The Green Hornet: 1940 feature film

The Green Hornet: The early days

The 2940s comic strip.1960s television series and 2011 movie both titled The Green Hornet are well known in pop culture. There is a 1940 film about the masked avenger and his sidekick where it actually all began. The Green Hornet is based on the radio series of the same name by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker which ran from 1936 to 1952.

The radio show is where the masked vigilante originated and each week listeners heard the stories and had to try to picture what was happening and much was left to their imaginations. Fans were probably excited when the characters finally came to life on the silver screen. You can watch the 1940 Green Hornet film by clicking on the above link or find it on streaming services.

The Green Hornet was a chapter film /motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century. This was a series of short subjects done in consecutive order at one theater. A chapter would be shown each week, and ending with a cliffhanger until the series was completed.

This would be a single story, but chapters/the episodes could be shown out of order or as" a single or a random collection of short subjects". Movie goers had to return to the theater each week to see the cliffhangers resolved and to follow the continuing story.

The Green Hornet: Great film noir

If you are a fan of the misunderstood crusader, or you simply enjoy old black and white crime dramas and or film noir in general this movie is a must-see. If you are not familiar with the term, "film noir" it is French for “dark film.” This does not, however, mean dark as in evil.

In this style of filmmaking, there are specific elements and a pattern that fans may have noticed but f0und hard to put into words. There is a specific tone, atmosphere, or mood that is recognizable in the 1940 Green Hornet and other movies of that era. These motion pictures have heroes who are often cynical, and plots that are detailed and or complicated. There are stark lighting effects, which is strong, high-contrast lighting that gives a desolate or isolated effect. Night time, dark alleys, or street corners, barely lit hallways or stair casings and fog were the norm.

There also may be frequent use of flashbacks and an underlying theme of existentialism which is the philosophical belief that each of us is responsible for creating meaning and purpose in our own lives. This film genre was prevalent mostly in American crime dramas in the 1940s, especially after the end of WWII in 1945.

The film remained true to the radio series

The Green Hornet from 1940 is a Universal Pictures black-and-white 13-chapter movie serial. This film remained true to the radio show and the television series and later film did the same. It was produced by Henry MacRae and directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The stars are Gordon Jones, ( Green Hornet/Britt Reid, Wade Boteler, ( Michael Axford) Keye Luke, (Kato), and Anne Nagel (Lenore Case).

By day, Reid is a wealthy young publisher of the Daily Sentinel newspaper but at night he becomes the Green Horne, a crime-fighting hero who is assisted by his loyal driver Kato. Together, this dynamic duo investigates several different underworld rackets and exposes them. Often the crime fighters are falsely accused of being the bad guys and at times they are misunderstood.

The Green Hornet and Kato remain popular

The music and the action in this film are dramatic and dictate the highs and lows in the scenes. If you turn away for a moment the music will alert you when the action picks up. The song "The flight" of the Bumblebees plays at random intervals and is the theme song for the television series.

During the course of the movie, the Hornet and Kato are led into continued conflict with the henchmen of "The Chief" who is the hidden mastermind behind the crime syndicate that controls the rackets. Fans of this dynamic team discuss them today in classic television forums and there are Facebook groups dedicated to The Green Hornet, Kato, and their vehicle Black Beauty.