Writing

Joseph F. Poland

Born — Died

1892-09-04 — 1962-03-23

Place of birth

Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

40 titles

Known for

Spy Smasher poster
6.1

Prior to the United States' involvement in World War II, the masked vigilante Spy Smasher fights Nazi agents operating within the US, led by the treacherous sabotage leader codenamed The Mask.

Spy Smasher

1942

Adventures of Captain Marvel poster
6.4

On a scientific expedition to Siam young Billy Batson is given the ability to change himself into the super-powered Captain Marvel by the wizard Shazam, who tells him his powers will last only as long as the Golden Scorpion idol is threatened. Finding the idol, the scientists realize it could be the most powerful weapon in the world and remove the lenses that energize it, distributing them among themselves so that no one would be able to use the idol by himself. Back in the US, Billy Batson, as Captain Marvel, wages a battle against an evil, hooded figure, the Scorpion, who hopes to accumulate all five lenses, thereby gaining control of the super-powerful weapon

Adventures of Captain Marvel

1941

Captain America poster
5.3

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Captain America

1944

Winds of the Wasteland poster
5.2

The arrival of the telegraph put Pony Express riders like John Blair and his pal Smoky out of work. A race will decide whether they or stageline owner Drake get the government mail contract.

Winds of the Wasteland

1936

Zorro's Black Whip poster
5.9

Pretty Girl Barbara Mededith takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro.

Zorro's Black Whip

1944

Batman and Robin poster
5.7

This 15-chapter serial pits Batman and Robin against The Wizard, who uses a device that allows him to control machinery to hold the city hostage.

Batman and Robin

1949

Behind the camera

Spy Smasher poster
6.1

Prior to the United States' involvement in World War II, the masked vigilante Spy Smasher fights Nazi agents operating within the US, led by the treacherous sabotage leader codenamed The Mask.

Spy Smasher

1942

Adventures of Captain Marvel poster
6.4

On a scientific expedition to Siam young Billy Batson is given the ability to change himself into the super-powered Captain Marvel by the wizard Shazam, who tells him his powers will last only as long as the Golden Scorpion idol is threatened. Finding the idol, the scientists realize it could be the most powerful weapon in the world and remove the lenses that energize it, distributing them among themselves so that no one would be able to use the idol by himself. Back in the US, Billy Batson, as Captain Marvel, wages a battle against an evil, hooded figure, the Scorpion, who hopes to accumulate all five lenses, thereby gaining control of the super-powerful weapon

Adventures of Captain Marvel

1941

Captain America poster
5.3

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Captain America

1944

Winds of the Wasteland poster
5.2

The arrival of the telegraph put Pony Express riders like John Blair and his pal Smoky out of work. A race will decide whether they or stageline owner Drake get the government mail contract.

Winds of the Wasteland

1936

Zorro's Black Whip poster
5.9

Pretty Girl Barbara Mededith takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro.

Zorro's Black Whip

1944

Batman and Robin poster
5.7

This 15-chapter serial pits Batman and Robin against The Wizard, who uses a device that allows him to control machinery to hold the city hostage.

Batman and Robin

1949

Atom Man vs. Superman poster
5.5

Superman battles Lex Luthor, who is using a teleportation device and a new identity as Atom Man in his criminal plans.

Atom Man vs. Superman

1950

The Lawless Nineties poster
5.5

Federal Agents Tipton and Bridger have been sent to Wyoming where the vote on statehood is imminent. Plummer and his gang are out to make sure the vote fails. When Plummer's men kill Bridger, Tipton fights on. He sends fake telegrams that trap some of Plummer's men. Then he organizes the ranchers and on election day they descend on the town barricaded by Plummer's gang.

The Lawless Nineties

1936

Lost City of the Jungle poster
6.5

A movie serial in 13 chapters, and Lionel Atwill's final film: Following the end of WWII, war-monger Sir Eric Hazarias sets the wheel in motion for WWIII. His search for Meteorium 245, the only practical defence against the atomic bomb, leads him to mythical Pendrang. Obstructing his sinister plan to rule the world are Rod Stanton, United Peace Foundation investigator, Tal Shan , Pendrang native, and Marjorie Elmore, daughter of scientist Dr. Elmore, unwilling assistant to Sir Eric.

Lost City of the Jungle

1946

Pirates of the High Seas poster
6.5

For decades, pirates roamed the seas, searching for booty to plunder and coastal villages to terrorize. Who were these men and women? As you dig beneath the myth of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and other legendary warriors of the waters in this docudrama, you'll discover who they were and what motivated them to wreak havoc wherever they sailed. Includes the movie Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island.

Pirates of the High Seas

1950

Mandrake the Magician poster
5.9

Mandrake and his team attempt to prevent "The Wasp" from stealing and using a new Radium invention.

Mandrake the Magician

1939

Manhunt of Mystery Island poster
5.5

Claire Forrest seeks her kidnapped scientist father, hidden somewhere on Mystery Island. He is held and forced to work on diabolical inventions by Captain Mephisto, a costumed villain.

Manhunt of Mystery Island

1945

The Purple Monster Strikes poster
4.6

A Martian invader crashes his spaceship conveniently close to the workshop of a scientist who is developing an interplanetary craft. If the extraterrestrial Purple Monster can complete the rocket ship and return to Mars, he will be able to start a full-scale invasion of Earth. Good thing Craig Foster sets out to thwart the Monster's mission!

The Purple Monster Strikes

1945

It Can Be Done poster
9.0

Jerry Willard, a clerk in a publishing house who is possessed of a massive inferiority complex, is fired from his job and, on the way out of the office, is mistaken for the boss, Watson, by Anne Rogers, the daughter of an author.

It Can Be Done

1929

Jungle Girl poster
6.8

Dr. John Meredith has been driven from civilization by the criminal activities of his twin brother Bradley Meredith. With his infant daughter, he settles in the African jungle, where his ability to cure the native ills has resulted in his virtual control of the Masamba tribes, who possess vast diamond mines coveted by a gang of crooks.

Jungle Girl

1941

King of the Royal Mounted poster
7.5

The Canadians have discovered a valuable substance called Compound X, which can cure infantile paralysis. When a country at war with Canada learns that Compound X also contains magnetic properties that could aid them in their warfare against the British, they send agents to infiltrate Canada and steal a large quantity of the substance. It's up to Sgt. King (Allan Lane) and his Mounties to track down the agents and put an end to their scheme.

King of the Royal Mounted

1940

Superman poster
6.2

Superman comes to Earth as a child and grows up to be his home's first superhero with his first major challenge being to oppose The Spider Lady.

Superman

1948

Secret Service In Darkest Africa poster
7.0

An American secret agent travels to Africa to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring.

Secret Service In Darkest Africa

1943

One a Minute poster
7.3

An excellent silent comedy starring unjustly forgotten star Douglas MacLean. Its indictment of pharmaceutical entrepreneurs is far sharper than Side Effects'.

One a Minute

1921

Overland with Kit Carson poster
5.3

When Pegleg and his Black Raiders threaten the westward expansion of the United States, the government sends Kit Carson and David Brent to straighten things out.

Overland with Kit Carson

1939

King of the Mounties poster
8.0

King of the Candian riding police is up against Japs and Nazis who are about to invade Canada. They just want to clear the way with a new futuristic plane called "The Falcon" first, but that's not gonna happen if Kig has his way.

King of the Mounties

1942

The Shadow poster
7.3

The Shadow battles a villain known as The Black Tiger, who has the power to make himself invisible and is trying to take over the world with his death ray.

The Shadow

1940

Silverspurs poster
10.0

Janet Allison witnesses Art Holden and his gang hold up the Station Agent. When she identifies Holden to the Sheriff, the Sheriff gives Holden an alibi. Janet and Jim Fentriss then find Holden's secret hideout. When Janet returns the next day to meet Jim, Holden makes her a prisoner and waits in ambush for Jim to arrive.

Silverspurs

1936

King of the Texas Rangers poster
7.0

Tom King Jr. seeks to discover who murdered his father, a Texas Ranger; the trail leads to a network of Axis spies.

King of the Texas Rangers

1941

G-men vs. the Black Dragon poster
6.7

Japanese spies attempt to subvert America's war effort; G-Men attempt to thwart their plot.

G-men vs. the Black Dragon

1943

The Mysterious Mr. M poster
5.2

An evil scientist known as "Mr. M." uses a drug he has developed called "hypnotreme" to help steal submarine equipment. Federal agent Grant Farrell is dispatched to find the mysterious villain and stop his nefarious plans.

The Mysterious Mr. M

1946

The Old Corral poster
7.5

As the sheriff of a small western town, Autry sings his way into a relationship with Eleanor, a singer from a Chicago nightclub who earlier witnessed a murder.

The Old Corral

1936

Scouts to the Rescue poster
10.0

Filmed in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Sonora, California, this Universal serial is Universal's 40th sound-era serial. Eagle Scout Bruce Scott, leader of Martinsville Troop Number One, and his pack sets off in search of lost treasure and finds adventure

Scouts to the Rescue

1939

Mysterious Doctor Satan poster
6.0

A mad scientist named Dr. Satan plots to steal key pieces of technology to enable him to build an army of robots based on his prototype to conquer America. The only one standing in his way is Bob Wayne, who fights Satan as the enigmatic Copperhead. Mysterious Doctor Satan is a 1940 film serial named after its chief villain. Doctor Satan's main opponent is the masked mystery man, "The Copperhead", whose secret identity is Bob Wayne, a man searching for justice and revenge on Satan for the death of his step-father. The serial charts the conflict between the two as Bob Wayne pursues Doctor Satan, while the latter completes his plans for world domination.

Mysterious Doctor Satan

1940

Law of the Panhandle poster
NR

Johnny Mack Brown follows his tried-and-true western formula in Law of the Panhandle. This time, U.S. Marshal Brown backs up Sheriff Tom Stocker (Riley Hill) in an ongoing battle against a marauding outlaw gang. The thieves, led by snarling Henry Faulkner (Myron Healey), hope to scare all the local ranchers off the land that will soon be purchased by the railroad that's coming through the territory.

Law of the Panhandle

1950

Texas Lawmen poster
7.0

A Texas Ranger goes up against the Morrow outlaw gang.

Texas Lawmen

1951

Bruce Gentry poster
8.0

Famed aviator Bruce Gentry is working with scientist Andrew Benson, setting out to uncover the origin of a deadly secret weapon---an electronically controlled flying disc which can be directed at moving or stationary targets. The disc was master-minded by an enemy agent known only as "The Recorder" because...he speaks entirely via recordings. Aided by rancher Frank Farrell and his sister Juanita "Nita" Hodges, Gentry consistently foils "The Recorders" schemes, which are carried out by "The Recorder's" henchmen, Krendon, Allen and Chandler, including an attack on the Panama Canal.

Bruce Gentry

1949

Fargo poster
6.6

The brother (House Peters Jr.) of rancher Bill Martin (Bill Elliott) is killed in a stampede started by cattleman. Bill returns to the Fargo country to take his brother's place and is welcomed by law-abiding cattleman MacKenzie (Jack Ingram)) and his daughter Kathy (Phyllis Coates). The leader of the ruthless cattle interests are townsman Austin (Arthur Space) and his henchmen Red (Myron Healey), Link (Robert J. Wilke) and Albord (Terry Frost). Bill has the idea of putting up barbed wire to keep the herds from been driven over the land cultivated by the farmers. He, aided by Tad Sloan (Fuzzy Knight), produces the wire by make-shift methods, but it proves effective. The cattleman charge in court that the wire is dangerous to their herds but lose the case. Austin orders his men to seize Bill, bale him in strands of the wire, and throw him on the stage of the town hall during a fall festival. Bill doesn't take kindly to this and it precipitates open war.

Fargo

1952

The Masked Marvel poster
5.5

A team of two-fisted insurance investigators (one of whom disguises himself as The Masked Marvel) endeavor to discover and thwart the loathsome saboteur Sakima.

The Masked Marvel

1943

The Half-Way Girl poster
9.0

When her traveling theatrical group goes broke, Poppy, an actress in the troupe, finds herself stranded in Singapore. She's reduced to working in a bar in the seedy part of town as a "hostess", where she meets a down-on-his-luck Englishman. While drunk he gets into a fight, and is forced to kill his opponent in self-defense. The girl helps him escape and goes to Sam, a shady plantation owner, to try to get them out of Singapore. However, Sam has his own plans for Poppy, and they don't include potential rivals for her affections.

The Half-Way Girl

1925

Dead Man's Trail poster
7.0

Johnny Mack Brown was nearing the end of his starring career when he appeared in the Monogram oater Dead Man's Trail. Brown and his youthful sidekick Jimmy Ellison come to the aid of imperiled Barbara Allen. At this point, Johnny was too long in tooth and thick around the middle to qualify as a romantic lead, hence the presence of Ellison.

Dead Man's Trail

1952

Perils of Nyoka poster
8.0

Professor Campbell's expedition into the hills of Libya obtains a papyrus which might reveal the hiding place of the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates, containing lost medical secrets. Also in the region is intrepid Nyoka Gordon, still seeking her father, lost on a previous expedition. She alone can translate the papyrus, which directs our heroes through deadly perils (including the Tunnel of Bubbling Death) into the land of the Tuaregs. Opposing them are Vultura, Queen of the Desert, and her Arab ally Cassib, both greedy for the treasure...

Perils of Nyoka

1942

D-Day on Mars poster
6.0

This is a shortened version of the 1945 Republic serial "The Purple Monster Strikes," which was released to television in 1966.

D-Day on Mars

1966

A Daughter of Maryland poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

A Daughter of Maryland

1917

Rose of the South poster
NR

Mr. Curtis returns to his Alma mater and regales students with stories about the Civil War, which ended fifty years before. He tells them about his college friends, Dick Randolph and Watkins, who were at first rivals for Marian - who far preferred Dick - and then rivals on the battlefield.

Rose of the South

1916