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| Watching Any Good Serials? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,408 Views) | |
| riddlerider | Aug 13 2007, 07:15 PM Post #241 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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My friend Sam Sherman was also eight when SUPERMAN played theaters in 1948. He remembers seeing Chapter One in a sold-out Bronx theater where the kids screamed so loud at the opening credits that he couldn't hear the theme music. But when, toward the end of that first chapter, the Man of Steel took to the skies for the first time, the disappointed kids shrieked in unison, "He's a cartoon!!!!" Sam says that moment ruined the rest of the serial for him. He continued to follow it, of course, like most of the neighborhood kids. But he says there were at least a few boos every week when Superman took flight and turned into an animated figure. Even eight-year-olds know when somebody is trying to snooker them, and they don't appreciate it any more than us big kids. |
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| The Batman | Aug 13 2007, 08:57 PM Post #242 |
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Charter Member
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I, too, thought most 8 year-old kids were smarter than what the producers of the Superman serials gave them credit for. As a comic book fan, I wanted to love the Superman serials, but their quality just doesn't warrant it. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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| rodney | Aug 14 2007, 10:40 AM Post #243 |
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Charter Member
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I started Fighting Marines, but about halfway through the first chapter, decided that I probably wouldn't be too interested in it right now. I put it aside, and will give it another go later. Instead I've started Captain America, which based on the first chapter, shouldn't be half bad. |
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| Sgt Saturn | Aug 14 2007, 11:33 AM Post #244 |
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Charter Member
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An excellent serial for those that can get past the almost complete disconnect with the comic book on which is supposedly based. |
| The Ol' Sarge | |
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| Ming the Merciless | Aug 14 2007, 01:08 PM Post #245 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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What cartoon flying scenes in the original Superman serial...?? Did I miss something? |
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| mort bakaprevski | Aug 14 2007, 04:39 PM Post #246 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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It's been a L-O-O-O-O-ONG time, but as I recall, Superman didn't take to the skies in Chapter 1 at all. The cartoons in that chapter were of the rocket ship flying from Krypton to Earth. Although all of my friends and I were a little older (tennish?), we too were disappointed with the cartoon aspect. On the other hand, I always enjoyed the part where Supes would run at a cave wall, turn into a cartoon at the last minute & the wall would burst open with the help of animation!!! |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| AndyFish | Aug 15 2007, 04:30 AM Post #247 |
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Movie Watcha Foist Class
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Restored Serial's THE GREEN ARCHER is a perfect example of this. I've tried to sit through this one before but couldn't do it-- but just got in the Restored version and actually enjoyed it. If you haven't seen the RS version you haven't seen the serial. It's that much better, at least from the crappy 16mm copy I had. Andy |
| www.andytfish.com | |
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| Sgt Saturn | Aug 15 2007, 10:47 AM Post #248 |
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Charter Member
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I think that Sam's memories have become colored with the passage of time. As has already been pointed out, Supes doesn't take to the air at all in the first chapter. In my neighborhood, nobody seemed to have even noticed the change. (At least, it wasn't the subject of school-yard discussion.) All I can remember (of the flying) from the big screen was the Kirk Alyn jumping into the air and the closeups in the second serial. Yeah, the cartoon looks really hokey now. and it probably bothered some discriminating viewers then, but lots of kids didn't notice or care.
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| The Ol' Sarge | |
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| rodney | Aug 15 2007, 11:03 AM Post #249 |
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Charter Member
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Two chapters into Captain America, and like Mort said, aside from the fact that I don't know who the hell *this* Captain America is, aside from the one I've always known, it's really good. As a rule, I enjoy most anything with Lorna Gray/Adrian Booth. |
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| mort bakaprevski | Aug 15 2007, 12:58 PM Post #250 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Yes, us (ahem) discriminating kids were bugged by the animation... but the serial was immensely popular at the time. I remember that it played the RKO theatre in downtown L.A. which was usually way too high class to include a serial!! |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| riddlerider | Aug 15 2007, 05:36 PM Post #251 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Oh, come on, this is a distinction without a difference. The salient point is that Sam and his pals hated the cartoon figure. He may be mistaken about when Superman first took to the air, but he clearly remembers his reaction. And the fact that he does, nearly sixty years later, speaks volumes about the extent to which he had looked forward to the serial -- and the extent to which it bitterly disappointed him. |
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| mort bakaprevski | Aug 15 2007, 06:12 PM Post #252 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Is this the same Sam Sherman who produced such classic art films as BLAZING STEWARDESSES??? I think the point is that if Sam mis-remembered when Supes took off for the first time, he may have also mis-remembered the audience reaction. I saw the serial at two different theatres (the Lido in Newport Beach & the Mesa in Costa Mesa). I don't remember ANY negative reaction from the kids in the audience to the cartoons. Sure, the cognoscenti (awww c'mon, let me think I was special) were certainly disappointed to be sure, but the majority didn't even seem to be aware of what was going on special-effects wise!!! |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Aug 15 2007, 08:23 PM Post #253 |
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How'd they feel about economy chapters? In other words, today I saw chapter 7 of Fighting Devil Dogs. Man, do I hate it when there's an economy chapter this early in a serial. |
| "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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| mort bakaprevski | Aug 16 2007, 06:57 AM Post #254 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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The kids then didn't like economy chapters any more than us adults do today. But, you bring up an interesting question. Which chapter was normally the economy chapter??? Although I suppose it depends on the total number of chapters (12 or 15), I would have guessed that it would appear either in Chapter 7 or 8. Anyone have some definitive data on this??? |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Aug 16 2007, 07:40 AM Post #255 |
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Any serial that has the economy chapter before chapter 10 is annoying. And after chapter 10, sometimes it's annoying. Usually, probably. If you're going to do an economy chapter, it should be just before the penultimate chapter. (And worst of all, lord almighty, is The New Adventures of Tarzan, in which the LAST chapter is the economy chapter!) |
| "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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As has already been pointed out, Supes doesn't take to the air at all in the first chapter. In my neighborhood, nobody seemed to have even noticed the change. (At least, it wasn't the subject of school-yard discussion.) All I can remember (of the flying) from the big screen was the Kirk Alyn jumping into the air and the closeups in the second serial. Yeah, the cartoon looks really hokey now. and it probably bothered some discriminating viewers then, but lots of kids didn't notice or care.

6:53 AM Jul 11