| Welcome to In The Balcony. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Plus, you'll be eligible for the monthly $1 million prize. (Not really.) Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Watching Any Good Serials? | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,407 Views) | |
| Sgt Saturn | Aug 16 2007, 07:52 AM Post #256 |
|
Charter Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I seem to be the contrarian on this thread. Let us remember that many kids did not get to see every chapter of every serial. The 'economy' chapters had the function of bringing everybody up to date on whatever had been missed. This was very welcome by those who had missed previous chapters and were still anxious to see the resolution of one or more cliff-hangers. When chapters were a week apart, recap chapters were a lot less of a drag than they became when you could see a chapter a day on TV. Today, when you can watch at your own pace, they are even more annoying.
|
| The Ol' Sarge | |
![]() |
|
| mort bakaprevski | Aug 16 2007, 08:19 AM Post #257 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Frankly, I don't remember ANY kid that ever saw all chapters of a serial. There were vacations, trips to the beach, birthday parties, illnesses, etc. that precluded this from happening. On the other hand, I do remember feeling cheated by an economy chapter. Since Republic was the only studio that did economy chapters on a regular basis, this was especially galling as plot development was definitely NOT their strong suit. In other words, you really didn't need to be brought up to date with a plot that could be explained in a few short sentences. |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
![]() |
|
| JazzGuyy | Aug 16 2007, 08:51 AM Post #258 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I guess I'm a contrarian too. Since I didn't get to go to the local theater as a kid every single Saturday, I remember appreciating the economy chapters to catch up on what I missed by not going every week. I always thought that was the purpose of the chapter: allowing those of us who missed a chapter or two to see what we had missed. It was only much later that I learned that it also saved the studio a lot of money and padded out the chapters. |
| TANSTAAFL! | |
![]() |
|
| KanSmiley | Aug 16 2007, 10:24 AM Post #259 |
|
Charter Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
As a kid I always felt like it was a wasted episode when the economy chapter came up. Most of the serials I saw as a kid were 12 chapter Republic serials. Without going back and actually checking it seems to me the economy chapter was generally chapter 10 in a twelve chapter serial. But I could be wrong. Kan |
|
http://www.saturday-matinee-memories.com/ intoxicated, adj.: When you feel sophisticated without being able to pronounce it. | |
![]() |
|
| Laughing Gravy | Aug 16 2007, 10:57 AM Post #260 |
|
Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Well, serials in theatres was before my time, but I still watch 'em one episode a week (as ya'll know) and I think an economy chapter is a wasted episode, too. Comes with the territory of watching serials, though, of course. I expect the darn things. There are a few serials that I recall that have more than one economy chapter, which is totally insensitive to my needs! |
| "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 | |
![]() |
|
| riddlerider | Aug 16 2007, 12:34 PM Post #261 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
So because you and your buddies didn't react negatively to the flying sequences, it's not possible that other people did? Sam's memory has to be flawed because he and his friends hated the animation and you didn't? He imagined the whole thing? Come on, Mort, don't be silly. It doesn't strike me as so very unusual that, nearly sixty years after the fact, someone could misremember which chapter featured the first flying sequence. And, frankly, I think it's absurd to suggest that Sam's opinion should be dismissed or discredited on such pedantic grounds, especially because it's at odds with somebody else's recollection. And, yes, it is the Sam Sherman who produced BLAZING STEWARDESSES and most other Independent-International films. More importantly to serial fans, he was the co-editor (with the late Bob Price) of SCREEN THRILLS ILLUSTRATED. |
![]() |
|
| mort bakaprevski | Aug 16 2007, 02:04 PM Post #262 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
rr, you're definitely one guy I don't want to get on the wrong side of. You have so much knowlege that I would like you to continue to share with me. On the other hand, I don't think you read my post very closely. Me & my buddies DID react negatively to the cartoon sequences. My point was that the GENERAL AUDIENCE didn't seem to react that way... and that was at two different theatres. And I never heard a single "boo" from either audience... and frankly I don't think Sam did either. I believe that he & his buddies reacted as negatively as we (me & my buddies) did, but the years have colored that recollection so that (to him) the whole audience reacted negatively. That reminds me of another special effects disappointment. When I saw THE TEN COMMANDMENT5 I was blown away by the sea parting for Moses. Unfortunately, when his staff turned into a snake, it was clearly a cartoon. So, I think, was the burning bush!! |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
![]() |
|
| Paul | Aug 16 2007, 07:47 PM Post #263 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
That and the fact that it didn't cast a shadow on the floor. Bugged me as a kid, too. But I remember being enthralled by the grandeur of it all. Some of that still stands out; lit for night scenes, the palace sets still look impressive; the blood-red thunder cloud effects shot of Mt. Sinai still gives me a goosebump or two. Elmer Bernstein's score is a big help. |
![]() |
|
| mort bakaprevski | Aug 16 2007, 09:15 PM Post #264 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I just remembered the thin green line that would appear during scenes on the balcony in the palace which clearly meant that the images beyoned the palace were definitely being back projected. I obviously saw that film at the wrong age. A few years earlier & I would have been captivated!!!
|
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
![]() |
|
| Laughing Gravy | Aug 22 2007, 06:37 AM Post #265 |
|
Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Last night, watched The Adventures of Sir Galahad, chapter 9, in preparation for this week's serial blog. I continue to enjoy the comic byplay between Galahad and Bors, and this is a good serial. Thanks to those who voted for it; it's only 2 or 3 weeks now that we'll be asking what ya'll would like to see next! Moving down the list, I'm up to chapter 7 of The Lone Ranger, ch. 8 of Fighting Devil Dogs, ch. 7 of The Invisible Monster, and ch. 8 of Scouts to the Rescue, so it'll be another 5 or 6 weeks before I finish one of my current crop. We begin The Spider Returns with the 22nd season of FNF on Sept. 14! |
| "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 | |
![]() |
|
| Sgt Saturn | Aug 22 2007, 10:09 AM Post #266 |
|
Charter Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Or imagine what DeMille could have done with modern CGI!
|
| The Ol' Sarge | |
![]() |
|
| JazzGuyy | Aug 22 2007, 12:40 PM Post #267 |
|
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I suspect DeMille would have overdone it, as he did with so many other things. |
| TANSTAAFL! | |
![]() |
|
| Sgt Saturn | Aug 22 2007, 06:00 PM Post #268 |
|
Charter Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
That was part of his charm.
|
| The Ol' Sarge | |
![]() |
|
| Laughing Gravy | Aug 23 2007, 06:04 AM Post #269 |
|
Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Watched another chapter of The Lone Ranger last night. A few thoughts on the Ranger himself... For this one, he wears a mask that covers his entire face. I assume that's because we're not s'posed to know who the Ranger is (of the five suspects), but I also assume we're not supposed to see that his dialog is obviously dubbed by Billy Bletcher. In last night's chapter, though, I definitely saw the Ranger's lips moving under the mask. I wonder if Bletcher was brought in post-production as an afterthought once it was determined that whatever voice the Ranger actor (and is that a stuntman under the mask, or whichever of the five is actually the Ranger -- and I don't know which it is, so don't lay a spoiler on me -- under there?) was using. Of course, it would've been funny if they'd just let Bletcher -- who was a tiny little fellow, of course, despite the huge booming voice -- play the Ranger. Of course, that would've made The Lone Ranger look like The Terror of Tiny Town! Oh, yeah, and that "Hi-Yo, Silver, Away!" call doesn't sound like Bletcher. Is that the radio Ranger's voice, or what? Thanks for any info regarding the above! |
| "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 | |
![]() |
|
| Sgt Saturn | Aug 23 2007, 11:48 AM Post #270 |
|
Charter Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Everything I've seen says that Earle W. Graser, then the "radio ranger", did the Hi-Yo's. It certainly sounds like him. Can anyone think of another serial that has a higher number of good-guy fatalities than this one? |
| The Ol' Sarge | |
![]() |
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Continued Next Week · Next Topic » |





![]](http://z2.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)




6:53 AM Jul 11