Never one to waste a good idea twice basement budget movie studio PRC thought sufficent time had passed to re-make THE DEVIL BAT which starred Bela Lugosi in 1940. They put a little twist in the story just in case anyone thought it might sound familiar and re-titled it THE FLYING SERPENT (1946).
Dr. Andrew Forbes (George Zucco) is a crazy archeologist who has discovered an Aztec treasure and wants to keep it all to himself. To ensure his greedy tendencies he even has the legendary Mexican flying monster Quetzalcoatl guarding the treasure and dispatching locals who get in his way. Instead of using a skin lotion like Bela's mad doctor did, Forbes plants a feather on or near his intended victims. Two big city radio reporters (Ralph Lewis and Eddie Acuff) investigate the murders with the help of Forbes' step-daughter (Hope Kramer) and eventually Forbes is destroyed by his own creation.
THE FLYING SERPENT is an ok hour's deversion. No one played rationally insane villains better than George Zucco. He really seems demented in several scenes! He had an unusual career appearing in big Hollywood productions (SUDAN, JOAN OF ARK; was Moriarty in THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES) but seemed to make his mark as an evil scientist or eccentric doctor in Poverty Row productions like THE BLACK RAVEN, SCARED TO DEATH, FOG ISLAND and DEAD MEN WALK. His strangest credit though is in THE RETURN OF THE APE MAN in 1944. Although his name is in the credits he appears nowhere in the film! Also unexplained is how his character of Dr. Forbes got a hold of a mythological flying reptile!
None of TFS's other leads seemed to go on to much else but Western actor and low budget film regular Henry Hall is the local sheriff, an early victim.
To say Director Sam Newfield (here billed as Sherman Scott) was a fast worker is putting it mildly. THE FLYING SERPENT was one of 15 movies he directed in 1946!
Not letting any plot idea lay dormant too long this story was revised and re-made two years later as a Charlie Chan mystery called THE FEATHERED SERPENT! (Roland Winters was Chan)
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!
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