IRIS MEREDITH
June 3rd, 1915 -- January 22nd, 1980

Above: Iris Meredith in a publicity shot taken during her days as Columbia Pictures' top B-western heroine.

While fans of Republic serials may debate whether Linda Stirling or Kay Aldridge were that studio's "serial queen", there is no doubt among fans as to who held the title at Columbia Pictures: it was the slender, graceful, plucky beauty known as Iris Meredith.

Iris Meredith was born Iris Shunn in Sioux City, Iowa. She started in showbiz as a Goldwyn Girl, and entered films in the early thirties, starting out with small roles. She signed on at Columbia, and should have become a major star, but instead she became typecast as a B-western heroine. Her first Western, and her first leading role, was in the Charles Starrett B-western THE COWBOY STAR, and this first film pretty much set the standard for the rest of her career. While Rita Hayworth, who also had played opposite Starrett, was promoted to stardom, Iris kept on working in the lower ranks of Hollywood, unknown to those who didn't deign to watch B-westerns, but quickly gaining a following among those who did. She became so popular that the studio cast her as the heroine in a cliffhanger that meant a lot to the studio--THE SPIDER'S WEB (Columbia, 1938). The serial was based on the pulp hero the Spider, created by Norvell Page, and it was Columbia's first adaptation of a famous other-media character. They went to a lot of trouble to cast exactly the right people in the roles of Page's pulp characters, and for the role of Nita Van Sloan, the Spider's charming, resourceful and faithful fiancee, they chose Iris Meredith. It was a perfect choice, and Iris lent her considerable talents to a serial that also included such good performers as Warren Hull (as Wentworth) and Kenne Duncan (as the Spider's aide Ram Singh) in the cast. The Spider, who is secretly wealthy Richard Wentworth, swings into action in the serial when the city is menaced by a masked master villain known as the Octopus. With the help of Nita, Ram Singh, and Jackson (Richard Fiske), the masked vigilante manages to defeat the sinister Octupus and his evil schemes. THE SPIDER'S WEB was immensely popular, and is still considered one of Columbia's best chapterplays to this day. When serial fans think of Iris Meredith, they always remember her role of Nita Van Sloan first of all.

Above: The masked Spider (Warren Hull), Nita Van Sloan (Iris Meredith), Jackson (Richard Fiske), and Ram Singh (Kenne Duncan) pause for breath following a narrow escape in this scene from THE SPIDER'S WEB (Columbia, 1938), Iris's first serial and still her most fondly remembered. The body of a dead villain lies on the steps in the background.

Iris's next serial was the rousing Western cliffhanger OVERLAND WITH KIT CARSON (Columbia, 1939). The serial starred the legendary William "Wild Bill" Elliott, Columbia's new Western star, as famous frontiersman Kit Carson. Carson had been assigned by the US Government to make the Western territories safe for pioneers; to do this, he had to defeat the plundering Black Raiders and their mysterious leader Pegleg, who was arming the Indians and inciting them to attack the settlers. Iris was Carmelita, the adopted daughter of Mexican rancher Senor Gonzales, and helped Carson and his ally Lt. Brent track down Pegleg, regardless of danger. OVERLAND WITH KIT CARSON, like SPIDER'S WEB, is one of Columbia's most popular serials--some consider it the best Western serial ever made--once again thanks in part to the charming presence of Iris Meredith. It was her only Western serial, but it wasn't the last time she would work with Wild Bill--the two of them would appear together in several of Elliott's best B-westerns, including THE MAN FROM TUMBLEWEEDS and TAMING OF THE WEST.

Above: Carmelita Gonzalez (Iris Meredith) and Kit Carson (Wild Bill Elliott) in a publicity still for OVERLAND WITH KIT CARSON (Columbia, 1939).

Iris's final serial was THE GREEN ARCHER (Columbia, 1940). Like THE SPIDER'S WEB, it was a crime-fighting adventure with a modern-day setting. However, it was quite different from SPIDER'S WEB, due to the direction of James W. Horne. I've talked about Horne before, but I must say that GREEN ARCHER is quite entertaining, but not what you really expect from a serial, with the hyperventilating villainy of James Craven and the bumbling of police detective Fred Kelsey making it seem more like a comic spoof of the serial world. The plot dealt with the Bellamy brothers, Abel (James Craven) and Michael (Kenne Duncan), and their spooky ancestral home, Garr Castle. Abel has Michael framed for a jewel robbery and wrecks the train taking his brother to prison so he can take over Garr Castle and use it as a headquarters for his criminal activities. He also imprisons Michael's wife Elaine (Dorothy Fay) when she learns of his schemes. This brings in Valerie Howett (Iris), Elaine's sister, who joins with insurance investigator Spike Holland (Victor Jory, playing a hero for once rather than a heavy) to find out the reasons behind her sister's disappearance. The frequently imperilled pair are aided by the mysterious Green Archer as they attempt to unmask Abel's villainy. Despite the half-comic tone, THE GREEN ARCHER is good fun.

Above: Iris Meredith and Victor Jory in THE GREEN ARCHER (Columbia, 1940)

Iris Meredith continued to act in B-westerns, both at Columbia and, later on, at PRC, until she retired from the screen in 1943. She was long and happily married to Abby Berlin, the director of many of the Blondie comedies. In the late sixties, she was stricken by facial cancer, and she passed away in 1980. Her last public appearance was at the Nashville Western Film Festival in 1976, where she appeared and recieved an award from her devoted fans, despite the serious state of her health. When she accepted the award, the audience rose to their feet and gave her a rousing ovation. They were honoring the on-and-offscreen courage and heart of a serial and Western heroine they had loved for years.

Above: A gorgeous publicity photo of Iris Meredith as Nita Van Sloan in THE SPIDER'S WEB (Columbia, 1938).