photography, and direction of unusual vigor and style from Taylor.
BUCK JONES IS GONNA GET YA, PARDNER
tcchelsey11 January 2021
GORDON OF GHOST CITY was Buck Jones first serial with Universal and a pretty darn good one. There aren't a lot of spooks here, to be perfectly honest, but there's a deserted town that has a ton of gold hidden beneath it and it all belongs to the lovely Madge Bellamy. Naturally the baddies want it and Buck has to get them before they get him. There's the usual crash and chase scenes, in this case through deserted, old buildings and hidden tunnels, but what makes this serial so good is the rapport between Jones and Bellamy. They made an excellent team and, quite frankly a handsome couple, and its too bad they weren't in a few more productions together. Bellamy, a very good actress, plays well opposite Jones as they take on an assortment of devious characters, fun to watch. Also featured is Jones wonder horse, Silver, a talented animal in his own right, who has a few neat action scenes thrown in for good measure. Great to see this one on dvd and thanks to Universal, which had fairly high photographic and production standards, the available copies are quite good. Worth a look for old times sake and a salute to the great Buck Jones.
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