BOB KORTMAN
December 24th, 1887 -- March 13th, 1967

Above: You can be sure that Bob Kortman is putting those two pistols of his to bad use in this scene from ZORRO RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1937).

With skin stretched drum-tight over his tapering face, a sneering, toothy grin, and a throaty, unpleasant voice, Bob Kortman was just about the ultimate in nasty villains in the early days of the sound serial. When Kortman came on screen, audiences instantly stiffened and got on their guard, wondering what absolutely despicable piece of villainy he was going to launch at the good guys. Kortman made an ideal henchman for whatever villain happened to employ him in his serials; you got the feeling that Bob engaged in crime not so much from profit motives but merely for sheer love of the profession. While he was not always the "action heavy", or lead henchman, Kortman always stood out in the villain pack, either by some particularly evil deed or just by virtue of his unforgettable face.

Kortman was born on Christmas Eve, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served in the US cavalry around the turn of the century, and performed on stage before making his first screen appearance in the William S. Hart silent western, BAD BUCK OF SANTA YNEZ, in 1915. He appeared in several other Hart films, including HELL'S HINGES and THE RUSE, in almost all of which he was a bad guy, or at least a loud-mouthed bully. He kept right on into the sound era, and played a rustler in one of the first talkie Westerns, THE VIRGININAN with Gary Cooper. He also played a small role in another famous early Western, Richard Dix's CIMMARON, before he joined myriad other silent performers at Mascot Pictures for his first serial, THE LONE DEFENDER (Mascot, 1930), a Western that starred silent serial hero Walter Miller and canine idol Rin Tin Tin. Naturally, Bob was a henchman, named Jenkins in this instance. Next came THE VANISHING LEGION, in which Kortman was one of a gang carrying out the orders of the Voice, a mysterious master criminal. Bob's share in the villainy in these releases were small, but he got in on some of the high-speed action sequences which were already Mascot's cliffhanger hallmark.

Above: Harry Carey Sr. (left) is about to get the drop on Bob Kortman in THE VANISHING LEGION (Mascot, 1931).

Bob must have adapted to the swift, shoestring setup of Mascot with ease, as he appeared in almost all of their releases for the next couple of years. It seemed like their serials wouldn't have been complete without Kortman on hand, either performing some act of villainy himself or sneering happily at one of the other baddies' acts of villainy. He next took on George Brent, and Rin Tin Tin again, in THE LIGHTNING WARRIOR (Mascot, 1935), another Western in which Bob served another mystery villain, the Wolf Man. Kortman's part, that of a henchman named "Wells", was more important than his first two serial appearances had been, and Bob's fine performance in the role probably led to his being awarded an even bigger part in LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Mascot, 1932). Kortman applied a skin dye called "bole armenia" to play Magua, the treacherous Mingo Indian who executed all the dirty work for the French forces in their war against the British in 1700s frontier America. Veteran scout Hawkeye (Harry Carey Sr.) found himself opposing the evil renegade when Magua kidnapped the daughters (Lucile Browne and Edwina Booth) of a British colonel. Rather loosely based on James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel, MOHICANS was an attempt by Mascot to gain their serials a reputation for literacy. Most fans feel they didn't succeed too well, and MOHICANS didn't come anywhere near its potential. Kortman was excellent throughout, though, as he delivered a fairly faithful-to-Cooper portrayal of the sadistic, brutal Magua.

Above: Bob Kortman gets the drop on George Brent while Rin Tin Tin watches in THE LIGHTNING WARRIOR (Mascot, 1931).

Above: Bob Kortman, tomahawk in hand, threatens Harry Carey Sr. in LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Mascot, 1932).

Bob was next featured as a henchman named Bracken in the aviation adventure THE MYSTERY SQUADRON (Mascot, 1933); Kortman and the rest of the "Squadron" were the cohorts of the Black Ace, yet another mystery villain. The whole group of air pirates was bent on stopping construction on a dam, but aces Bob Steele and Big Boy Williams put a stop to their raids and unmasked the Ace. Bob then appeared in Mascot's very next release, THE WHISPERING SHADOW (Mascot, 1933), as Slade, an "internationally famous jewel thief." One of the many suspects and red herrings that stirred up the serial's pot of mystery, Kortman's character, though completely crooked, did not turn out to be the mystery villain (the Shadow of the title) in the end.

Kortman continued his string of Mascots with BURN 'EM UP BARNES in 1934. Jack Mulhall played the title character, a daredevil racing driver trying to save heroine Lola Lane’s bus line from the schemes of a profiteer (Edwin Maxwell). This was a hard task, as Kortman was one of Maxwell’s henchmen, as were Francis MacDonald and Al Bridge, but Mulhall beat the whole gang in the end with the help of young Frankie Darro. Bob next took on Ken Maynard in MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934), in which a villain called the Rattler was trying to grab control of valuable land in the modern-day west. Bob was Hank, one of the Rattler's cohorts, and gave the mysterious mastermind the same sterling service he had given the Voice, the Wolf Man, and the Black Ace.

Kortman's last Mascot serial was THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935). This cliffhanger is well-known to all movie historians, because it was the last film of screen legend Tom Mix. For that reason and for the presence of Charles Middleton as the villain, RIDER is one of the most beloved Mascot outings. Mix was Tom Morgan, a Texas Ranger protecting the Ravenhead Indians from the unscrupulous machinations of corrupt businessman Middleton. Middleton had discovered a rare chemical element on the Indian reservation, and tried every trick in the book to drive the Ravenheads from their land. Kortman was Longboat, a malcontent Indian with designs on the chieftainship, so he willingly aided Middleton in his attempts to terrorize the Ravenheads with the "Firebird God", really a huge remote-controlled glider.

Above: A publicity still of Bob Kortman as "Longboat" in THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935).

Kortman's first non-Mascot cliffhanger was THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING (Republic, 1936), the third serial released by the new Republic Pictures outfit. The serial was set in the Old West, unlike most of Bob's earlier sagebrush cliffhangers, but interestingly Kortman was not cast as an outlaw, but rather as a Cossack! The serial (based on snatches of actual history) featured Fred Kohler as a renegade American general who was out to conquer California with the aid of the Russian Czar's troops. As such, the evil Kohler had an army of Russian Cossacks at his disposal, and Bob was Petroff, the captain of this ruthless and very tough band. Tough as Kortman and his Cossacks were, though, they were unable to prevent the heroic Don Loring (Robert Livingston) from organizing the California settlers into a group of vigilantes and leading a successful revolt against Kohler and his Russian allies.

Above: Robert Livingston, in the guise of the avenging Eagle, disarms Fred Kohler, unaware that Bob Kortman is lurking behind the door in THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING (Republic, 1936).

Kortman continued to be as prolific as he had been in his Mascot days; he was featured in another major role in Republic's very next release, ROBINSON CRUSOE OF CLIPPER ISLAND (Republic, 1936). As Captain Wilson, piratical lackey for the mysterious villain H.Q., Bob enjoyed one of his biggest action heavy roles yet, teaming with fellow villain veteran George Chesebro to deliver some fine "henching." Unfortunately, Kortman's performance was one of the few good things about CRUSOE, by all accounts; the serial was padded with repetitive footage and all but sunk by the strangely vacant performance of star Ray Mala. Kortman, Chesebro, John Piccorri, and Herbert Rawlinson all did their best to salvage it, but most people agree that Republic was still finding their way when they turned out CRUSOE. Bob's next serial, THE CLUTCHING HAND (Stage and Screen, 1936), is also frequently numbered among the lesser serials, but it has its defenders as well as its detractors. An ultra-complex mystery along the lines of Bob's earlier WHISPERING SHADOW, the serial had former Jack Mulhall as a sleuth trying to track down the mysterious title villain and rescue the missing Professor Gironda (Robert Frazer). Kortman was Spike, one of the key members of the Clutching Hand's gang. It seems like the mystery villains always liked to hire Kortman as one of their lieutenants; I guess they figured that Bob wouldn't be bothered at working for a mystery man so long as he got to kill people.

Above: Bob Kortman (second from left) and three of his crewmen are about to open fire in this lobby card from ROBINSON CRUSOE OF CLIPPER ISLAND (Republic, 1936). Ray Mala is shown in the lower left hand border. Bud Osborne is on the far left.

Kortman had originally been scheduled to play the part of the villain Slade in Universal's JUNGLE JIM (Universal, 1936), but, for whatever reason, the role went to Al Bridge instead. Universal did sign Bob on in 1937, though, for SECRET AGENT X-9. The cliffhanger was one of Universal's best. FBI agent X-9 (Scott Kolk) was the hero of the piece, out to recover the stolen Crown Jewels of Belgravia. A master jewel thief named Victor Brenda, Belgravian emissaries, and a gang of crooks headed by Blackstone (Henry Brandon) all complicated the case, as did Kortman in the role of a fence named Trader Delaney. Delaney was murdered in cold blood in the last chapter by Blackstone, who suspected him of trying to doublecross him over the jewels; it was a switch for Bob to be on the receiving end of such a dirty deed.

Above: Henry Brandon (left) confronts the double-dealing Bob Kortman in this still from SECRET AGENT X-9 (Universal, 1937).

Kortman stayed on at Universal for WILD WEST DAYS, released the same year as X-9. WILD WEST marked perhaps the most fantastic example of "casting against type" in serial history--Kortman was featured as a good guy! That's right--Bob was Trigger Benton, one of the rough-and-tumble, fun-loving sidekicks of hero Johnny Mack Brown, and rode side by side with Brown, Frank Yaconelli, and George Shelley in protecting heroine Lynn Gilbert and her brother Frank McGlynn Jr. from the outlaw group known as the Secret Seven. Kortman rose to the occasion, and managed to overcome the natural distrust engendered by his previous roles and his natural appearance in making the character of Trigger likeable and believable. Kids may initially have had a hard time accepting Bob as a sidekick, but by the end of the serial, I bet they were filled with admiration for the incredible versatility that Kortman had displayed.

Above: Bob Kortman (far left) and George Shelley (far right) round up some outlaws in this lobby card for WILD WEST DAYS (Universal, 1937).

Bob was back at the old stand, though, for ZORRO RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1937). The first serial directed by the legendary team of William Witney and John English, ZORRO was a historic as well as an entertaining cliffhanger. John Carroll was cast as James Vega, the modern-day descendant of Zorro who fought to keep a group of outlaws from destroying a Mexican-American railway project. The "Mr. Big" behind the sabotage attempts was tycoon J.A. Marsden (Noah Beery Sr.), who deputed Brad Dace (Richard Alexander) and Trelliger (Bob Kortman) to carry out his terroristic orders. The two rotters, with the help of Jack Ingram and an assortment of other henchmen, committed many acts of violence and viciousness till the final chapter, when Ingram was shot during a siege of the outlaw stockade, Kortman was punched out by Carroll, and Alexander was trampled by Carroll's great horse.

Above: Bob Kortman, Jack Ingram, and Richard Alexander plotting some nasty things in ZORRO RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1937). That’s Noah Beery Sr. in the bottom left-hand corner of the lobby card’s corner. Reed Howes is above him, and Richard Alexander is punching John Carroll in the top left hand corner. John Carroll is on the right hand side of the card.

Kortman, by now in his early fifties, began to slow down a bit, only making a small henchman appearance in THE SPIDER'S WEB (Columbia, 1938) during the next two years (he was also featured in THE LONE RANGER, released by Republic in 1938, but his scene was really stock footage from an earlier B-western). Following another minor heavy role in WINNERS OF THE WEST (Universal, 1940), Bob tackled his last and probably his best cliffhanger villain part in ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER (Republic, 1940). A remarkably well-done serial, and one that managed to rise completely above the usual cliffhanger formula, RYDER starred Don Barry as Red Ryder, a young rancher who was obliged to take on a gang of murderous outlaws when they killed his father and several other friends and neighbors as part of a plot to gain control of land needed for a railroad right-of-way. Banker Calvin Drake (Harry Worth, in a masterful performance) and saloon owner Ace Hanlon (Noah Beery Sr.) were the kingpins in the scheme, and their "man in the field" and active agent was gunman One-Eye Chapman, played by Bob Kortman. Bob, thanks to the eyepatch he donned for the part, looked even more repellent than usual, and also behaved even more brutally than usual. In between One-Eye's murder of the Withers family (Ed Cassidy and Billy Benedict) in Chapter One, and his killing of Red's sidekick Cherokee (Hal Taliaferro) in Chapter Eleven, Kortman built up the character of the eye-patched killer to such an extent that the confrontation between Red and the outlaw following Cherokee's death became one of the most satisfying scenes in serials. Good (Barry) and Evil (Kortman) faced off in an even gun duel, and I for one felt like jumping to my feet and cheering when the hateful One-Eye bit the dust. To create such an audience antipathy for a villain calls for great talent on the part of the actor playing him, and Bob showed, in his serial swan song, that he still had the same great talents he had displayed in his debut ten years earlier.

Above: Bob Kortman (left) and another henchman attack Don Barry (center) in ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER (Republic, 1940).

Kortman played one more bit role, a henchman in THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN (Universal, 1940), before leaving serials to devote himself almost exclusively to B-western bad guy roles throughout the forties. His last Western was FLAMING FEATHER, with Sterling Hayden, in 1951 (true to form, Bob was again a henchman), and his last film was the Alan Young comedy AARON SLICK FROM PUNKIN CRICK, released the following year. He retired to the Twenty-Nine Pines area of California, and was still living there when he passed away in 1967.

When the sound action serial arrived on theater screens in 1930, Bob Kortman was already well-versed in film villainy. And he carried his rich experience into the sound era, to help other greats like Al Bridge and George Chesebro create the image of the classic serial henchman that would last until the cliffhanger died in 1956. He left big footsteps for his successors to fill, and while many succeeded in their own way, no one ever possessed the combination of physical ugliness, vocal unpleasantness, and acting talent that had combined to make Robert Kortman outstanding as a serial henchman.

Above: Bob, trigger finger as itchy as ever, prepares to let Jack Mulhall have it in BURN 'EM UP BARNES (Mascot, 1934), but Frankie Darro is on hand to make sure that Kortman will fail in his evil purpose.