The Green Hornet is a 1940 Universal movie serial based on The Green Hornet radio series by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. The radio program was so popular that in 1939, Trendle entered into an agreement with Universal Studios to produce two cliffhanger serials loosely adapted from the radio scripts. It was followed in 1941 by The Green Hornet Strikes Again!
Plot[]
The first chapter, “The Tunnel of Terror,” was adapted from the October 12, 1937 epsisode of the radio program. The plot involves Reid’s efforts to shut down Henry Adsit of Liberty Construction, who managed to underbid everyone for city construction jobs — but at the cost of a tunnel collapse because of inferior materials used in its construction. In the subsequent chapters, The Green Hornet and his Korean valet Kato stop and expose several seemingly separate crimes. This leads them into continued conflict with the mysterious Leader, the criminal mastermind behind the Syndicate and the individual crimes.
GH Serial
The first episode of the film serial
Cast[]
- Gordon Jones as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet (Chapters 1-13)
- Al Hodge as the (uncredited) voice of the Green Hornet (Chapters 1-13)
- Wade Boteler as Mike Axford (Chapters 1-13)
- Keye Luke as Kato (Chapters 1-13)
- Anne Nagel as Lenore "Casey" Case (Chapters 1-13)
- Phillip Trent as Jasper Jenks (Chapters 1-13)
- Cy Kendall as Curtis Monroe (Chapters 1-13)
- Stanley Andrews as Police Commissioner (Chapters 1, 5, 8, 9 & 13)
- Joseph Crehan as Judge Stanton (Chapters 1, 9, 10 & 13]
- Ben Taggart as Phil Bartlett (Chapters 3-4)
- Selmer Jackson as District Attorney (Chapters 4 & 10)
- Jerry Marlowe as Bob Stafford (Chapters 7 & 11)
- Edward Earle as Felix Grant (Chapter 1)
- Clyde Dilson as Meadows (Chapter 5)
- Raymond Bailey as Mr. West (Chapter 6)
- Eddie Dunn as D.H. Sligby (Chapter 7)
- Frederick Vogeding as Max Gregory (Chapter 11)
- John Kelly as Pete Hawks
- Walter McGrail as Dean
- Gene Rizzi as Corey
Episodes[]
- The Tunnel of Terror
- Thundering Terror
- Flying Coffins
- Pillar of Flame
- The Time Bomb
- Highways of Peril
- Bridge of Disaster
- Dead or Alive!
- The Hornet Trapped!
- Bullets and Ballots
- Disaster Rides the Rails!
- Panic in the Zoo!
- Doom of the Underworld!
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Production stills[]
| Screen adaptations | ||
| 1940 film serial · 1941 film serial · Television series · 1974 feature film · 1976 feature film · 2006 short film · 2011 feature film | ||
| Audio adaptations | ||
| Radio series | ||
| Comic books | ||
| * Green Hornet Comics · Dell series · Gold Key series · NOW series · Dynamite series | ||
| Novels and short stories | ||
| The Green Hornet Strikes! · The Green Hornet Returns · The Green Hornet Cracks Down · The Green Hornet: Case of the Disappearing Doctor · The Green Hornet in The Infernal Light · The Green Hornet Chronicles · The Green Hornet Casefiles · The Green Hornet: Still at Large | ||
| Video games | ||
| The Green Hornet: Wheels of Justice | ||