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| Watching Any Good Serials? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,288 Views) | |
| toddgault | Sep 5 2010, 01:57 PM Post #2041 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Finished The Vanishing Shadow last night and watched Chapter One of Young Eagles this morning. Not as bad as I was expecting, probably just my expectations being worse than the actual film is. Major complaint so far, as a man of girth (I've got Nero Wolfe's 1/7 of a ton beat) I could do without the constant barrage of fat jokes at Scout Bob's expense, especially the extremely unfunny scene of him dumping out his clothes to pack more candy into his ruck sack. Haven't seen anything that insulting since Gwyneth Paltrow wore a fat suit in that Jack Black film some years back. |
| Todd Gault..........Serial Buff | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Sep 5 2010, 04:58 PM Post #2042 |
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Not that we're watching it quite YET, but the announcement was made at this week's FNF finale that when we commence our 25th season on Oct. 1, we're going to watch the first episode of G-Men vs. the Black Dragon (the trailer got rave reviews, too!), and after 15 weeks of that, we're going to go right into Secret Service in Darkest Africa. |
| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| Pa Stark | Sep 5 2010, 06:55 PM Post #2043 |
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Charter Member
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Funny thing about the trailer for G-MEN VS. THE BLACK DRAGON is not much of the footage in it was actually in the serial. It showed a lot of explosions from other films. This serial really rocks, William Witney said in his book that Republic really hit the jackpot with SPY SMASHER, so they decided to go all out with this one. Would you believe there are some serial fans who don't like Rod Cameron as the hero, and would have preferred Charles Quigley? |
| Honest and Lovable Pa Stark | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Sep 5 2010, 09:26 PM Post #2044 |
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Mouth Breather
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That's hard to swallow, but serial fans aren't like regular folks. If they were, there would be more of us, comprendé? I personally wouldn't consider following G-Men with Secret Service. Two Republics in a row? Ixnay. Secret Service has its place, but not right after a better serial. You have to build audience desire. My advice, Buck Rogers, and make them beg for Rod Cameron. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Sep 6 2010, 05:50 AM.
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| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Sep 6 2010, 12:14 AM Post #2045 |
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I like the sequel better than Black Dragon. In any case, after the Republic, I can always change my mind and do a Columbia, maybe Captain Midnight. We'll see what my mood's like. |
| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Sep 6 2010, 05:54 AM Post #2046 |
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Mouth Breather
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Uh huh. That's what the old lady said when she kissed the cow. |
| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Sep 6 2010, 05:57 AM Post #2047 |
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Well, maybe, but the sequel has Nazis as the enemy, and that kind of thing goes over real well with the FNF crowd. Plus, I think it's better plotted and runs better over 15 weeks. I note that on the IMDB, the second one is ranked much higher by the voters than the first one, and I concur, cow-kissing aside. |
| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| toddgault | Sep 6 2010, 07:48 AM Post #2048 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Finished Young Eagles this morning. Man that is one padded out serial. Don't know which ate up more screen time, the "funny" antics of the dog running into exotic animals, or the repetitious walking scenes with the two non acting leads going past the same foliage over and over again. Most of their dialog is either comments on the stock animal footage they are observing, or jokes about how Bobby is fat. Which is ironic since he seems to rescue the other kid in most of the cliffhanger resolutions. |
| Todd Gault..........Serial Buff | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Sep 6 2010, 07:52 AM Post #2049 |
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Mouth Breather
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If plot means two fights per episode, it's better-plotted. Personally I got real tired of that there "La Marseillaise" plot point in every chapter. Hate those Republic stock footage moments. What Secret Service is, is the glass-breakingest, set-demolishingest of all serials. I wish I had seen it when I was the right age, so by all means show it to the kids, but you can expect the ladies to yawn. As for using IMDb users as a quotable authority -- that beats even Rolling Stone. Those geeks consider voting on IMDb as a legitimate use of their time. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Sep 6 2010, 09:18 AM.
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| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| CliffClaven | Sep 6 2010, 11:06 PM Post #2050 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Picky thing about the mostly fun Captain Midnight: Like the radio show, it gives the villain a daughter. Her main function is to handle the heroine whenever she's captured (hey, even evil masterminds and their henchmen can't maul ladies). The problem for me was that Miss Stark was played by a perfectly normal young lady in normal clothing -- occasionally a tad bitchy, but nowhere near proper villainess level. Yet the heroine collapsed like a paper bag whenever the Stark girl shoved her. Given that they seemed so equally matched -- they could have traded parts without anyone noticing -- you kept waiting for the heroine to at least take a swing at her. As it stands, she just whimpers and lets herself be thrown in the spare cell or whatever. They should have at least given the Stark girl a sidearm to brandish, or some I'm-the-villain wardrobe. Or let the heroine slug it out with her at least once. |
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| mort bakaprevski | Sep 8 2010, 05:03 PM Post #2051 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Stark? I think you're confusin' James Craven with Charles Middleton!!! |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| AndyFish | Sep 8 2010, 06:22 PM Post #2052 |
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Movie Watcha Foist Class
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Just got in Commando Cody-- William Schallert is in it? Weird to see a guy who was pretty iconic in a lot of other things-- Get Smart and various 60s TV-- I did a double take when I heard his distinctive voice-- although I have a feeling he doesn't last long-- he's a bit too eager. I've seen the other two Rocketman Serials and I've always wondered why they just didn't make more jetpacks and helmets. They looked like they cost about $4 raw material wise and it would have been so cool to have a league of these guys flying around! |
| www.andytfish.com | |
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| CliffClaven | Sep 8 2010, 11:49 PM Post #2053 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Maybe it was Shark. Anyway, standard issue Gangster Kingpin with some vague connection to the war, whose ideas for killing the hero are more impressively inefficient than the norm. And a daughter who missed a chance to be a great serial villainess. |
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| JazzGuyy | Sep 9 2010, 01:32 AM Post #2054 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I suspect they had only one flying dummy so that limited what they could do. |
| TANSTAAFL! | |
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| The Batman | Sep 9 2010, 05:40 AM Post #2055 |
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Charter Member
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Watching the most fascinating and fun MISS MEND, a silent Russian serial from the 1920s. Good stuff. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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6:52 AM Jul 11