HOLT OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1941) Jack Holt & Evelyn Brent | Drama | B&W

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Holt of the Secret Service (1941) was the 16th serial released by Columbia Pictures.

Synopsis

A murderous gang of counterfeiters has kidnapped John Severn (played by Ray Parsons), the U.S. government's best engraver. He is forced to engrave a set of counterfeit plates, to print phony money that is virtually undetectable from genuine currency. The United States Secret Service sends its toughest agent, Jack Holt (played by himself), and his female partner, Kay Drew (Evelyn Brent), after the gang. Holt poses as escaped tough guy, Nick Farrel. Masquerading as the bickering, tough-talking Mr. and Mrs. Farrel, Holt and Drew manage to infiltrate the ruthless gang of thugs. Holt locates Severn and instructs him to keep working but as slowly as possible, to give Holt time to find the head of the crime ring. Holt takes the set of counterfeit plates in hand, and much of the action has Holt keeping the plates away from the crooks. The scenes shift from the gang's hideout in a lost canyon to a gambling ship on the high seas, to a small island country where the gang hopes to escape U.S. extradition.

The head of the ring is gambler Lucky Arnold (John Ward), but he hides behind the facade of one of his loyal henchmen, Quist (Ted Adams), to shield himself from the Secret Service, and lets another one of his men, Ed Valden (Tristram Coffin), do most of his dirty work. The island nation has its own self-appointed dictator (Stanley Blystone), who is also trying to rub out our hero. During the 15 episodes, Holt endures numerous brushes with death, emerging from all of them virtually unscathed. Holt is so tough that, when he faces a firing squad and is asked if he wants a blindfold, he murmurs, "Forget it. This is the only thing in life I haven't seen!"

Cast & Crew

Jack Holt as Jack Holt / Nick Farrel
Evelyn Brent as Kay Drew - R49
C. Montague Shaw as Chief John W. Malloy (as Montague Shaw)
Tristram Coffin as Ed Valden [Chs. 1-10]
John Ward as 'Lucky' Arnold
Ted Adams as Quist
Joe McGuinn as 'Crimp' Evans
Edward Hearn as Agent Jim Layton
Ray Parsons as John Severn - Engraver [Chs. 1-4]
Jack Cheatham as Agent Frank [Chs. 3-5, 8-9, 15]

Directed by: James W. Horne
Screenplay by:

Basil Dickey
George H. Plympton (as George Plympton)
Wyndham Gittens
Produced by: Larry Darmour
Narrated by: Knox Manning
Cinematography: James S. Brown Jr.
Edited by:
Dwight Caldwell
Earl Turner
Music by: Lee Zahler
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: November 21, 1941
Running Time: 278 minutes (15 episodes)
Country: United States
Language: English