Movie serials are an often forgotten piece of cinema history. Although their influence can still be felt and seen in the action films of today as well as the serialized plots of many a television series, the average moviegoer may not be aware these chapterplays ever played on theater screens. Of course people don't spend an entire day at the movies like they did in the serials' heyday, when a serial chapter or two would air alongside cartoon and comedy shorts, newsreels, and a couple of feature films, along with plenty of advertising encouraging theater patrons to visit the concessions stand.
For those unfamiliar, serials were divided into 12 to 15 chapters, with a new chapter presented weekly at the same theater. The first chapter typically ran around a half hour, introducing the heroes and villains, and the thrust of the story which would take weeks to complete. After a cliffhanger ending in which the hero or their friends were facing certain death, viewers were invited to come back next week to see how they would escape, and it was rare they would not. Subsequent chapters ran about 15-20 minutes and were often packed with fistfights, explosions, car chases, and last minute rescues. The cliffhangers were not always resolved inventively- a hero driving his car off a cliff at the end of one chapter would frequently be shown jumping out of the car just in time at the start of the next chapter. Nevertheless, the films were popular, especially with young audiences, until the advent of television, budget cuts, and overuse of stock footage doomed the chapter play forever in the mid-to-late 1950s.
I love movie serials, and particularly enjoy those that feature science fiction settings, fantastic villains, and comic book superheroes, who were among the most compelling protagonists of the chapterplay. Here's a listing of my favorites:
1) Adventures Of Captain Marvel (1941)
One of the best serials ever produced, and for my money, the best, this chapterplay was based on the comic book adventures of young Billy Batson, who by merely speaking the magic word, "Shazam!" transformed into the super-powered Captain Marvel, who could fly through the air, had tremendous strength, and was impervious to bullets. With Frank Coghlan, Jr. cast as Batson, and western star Tom Tyler (also one of Universal horror's mummies) as Captain Marvel, the talented special effects team of Howard & Theodore Lydecker, convincingly transformed Coghlan to Tyler in giant puffs of smoke, and used a dummy on wires to effectively stage the flying sequences. An excellent Agatha Christie-like plot had Captain Marvel trying to deduce the identity of the villainous Scorpion while the villain kept killing off the hero's suspects, and with directors William Witney and John English, among the best men to direct a serial, at the helm, this one's a winner from start to finish.
2) Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940)
Witney and English also directed this effort, a serial which originally was going to be an adaptation of the famed Superman comics for the Republic Pictures studio, but when the rights fell through, it was modified to feature a Batman-like hero, the masked Copperhead, opposing the evil Doctor Satan, played by Eduardo Ciannelli in a piece of wonderful casting. An underrated screen villain, Ciannelli is marvelous as the warped scientist aiming to take control of the world with an army of robots, and though the Copperhead doesn't have any powers, he looks great engaging in fisticuffs with Satan's henchmen, and the musical score by Cy Feuer, Ross DiMaggio, and Mort Glickman is among my favorite chapterplay music.
3) Superman (1948)
After Republic's failure to capture the rights, Superman was awarded to Columbia Pictures some years later, and although it lacks Republic's production values and has inferior special effects (Superman transforms into an animated cartoon for the flying sequences), it's still a favorite of mine, with Kirk Alyn quite likable in his dual role of Superman and alter ego Clark Kent, and a fine foil for Noel Neill's Lois Lane. The music score is energetic and fun, and actress Carol Forman, one of the more sinister actresses of the 1940s, is memorable as the villainous Spider Lady.
4) Spy Smasher (1942)
We're back to Republic for this winning serial, again adapted from the comics, with another masked hero, played by Kane Richmond, who battles foreign agents with the help of his twin brother, of course also played by Richmond. The cliffhanger resolutions are a bit more clever than most, William Witney is again in the director's chair, and the Lydecker brothers provide excellent effects.
5) Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939)
The legendary Zorro recruits a team of masked riders to help him defeat a "golden god," who definitely isn't all he appears. A fine story, well-choreographed action, and stirring music cues make for an exciting serial, with Witney and English again at the helm.
6) Flash Gordon (1936)
Buster Crabbe stars in one of Universal Pictures' best serials, based on the famous comic strip, and augmented by music from the studio's horror classics. Charles Middleton plays villain Ming The Merciless in an iconic performance, and although the special effects haven't aged well, the visuals are quite striking, with different fantastic sights in each chapter.
7) Undersea Kingdom (1936)
Ray "Crash" Corrigan plays himself in this fun adventure taking Corrigan and his friends down to the lost undersea city of Atlantis where they intervene in a war between the city's leader and an evil despot. Horseback chases, sword fights, robots, and futuristic weaponry are on display along with an early role for Lon Chaney, Jr.
8) Perils Of Nyoka (1942)
Lots of atmospheric music enlivens this jungle adventure starring Kay Aldridge and future Lone Ranger Clayton Moore. A giant gorilla, hostile cult members, and plenty of death traps abound, including at least one that inspired a similar scene in an Indiana Jones movie. William Witney directs.
9) S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937)
Ralph Byrd plays a Coast Guard officer hunting the mad inventor (Bela Lugosi) who killed his brother. While Bela doesn't have a lot to do in the serial, he does have a number of scenes tormenting a brutish thug in his employ played by Flash Gordon's Richard Alexander that are more then memorable. Ralph Byrd, better known for his Dick Tracy serials, is fine as the hero, who flails away at Lugosi's men in some entertaining fights. Director William Witney married Byrd's leading lady in the serial, Maxine Doyle.
10) The Return Of Chandu (1934)
Bela Lugosi stars again but this time plays a hero (!), the mystically powered Chandu, whom the actor ironically played villain to in a 1932 film. Although it's not a particularly great serial, it's very different and a worthy chance to see Lugosi as a charismatic but still mysterious protagonist.
No comments:
Post a Comment