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Watching Any Good Serials?
Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,377 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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Enjoyed the first episode of The Mysterious Pilot, although it kinda took me by surprise: I didn't realize it was a Mountie serial. There sure are a lot of Mountie serials, eh? And now there's one more than I thought there was, too.

Cap'n: “Whenever you hear the cry of the she-wolf, it frequently means trouble, and sometimes DEATH!”

Mountie: “Still superstitious, eh?”

Cap'n: “No, I’m not.”
"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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Laughing Gravy
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Hmmm... Why do some Universal serials feel the need to have characters sitting around talking and recapping the plot for chapter after chapter? We KNOW about the Legion of Lost Women, folks, so why does the cast of The Scarlet Horseman feel the need to refresh our memory so often?

I am thinkin' that in the script/design stage, the Horseman was gonna look very impressive, with flowing silk crimson robes that made him appear to look like a ball of flame cannoning across the west on his horse. In the creation of the costume, though, they ended up with the Wild West equivilent of The Giant Claw.

Ch. 6, Ed Cobb to his boss Zero Quick, speaking of interloper Idaho Jones: “He’s beggin’ for trouble. You’ll have to accommodate him sooner or later.”
"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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Sgt Saturn
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Quote:
 
... so why does the cast of The Scarlet Horseman feel the need to refresh our memory so often?


Probably, for the benefit of those who came in late or who missed two chapters because they had the measles. B)
The Ol' Sarge
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Black Tiger
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Watching Fighting Devil Dogs again for a future chat. It impresses me all over again. Great villains, heroes, music, cliffhangers and progressing plot. Camerawork is very dark and moody - closer in tone to the later Drums of Fu Manchu than anything else.
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Laughing Gravy
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Friday mornings, in place of a serial I rotate a pair of Japanese action classics, and this morning was Ultraman's turn. Classic dialog from Episode 3, "Sally Forth, Science Patrol!":

"I hear something. It's a SOUND!"

That aside, here's where I am in my serial rotation...

G-Men Never Forget: 6 (of 12) chapters to go. Good print from Rodney.
Blackhawk: 5 (of 15) to go. Also from Rodney. The Blackhawks' planes show up in this about as often as the Batmobile appeared in the Batman and Robin serial.
A Woman in Grey: 13 (of 15) to go. From Grapevine Video. So far, so good.
The Vanishing Shadow: 2 (of 12) to go. Seems longer. A gift from Barcroft, and a very nice print.
The Mysterious Pilot: 14 (of 15) to go. I'll get back to you on this one.
The Scarlet Horseman: 7 (of 13) to go. Honk yer magic tooter, Froggie!

And of course, we're blogging Young Eagles and watching Flash Gordon as part of our FNF lineup.
"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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Laughing Gravy
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G-Men Never Forget... I may have seen a dumber Republic serial, but I can't think of one just now. Between the stupidity, Miss Ames' mailed-it-in performance, and all the stock footage, this one's close to being a real zero. Thank heavens for Roy Barcroft.

Ya want stupid? Chapter 7. A cop at a roadblock stops a truck. What's in those metal barrels you're hauling, he axes. Gasoline, he's told. So what does he do? He goes and bangs on each of the metal drums -- with his revolver. Sure hope he had the damn safety on. Not that it would matter; later, our heroes shoot bullets into the gasoline -- which doesn't explode or ignite or anything.

Don't try this at home, kiddies.
"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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Laughing Gravy
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Over at the Monster Kid forum, somebody asked how kids could possibly enjoy serials as anything other than "camp" today, what with the rudimentary (or non-existent) special effects. I told him I'd ask one. This was my response.

As promised earlier in this thread, I asked 11-year-old Hairball Gravy (not really a relative, but one of our FNFkateers) why he likes serials (they're his fave part of our weekly show). The answer surprised me: it's the cliffhangers.

"I like that they don't end at the end, but you have to wait and see what's going to happen." He thought that was exciting.

And so it is.
"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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Black Tiger
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Many action-adventure tv shows used to be self-contained episodes, but more and more they like to have continuing storylines with some real cliffhangers (particularly season-ending episodes).

Cliffhangers continue to appeal to tv/movie viewers. :)
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cquigley
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Finished Secret Agent X-9 (1945 version). This one kind of lost its way a bit in cpters 7-9, but finished very strongly. Highly recommended. I will get the 1937 version next.

Through 7 chapters of Jungle Jim. So far an Ok serial, nothing special. A few observations:

I'm pretty sure that's Dick Foran singing the Jungle Jim song in chapter 1. Strangely, it seems someone else sings the song in chapter 2.

Betty Jean Rhodes was only 15 years old when the serial was made! Very mature for 15.

Grant Withers seems lethargic and uniterested. He seems (his voice suggests) to have had a cold. Perhaps that had something to do with his performance.

Withers and Hatton wrestle lions in Chapter 1 - not a rip or tear in their clothing. They get their clothes ripped pretty good in cat fights in the future chapters.
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Laughing Gravy
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Every so often, I hear serial dialog so masterful I work it into my daily conversation every chance I get. From the penultimate episode of The Vanishing Shadow: "I was a FOOL to think I could beat MODERN SCIENCE!"

By th' way, as years go by I'll probably remember this serial more fondly than I should. The daffy "battle for the Tribune stock" plot is appealing in its own nonsensical way, and the final couple episodes -- with that buzzing robot on a rampage while a cracked Prof. Van Dorn follows it, giggling maniacally -- are wonderful.

Here's some more cherce dialog from this chapter, as one of the hired thugs gets tired of being berated by his boss...

"Van Dorn turned a STEEL GIANT on us that neither BULLETS nor STONE WALLS can stop! And YOU sit back here in a safe place and CRITICIZE!"
"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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rodney
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I'm watching The Green Archer, and LOVING it. The chapter 4/5 cliffhanger/resolution reminded me of why serials are so cool.
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Grampy
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I'm halfway through Green Archer myself and really enjoying it. My copy is one of my first serial purchase about 15 years ago. It comes from Stokey's Serials, who I don't see around anymore, at least online.

For similar 'now that's a serial' thrills, I just started The Lost Special from Rodney which has the feel so far of a Hardy Boys adventure (although the 'boys' are college aged rather than high school). Enjoying it a lot.
Still Alive and Well
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Laughing Gravy
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From Chapter 7 of The Scarlet Horseman...

"'Oh brave new world/that has such people in it.' That Shakespeare sure writes elegant, don't he?"
"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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Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
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Last night I saw chapter 10 of The Lost City. Butterfield has Flash Gordon's cousin Bruce, tied to a tree. Butter then writes Rama's Desire on Bruce's chest. Bruce tells Butter, "You're yellow, yellow clear through!" Butter replies with a maniacal, "Oh yeah." ?????? Jeez whiz...cheese whiz! I would've rather heard Pee Wee Herman say,"I know you are, but what am I?" Only 2 chapters left.

Here's how many chapters remain of the current crop....
The Phantom Creeps ....... 3

SOS Coast Guard ....... 3

Flash Gordon ........ 2

The Undersea Kingdom ....... 3

The Secret Code ...... 6

Ace Drummond ........ 3

The New Adv Of Tarzan ....... 3

and...Zorro's Fighting Legion ...... 6

Another thread shows what's coming (9 serials) from Rodney plus Batman and Robin plus King Of The Rocketmen (both also from Rodney).
Then I ordered The Phantom Empire from deepdiscount.com...hey it was cheap. Probably because they read what Gravy had written *L*

It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong."
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Laughing Gravy
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Yeah, DDD has The Phantom Empire for $12 with my bonus material, and $22 without.
"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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