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| Watching Any Good Serials? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,345 Views) | |
| Paul | Jan 18 2009, 09:32 PM Post #1186 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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The current serial for our cozy little Saturday Movie Nights is Lost City of the Jungle, aka Lost Archive of Stock Footage. Viewing it helps to nail down the differences in the philosophy of serial construction that distinguish the Universal from the Republic ouvre. For example, you'll find Republic frequently relying upon elaborate fistfights to fill screen time, whereas in the same spots Universal would typically depict a number of characters having a conversation. |
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| rodney | Jan 21 2009, 05:42 AM Post #1187 |
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Charter Member
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I've been sloshing my way through Ace Drummond, and aside from the song, I really don't mind it at all. It's not a great serial, but it *is* fun, and I like the stock footage a lot. |
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| Vornoff | Jan 22 2009, 09:10 PM Post #1188 |
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Charter Member
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I'm still in the mid-chapters of PHANTOM OF THE AIR. It's getting a little ho-hum but I'm still enjoying it. Tom Tyler's stunt man does some crazy stuff out on the wing of his plane. Sorry to say that the serial must carry on without him after Chap. 9 as he is shot point blank in the gut by LeRoy Mason. Ain't no way he's getting out of that one!
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| "Doctor of nothing!" | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Jan 27 2009, 04:28 AM Post #1189 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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I finished Perils Of Nyoka and enjoyed it. How can you not enjoyed a serial with a gorilla (didn't catch his name), a small monkey named Jitters and a german shepard named....oh, named....okey, I don't remember the dog's name. It wasn't Laughing Gravy, I can tell ya that. Some good fight scenes and perilous chapter endings. One of my fave scenes is toward the end of chapter 14 and it's shown again at the begining of 15. Cassib and Vultura have the Tablets of Hippocrates and they have the tablets translated by some poor shmuck. The white infidels attack and Cassib and Vultura decide to flee. The shmuck translator asks about his fee and Cassib says, "Here's your pay!", and gives him an uppercut to the jaw. Cracked me up. I love this serial! I'm up to chapter 10 of The Drums Of Fu Manchu.....SPOILER.....SPOILER.....SPOILER....if a car goes over a cliff or off of the road and bursts into flames at the end of a chapter, well....somebody jumped from that car. This happens and the heroes, Sir Nayland Smith and Mr. Pah-kah are hiding and Smith proclaims that maybe the villians will THINK they're dead. Directly cut to the next scene, as a henchman tells Fu Manchu that the bodies weren't found. Fu says, "We'll have to assume they are still alive!" I rate this one as one of my faves. I love the drums at the end of the chapters as they get louder and faster. I think they cause my heart-rate to rise.Good stuff. Oh yeah, started Buck Rogers, and I've seen 2 chapters. After a 500 year sleep, Buck and his pal Buddy are found in their dirigible. The Earth is ruled by Killer Kane, ain't he a wrestler? Speakin' of wrasslin', this is a lot like the first 2 Flashes, with Buster's wrasslin, the airship's flight, and the dialogue. Oh, and it has C. Montague Shaw, he was the leader of the Clay People in Flash 2. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| KanSmiley | Jan 27 2009, 05:29 AM Post #1190 |
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Charter Member
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Stony --- where did you get your copy of Drums of Fu Manchu? I have a VHS copy but it is just this side of terrible. I have tried to watch it 3 or 4 times but the quality of the copy keeps me from enjoying it. Kan Edited by KanSmiley, Jan 27 2009, 05:29 AM.
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http://www.saturday-matinee-memories.com/ intoxicated, adj.: When you feel sophisticated without being able to pronounce it. | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Jan 27 2009, 05:51 AM Post #1191 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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Mine is a VCI, via Netflix. I love it. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| The Batman | Jan 27 2009, 06:34 AM Post #1192 |
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I have the VCI DVD for FU MANCHU, too, Smiley. It is a perfectly acceptable copy. The picture is a little soft, and some of the (I can imagine) awesome set details are lost, but the serial is quite enjoyable in this version. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Jan 27 2009, 06:45 AM Post #1193 |
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Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
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I recently finished two serials. The Woman in Gray was a delight, very complicated plot and not much action but a lot of very suspicious people doing very suspicious things for very suspicious reasons. The Vanishing Legion was a disappointment, probably because it lacked a strong hero. That "The voice -- has spoken!" thing went on for far too long as well. I still have 2 more episodes to go of The Mysterious Pilot and 7 more of Jungle Queen. As for Drums of Fu Manchu, there's only one print out there available to fans. The VCI DVD is the best we can get. I used to watch 5, 6, or 7 serials simultaneously (1 episode a day) but I've cut way back on that and I'm trying to wrap up what I still have that I haven't seen and maybe just watch 1 a week so I have time for more watching of other stuff. |
| "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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| The Batman | Jan 27 2009, 07:19 AM Post #1194 |
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Charter Member
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Glad to see that you finally admit the "7 serials at once" scenario is not going to work. Who can keep track? So, are you just watching one chapter per week, or a chapter a night? |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Jan 27 2009, 08:02 AM Post #1195 |
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Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
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Oh, it works... I just put a sticky-note on each one with the chapter numbers and X out the chapters as I watch 'em. No problem. As I get more classic TV shows on DVD though I've kinda been weaning off a serial chapter a night and gone to a TV episode a night, or just reading or writing, plus I've been going out a lot. Busy life these days. Typically nowadays I watch a serial chapter during lunch. |
| "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 | Jan 27 2009, 08:48 AM Post #1196 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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I use a Microsoft Word calendar for serial tracking. I'll write in the serial title (Perils Of Nyoka = PON) and chapter number in the date I last viewed it. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Jan 27 2009, 09:04 AM Post #1197 |
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Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
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By the way, I don't remember the dog's name (Fang?) but the gorilla's name was Satan. |
| "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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| The Batman | Jan 27 2009, 10:52 AM Post #1198 |
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Charter Member
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Sticky Notes get lost, computers crash and files get lost. I will stick with one serial, a chapter a day, at a time. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Jan 27 2009, 11:48 AM Post #1199 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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Too bad you don't know a good detective *L* |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| The Batman | Jan 27 2009, 12:06 PM Post #1200 |
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Charter Member
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Nor you a comedian |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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