Killers of the Sea (1934) / Fish From Hell (1945) (Short) (DVD)

Famed radio and TV announcer Lowell Thomas brings us the adventures of Captain Wallace Caswell in this rare exploitation documentary. From the safe confines of his study, the legendary broadcaster tells us all about the "G-Man of the sea"-- in reality, the Chief of Police of Panama City, Florida. Caswell protects the gamefish of the Gulf of Mexico from the vicious aquatic predators who prey upon them, the "killers of the sea". Billed as "The Man of Steel" a full year before Superman's debut, Caswell thinks nothing of stripping to his trunks at the slightest sign of trouble. "When you see Caswell climbing out of those pants", Thomas solemnly intones, "that means a battle is about to begin." Armed with only a knife and a harpoon, he battles a shark, a "whale", and in the film's conclusion, rescues a deep sea diver from an octopus. But it's not all life-and-death struggles, as Caswell and his crew find plenty of time to play the accordion and tap dance. Some decidedly politically incorrect humor is provided at the expense of the ship's cook, "Evolution" Henderson. In one of the documentary's odder features, Thomas provides not only the narration but the voices of the entire crew.

BONUS: FISH FROM HELL (BW, 1945): No-nonsense fishermen battle the denizens of the deep in this vintage short subject breathlessly narrated by Wilfred Lucas. Directed Mack Stengler worked regularly as a cinematographer for Monogram on films such as King of the Zombies (1941), Bowery at Midnight (1942) and The Ape Man (1943). Narrated by Wilfred Lucas. .

• documentary