Federal Operator 99

Plot

Crime Lord James 'Jim' Belmont escapes FBI custody and resumes his criminal empire, only to be thwarted at every turning point by Jerry Blake, the FBI's Operator 99...

Cast

Cast Notes

Cline writes that this was a "somewhat uncharacteristic" serial for Republic due to its sophisticated villains, Lewis the frustrated pianist and his "confidant" (Cline's quotes) played by Gray, and an "obviously cultured, polished hero."

Production

Federal Operator 99 was budgeted at $143,620 although the final negative cost was $153,737 (a $10,117, or 7%, overspend). It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1945.

It was filmed between 18 January and 14 February 1945. The serial's production number was 1497.

Stunts

Special effects

Special effects by the Lydecker brothers.

Theatrical

Federal Operator 99's official release date is 7 July 1945, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.

The serial was re-released on 8 October 1956 between the similar re-releases of King of the Rocket Men and Dangers of the Canadian Mounted. The last original Republic serial release was King of the Carnival in 1955.

Television

Federal Operator 99 was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to FBI-99. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.

Chapter titles

1. The Case of the Crown Jewels (22min 8s)
2. The Case of the Stolen Ransom (13min 20s)
3. The Case of the Lawful Counterfeit (13min 20s)
4. The Case of the Telephone Code (13min 20s)
5. The Case of the Missing Expert (13min 20s)
6. The Case of the Double Trap (13min 20s)
7. The Case of the Golden Car (13min 20s)
8. The Case of the Invulnerable Criminal (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
9. The Case of the Torn Blueprint (13min 20s)
10. The Case of the Hidden Witness (13min 20s)
11. The Case of the Stradivarius (13min 20s)
12. The Case of the Musical Clue (13min 20s)

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