ALINE TOWNE
November 30th, 1930 -- February 2nd, 1996

Above: Aline Towne, the last of Republic's serial queens, talks things over with Richard Webb in THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (Republic, 1950).

Born in Minnesota, Aline Towne entered films in the early nineteen fifties, after winning a state-wide beauty contest. Not often mentioned in discussions of the great heroines, she nevertheless has a good claim to the title of "Last of the Serial Queens", as she appeared in no less than five Republic cliffhangers during their final years. She probably would have been better known had her serial parts been more major; in Republic's declining years, most roles other than the part of hero and henchman were just background; with a few exceptions, both heroines and brains heavies had less to do than in the earlier outings. However, Aline was a pretty and talented actress, as she later proved in her many TV guest appearances, and her presence brightened all five of the serials she appeared in. I feel that it's time for someone to pay some attention to this undeservedly overlooked serial actress.

Aline's first cliffhanger was THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (Republic, 1950). She played Carol Richards, the assistant of insurance investigator Lane Carson (excellent supporting actor Richard Webb in his only serial). This role probably gave her more screen time than any of her others (with the exception of TRADER TOM OF THE CHINA SEAS) as she aided Webb in tracking down the titular bad guy, a master villain named the Phantom Ruler (Stanley Price) with the power to make himself invisible. Lane Bradford and John Crawford were the Ruler's henchmen, who helped their boss in his plan to take over the world with an army of invisible soldiers. Needless to say, Webb and Towne managed to thwart this evil scheme and bring the Ruler to a well-deserved end.

Above: Aline Towne and Richard Webb investigate the Phantom Ruler's invisibility device in THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (Republic, 1950).

Towne's next serial took her from the contemporary setting of THE INVISIBLE MONSTER to the Old West. It was DON DAREDEVIL RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1951), with incredibly versatile performer Ken Curtis (Festus on GUNSMOKE!) as lawyer Lee Hadley and his alter ego, the masked hero Don Daredevil (a version of Zorro) who aids the ranchers and settlers in combating the schemes of Douglas Stratton (Roy Barcroft), a corrupt politician who comes up with a plan to take over the entire area by proving an old Spanish land grant a fake (actually, Stratton's men have substituted a fake land grant for the real one). Aline was Curtis's cousin, Patricia Doyle, who shares the secret of his identity and helps him conceal it, dressing up in the Don Daredevil outfit on one occasion when Hadley's secret is threatened with exposure. DON DAREDEVIL RIDES AGAIN is one of the first serials I ever saw and still one of my favorites, and the fact that Aline Towne was in it gives her a very special place in my heart.

Above: A poster for DON DAREDEVIL RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1951), one of my favorite serials. Aline Towne and Ken Curtis are shown in the upper right hand corner, while Curtis, masked as Don Daredevil, struggles with villain John Cason in the upper left hand corner. The head of Roy Barcroft (as villain Douglas Stratton) is visible beneath the title, and the photo insert shows Cason and fellow villain Lane Bradford preparing to attack something or other. Notice something weird about this card? Villains Barcroft and Bradford are billed above stars Curtis and Towne! That's not the billing order in the actual serial.

Aline's next serial is probably her best known--RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (Republic, 1952). One of the most popular of Republic's later serials, RADAR MEN was Republic's attempt to create a distinctive character that they would be able to market. The serial introduced Commando Cody, a scientist and detective who specializes in outer-space investigations for the US Government. George Wallace, who usually played heavies, was given the part of Cody, and Republic gave him the rocket suit used earlier in KING OF THE ROCKET MEN (Republic, 1949), hoping the unique name and outfit would catch on. Aline played Cody's secretary Joan Gilbert, who helps the flying hero checkmate the plans of Retik, Emperor of the Moon (Roy Barcroft in his last serial super-villain role). RADAR MEN was an imaginative late Republic that unfortunately didn't give serials the shot in the arm that Republic had hoped for, but it did lead to the short-lived Commando Cody TV series (in which Aline reprised her Joan Gilbert role opposite Judd Holdren as Cody). One of the best things about Aline as a serial heroine was the fact that she could handle the most weird and incredible dialogue with complete conviction, and it was probably this talent that made Republic use her in the CODY show and in their next serial, ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE.

Above: Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne), Ted Richards (William Bakewell), and Commando Cody (George Wallace) look at the newspaper reports of the mysterious damage being caused by the invaders from the Moon in this scene from RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (Republic, 1952).

Towne's next serial, ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE (Republic, 1952), had been written as a sequel to RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON, but for some reason Republic decided against this idea at the last moment (my own private guess is that Republic wanted to use the Cody character on television rather than putting him into another serial). Aline's character name was changed to from Joan Gilbert to Sue Davis, and Judd Holdren played Larry Martin, rather than Commando Cody. The hero's occupation remained the same, and the theme of the serial was similar to that of RADAR MEN. Martian invaders, headed by Marex (Lane Bradford) arrive on Earth with orders to build a hydrogen bomb to blast Earth out of orbit so their dying planet can take its place. They reckon without Larry Martin, who, with the help of his flying suit, his team of assistants, and his rocketship (also used in RADAR MEN) destroys the Martians and their master plan. This was Republic's last sci-fi serial, and they threw in every element used in their previous ones--alien invaders, an evil earth scientist (Stanley Waxman) in league with the invaders, gangsters (headed by John Crawford) who help the Martians, and even a giant robot, used earlier in MYSTERIOUS DR. SATAN (Republic, 1940).

Above: Aline Towne (far left) watches in horror as Wilson Wood is attacked by a Martian robot, while Judd Holdren tries to get a clear shot at the monster in ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE (Republic, 1952).

Aline didn't make any serials in 1953; her time was occupied by the above-mentioned COMMANDO CODY TV series. Unfortunately, CODY only ran for twelve episodes and was then canceled, and Republic gave up any further plans for the flying commando. Aline's last serial was TRADER TOM OF THE CHINA SEAS (Republic, 1954). She played Vivian Wells, the daughter of an island doctor, and teamed with UN agent Tom Rogers (Harry Lauter) to thwart a Communist-sponsored revolution in the South Seas island nation of Burmatra. One of Republic's very last serials, TRADER TOM drew heavily on earlier cliffhangers for its action sequences, but still maintains some fans (including myself) and has been called "the last great serial." Harry and Aline played well together, and Lyle Talbot and Fred Graham made a good team of villains. Aline also recieved more screen time in this than she did in almost any of her other cliffhangers, and showed that she could handle a larger role.

Above: Aline Towne and Harry Lauter in a color lobby card for TRADER TOM OF THE CHINA SEAS (Republic, 1954).

Aline kept acting off and on into the seventies, appearing in SEND ME NO FLOWERS, GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN, and SONG OF NORWAY, among others. She appeared a couple of times on the Superman TV show, most notably in the first episode as the Man of Steel's mother, Lara (as noted above). She also popped up in a couple episodes of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, and made many appearances on TV Westerns like MAVERICK and WAGON TRAIN. Aline Towne died in 1996.

Aline's cliffhanger parts were never that prominent, but she always made an impression in them. And she will always be a favorite of at least one fan for the part she played in DON DAREDEVIL RIDES AGAIN. I will forever think fondly of Aline Towne, the Last Serial Queen.

Above: Aline Towne stands by George Wallace (in the flying rocket suit) in this publicity still for RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (Republic, 1952).