Fred C. Brannon enjoyed an unusual directorial career across an eight-year period at Republic Pictures. From 1945 until his death in 1953 just a few weeks short of his 52nd birthday, Brannon directed ten Western movies but also directed or co-directed two dozen serials, including some of the best of the studio's postwar science-fiction-oriented chapter plays. Working in tandem with Spencer Gordon Bennet, he made his debut on The Purple Monster Strikes (1945), while with William Witney he was responsible for The Crimson Ghost (1946), both among the most popular sci-fi serials of their period. With Thomas Carr, he made Jesse James Rides Again (1947), and with Yakima Canutt he directed G-Men Never Forget (1948), the latter a rare vehicle for actor Roy Barcoft in a benevolent role. It was on a