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The Phantom; One of Columbia's Top Serials
Topic Started: Oct 22 2014, 08:34 AM (238 Views)
AndyFish
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Watching this again but one episode at a time in between features and other shorts. There's a great app called MYTUBE which lets you download YouTube videos to your tablet and then create playlists. Since there are TONS of old gems up in full length I've been making double features to watch while I'm endlessly running on the treadmill at the gym. All 15 chapters of The Phantom were available too so I have that as my serial of choice for this go round.

I'm up to Chapter 7 and this is a solid entry in Columbia's lineup. I know there are a lot of Columbia basher's on here, but I've always been a fan. I like that some things make sense; i.e. when the old Phantom dies and the new one comes in he's instantly recognized as being a different guy by the bad guys watching from the woods.

I also like the Hollywood Jungle-- natives from who knows where and a jungle that seems a lot like Southern California. Tom Tyler is in top form as the Ghost Who Walks and the costume might just be the most faithful adaption ever put to film of any comic strip character ever. Unlike the Republic's which are just excuses to smash up a room in a fight, there's a story here and some interesting characters too.

Diggin' it!
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Sgt Saturn
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AndyFish
Oct 22 2014, 08:34 AM
I also like the Hollywood Jungle-- natives from who knows where and a jungle that seems a lot like Southern California.
It is worth remembering that in those days the strip was intentionally vague as to the location of the Phantom's jungle. Nowadays it has been retconned to definitely be in Africa. In those days it could be either African or Asian. (I seem to recall tigers in one sequence in the 1950s.)
The Ol' Sarge
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The Batman
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AndyFish
Oct 22 2014, 08:34 AM

Tom Tyler is in top form as the Ghost Who Walks and the costume might just be the most faithful adaption ever put to film of any comic strip character ever.

I agree, Bat-bud, THE PHANTOM is a fun, fun serial and very faithful to the source material. Tom Tyler is excellent.

Ironically, the serial he is even better in, has the most faithful screen adaption of a super-hero costume IMHO, that being THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL.




Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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JazzGuyy
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The problem I have always had with Tyler is that, while he always looks the part, he is somewhat wooden as an actor. That works OK for Marvel where he mostly does action stuff without much dialog. He's a little less successful in The Phantom.
TANSTAAFL!
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riddlerider
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Sgt Saturn
Oct 22 2014, 09:41 AM
AndyFish
Oct 22 2014, 08:34 AM
I also like the Hollywood Jungle-- natives from who knows where and a jungle that seems a lot like Southern California.
It is worth remembering that in those days the strip was intentionally vague as to the location of the Phantom's jungle. Nowadays it has been retconned to definitely be in Africa. In those days it could be either African or Asian. (I seem to recall tigers in one sequence in the 1950s.)

When the strip began in 1936, it was pretty firmly established that The Phantom operated on the Indian subcontinent. His jungle kingdom was initially called Bengali and his sworn enemies (in the first few continuities, anyway) were known collectively as the Singh Brotherhood. When Lee Falk relocated him to Africa, the name of the jungle kingdom was changed to Bangalla. I believe it was still Bengali when the serial was made.
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riddlerider
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The Batman
Oct 22 2014, 10:08 AM
AndyFish
Oct 22 2014, 08:34 AM

Tom Tyler is in top form as the Ghost Who Walks and the costume might just be the most faithful adaption ever put to film of any comic strip character ever.

I agree, Bat-bud, THE PHANTOM is a fun, fun serial and very faithful to the source material. Tom Tyler is excellent.

Ironically, the serial he is even better in, has the most faithful screen adaption of a super-hero costume IMHO, that being THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL.





Except that Tyler's Captain Marvel wore a costume his comic-book counterpart was no longer wearing when the serial was released. By 1941 Fawcett's Marvel had given up on the buttoned tunic in favor of the more familiar tight-fitting pullover with the larger lightning bolt. I think Tyler would have looked good in either variation, but clearly Republic's costume designer (or Western Costume Company) saw only the early issues of Whiz Comics before whipping up the outfit.
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The Batman
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IMHO, it actually worked out better that they used Captain Marvel's original costume for the serial. Especially back then, as we've seen how early attempts at "super-hero tights" looked on guys like Kirk Alyn, Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery.



Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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