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Watching Any Good Serials?
Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,367 Views)
panzer the great & terrible
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*SPOILER*

About JUNGLE GIRL -- I agree about the chapter endings, especially the one where they are trapped in the lake of flames and survive by breathing through reeds -- heck, folks, that's what serials are all about! As for Lackteen being "misused" -- OK, tell me a serial where he gets more time to ham it up. He's just a joy here IMO, best thing about the serial. And besides, Frances Gifford was the prettiest serial heroine ever. Are you guys blind?
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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mort bakaprevski
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Yeah, but "what serials are all about" is gonna vary depending upon the viewer involved. For me, it was complex plots (although the Weiss Bros. got a bit too convoluted even for me) & the pulp/fantasy elements. And, yes, Ms. Gifford gives me a lot of enjoyment at this point in my life, but when I was nine years old, it might as well have been Marjorie Main!! :lol:
"Nov Shmoz Ka Pop."
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Sgt Saturn
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mort bakaprevski
May 28 2008, 01:19 PM
And, yes, Ms. Gifford gives me a lot of enjoyment at this point in my life, but when I was nine years old, it might as well have been Marjorie Main!! :lol:

As I recall, I had a crush on Jean Roger's Dale Arden at age nine. Sorry that you matured so slowly. :P
The Ol' Sarge
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Black Tiger
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marlin lee
May 26 2008, 10:32 AM
I'm also in the camp surprised at the negative reaction to Jungle Girl. You have three top notch villains each with their own agenda, a large variety of cliffhangers, and excellent stunt work. Frances Gifford as Nyoka makes one of the great serial heroines and Tom Neal makes a very servicable hero. Put those ingredients in any other serial and everyone sings its praises.

Having reseen seven chapters of this, I've got to agree with Marlin on all points. In addition there are quite a number of interesting native deathtraps sprinkled throughout. I also enjoyed Frank Lackteen's performance as Shamba and rank him as one of serialdom's best villains. The only problem I had with this one was that it could have used a little more fisticuff action. I remember the last couple of chapters being particularly weak. Overall, this is my favorite jungle serial.
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Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
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Last night was 2 chapter 7s. First up was Gangbusters. In chapter 6, one of the dead guys is fingered through a finger print. Dr Mortis performs plastic surgery so the guy won't be recognized by the police. At the end of the chapter and the beginning of 7, the guy's entire head is wrapped in gauze as he drives Dr Mortis around town so the Doc can blow up the new City Hall, which is under construction. The guy sure won't be recognized with all that wrap on his head.....might stick out in a crowd though.

If he can't be spotted in a vehicle.....then, just maybe......Dr Satan has 2 of his henchmen drive to a bank with a 7 foot tall robot in the back seat, unnoticed naturally. Sheesh, these bad guys get away with murder....eh?

These moments make me chuckle, but I'm lovin' 'em!
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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There are people who enjoy watching serials all at once. There are also people who enjoy watching colorized films. There are people who enjoy mad slasher films. There are people who go to all-you-can-buffets and eat until they're sick. There are people who enjoy a lot of stuff they shouldn't. I could care less. But the fun of serials is the anticipation from one chapter to the next, and minimizing the repetitiveness, and riddlerider is simply wrong on this one. If you want to watch a serial and you're watching it in a marathon when you could be watching it spread out, you're robbing yourself.
"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
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I feel that way too. The fun of serials when I was a kid was talking about "how he gets out of it" on the playground. The expectation was a major part of the fun.

People watch serials for different reasons. Some take them quite seriously and know who all the bit players and stunt men are. I can see why it wouldn't matter to this kind of viewer how many chapters he watches at a sitting. Others, like me, enjoy them for their cheapness, wackiness, dumb dialogue and tight editing -- couldn't care less if it's Dave Sharpe or Clarabell the Clown under the mask. In fact I'd prefer Clarabelle. A week between chapters for me is downright necessary because after one chapter the joke wears thin.

When I attended SerialFest I learned that I truly hate watching a whole serial at a time, and I've never done it since. They simply aren't good enough to hold my attention for that amount of time. So go ahead and throw your brickbats now. I'll knock 'em out of the park.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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marlin lee
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I agree even the better serials can wear thin if watched all at once. But there is a world of space between watching all at once and once a week. Back when you watched a serial with all your friends it might have been nice to have a week to discuss the next chapter. But when I'm watching a serial by myself I get just as much enjoyment watching a chapter a day as waiting a week.
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KanSmiley
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panzer the great & terrible
May 29 2008, 03:59 PM
I feel that way too. The fun of serials when I was a kid was talking about "how he gets out of it" on the playground. The expectation was a major part of the fun.

People watch serials for different reasons. Some take them quite seriously and know who all the bit players and stunt men are. I can see why it wouldn't matter to this kind of viewer how many chapters he watches at a sitting. Others, like me, enjoy them for their cheapness, wackiness, dumb dialogue and tight editing -- couldn't care less if it's Dave Sharpe or Clarabell the Clown under the mask. In fact I'd prefer Clarabelle. A week between chapters for me is downright necessary because after one chapter the joke wears thin.

When I attended SerialFest I learned that I truly hate watching a whole serial at a time, and I've never done it since. They simply aren't good enough to hold my attention for that amount of time. So go ahead and throw your brickbats now. I'll knock 'em out of the park.

When I was a wee lad going to the matinees "the gang" would always get there as much as a half hour early and discuss how the hero was going to escape certain death the week before. As the esteemed (or is that steamed) Mr. Panzer says that was a lot of the fun on Saturdays.

As far as my viewing habits I have never sat down and watched a serial straight through. I ususally watch one episode at a time and sometimes two. On a very few rare occasions I have watched three chapters depending how much I get into the serial. But then who is to know how you watch a serial late at night, behind closed doors with the shades drawn. Or do you even admit to your close friends that you still watch serials and shoot 'em ups except here in the balcony. The serial police have never come to my humble cave.

Again, like Paul, I don't care who is playing what role. I would say I have watched enough serials and B-westerns by now that I can recognize most all the heores, heorines and villians and many of the henchies, barflys, stagedrivers, judges, city folks , sheriffs and stuntmen.

Kan

http://www.saturday-matinee-memories.com/

intoxicated, adj.: When you feel sophisticated without being able to pronounce it.
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Chandu
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I hate to admit it, (Grrrrr :angry:) but my short term memory, or lack thereof, simply loses too much detail to watch serial chapters a whole week apart anymore. :(

For me, a chapter or two every night, or every other night seems to suit me well. :ph43r:
Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me...
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Black Tiger
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While it is optimal to see serial chapters weekly, it's not always practical. Marathons at film festivals, museum retrospectives or small gatherings are a bit trying, but are rewarding if this is the only way to see them. There's usually some fun chat during breaks. Personally, a chapter a day is fine for me. Just like taking vitamins.
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mort bakaprevski
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Every time I finish a chapter... and then immediately watch the beginning of the next chapter, I stop the film, pour a glass of cabernet & drink a toast to Gravy. Probably conttibuted considerably to my dipsomania!! :P
"Nov Shmoz Ka Pop."
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Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
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mort bakaprevski
May 29 2008, 11:51 PM
dipsomania!!


My most visited site on the net....inthebalcony.com
My 2nd most visited site on the net......dictionary.com

It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong."
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mort bakaprevski
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Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
May 30 2008, 02:50 AM
My 2nd most visited site on the net......dictionary.com

Nahhh, it's roget.com... Ooooops, that's a plastic surgeon. Well, maybe I will return there. Can't wait to see the "Breast Reduction" page after they finish "constructing" it!!! :lol:
"Nov Shmoz Ka Pop."
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Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
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mort bakaprevski
May 30 2008, 07:17 AM
Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer
May 30 2008, 02:50 AM
My 2nd most visited site on the net......dictionary.com

Nahhh, it's roget.com... Ooooops, that's a plastic surgeon. Well, maybe I will return there. Can't wait to see the "Breast Reduction" page after they finish "constructing" it!!! :lol:

I was referring to MY most frequented sites, not yours......but thanks for sharing :P
It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong."
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