A criminal mastermind known as The Crimson Ghost is out to steal a device called the Cyclotrode, which can short-circuit all electrical current on the planet.
I was lucky to have seen this in theaters when it was new. It made such an impression on me that I have bought three different copies of the dvd, and have spent years trying to find or replicate the costume of the Ghost. His entrance during a thunderstorm still gives me chills decades later! Terrific classic 40's serial making. This was the most expensive serial the studio made. Never tire of watching it. A 100% best in class thriller!
I watched the abridged (ninety minutes) version of this serialisation and though I did like the eponymous baddie, I think it would have been better left as a twelve-parter with a week between each episode to anticipate the next instalment - and possibly forget the last. It's all about a devious scientists who is bent on stealing a device that can short circuit just about everything electrical on Earth - extremely useful at neutralising atom bombs, in case you were wondering what anyone would build such a device in the first place. Anyway, before the American military can get hold of the device from it's inventor, he sends his henchmen to pinch it. They hadn't bargained on the heroic efforts of "Duncan" (Chares Quigley) though and soon the t...