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serials


fredrandyp
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I doubt it,and thats a shame!!There are some great serial titles out there,especially from my favorite Republic Studios.It would probably play havoc with their scheduling.To be viewed properly,a serial needs to viewed a chapter each week.I just feel that TCM would do this,although the ENCORE channel did run a serial on a weekly basis at one time.You might want to view SPIDERS,a silent Fritz Lang effort,to get an idea of what Judex is like.

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kenwal, you know how i feel about those fabulous old Republic serials of old! I do wish TCM would consider a month of "the greatest movie serials" that could play on Saturday morns, along with our already discussed Matinee at the Saturday Bijou idea! "Daredevils of the Red Circle" would most definitely have to showcased. Followed by "Spy Smasher," "G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon," "Mysterious Doctor Satan," "King of the Texas Rangers," "King of the Royal Mounted," "Son of Zorro," etc.

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patypancake,

Every title you mentioned is my collection.You and I have had a lively thread on this in the past.To the uninitiated[those who are not familiar with these serial gems],a serial chapter was shown one chapter each week over a period of from 12 to 15 weeks.These serials,along with "B" westerns and "B" features were a money making source for small theaters throughout the country. The INDIANA JONES films were influenced by these serials.As with any other film product,there were good and bad serial products.All were middle to low budget products,and many of future stars got their start in serials.John Wayne and Jennifer Jones to name two. For a start ,try ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL. Leonard Matlin rates this as one of the best ever made. Those on patypancakes list are excellent!Give them a try...

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edgecliffd,

I m a Flash Gordon fan also with Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe on dvd. Your speaking of three serials. Jungle Queen is a Universal title released in both silent and sound versions.Jungle Girl is from Republic with the Nyoka character.A second serial from Republic is titled Perils of Nyoka and features Clayton Moore[Lone Ranger] as the male lead.

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Hurray! Serials for me! Most specifically, the Republic chiller-dillers. I've just watched several episodes of "Terry and the Pirates" and "The Green Archer"--both from Columbia Pictures--and both the absolute pits! None can compare with that Rolls-Royce of a studio that produced that wondrous stream of chapter plays--from the late 30s to the mid-40s. Universal and Columbia produced some of the worst serials in the business. Bah! Humbug and a pox on them both!

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cap,

I'm with paty when it comes to Republc serials. I agree that there were some good Universals;Riders of Death Valley,Overland Mail,Winners of the West,to name a few,were favorites of mine.Viewing them today,my major gripe is their overuse of ancient stock footage,that sometimes looked out of place.Often the music seemed out of sync,[example ..Flash Gordon].The Phantom is a Columbia favorite. I shy away from any Columbia directed by James Horne;to much slapstick for a serial.To sum up, Republic was indeed "The Thrill Factory" when it came to serials!! Just a suggestion to TCM. Try running The ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL on Saturday morning.You might be pleasently surprised in the results..

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I'm afraid Republic spoiled me early on. When I try sitting through a few episodes from a Universal or Columbia serial, there's no excitement. The chapter endings are so tame and predictable and the villians are totally forgettable. The best Republic gems always had striking chapter endings (like the one involving Constance Worth and that spear in "G-Men Vs. the Black dragon")wonderfully over-the-top villians--like the Crimson Ghost, that mechanical monster in "Mysterious Doctor Satan". The photography and other technical aspects were outstanding and you became used to seeing some of your favorites in different roles--like the always durable Roy Barcroft, Linda Stirling, Kay Aldridge and incredible stunts by a team headed by David Sharpe. I still say--Bravo to Republic!

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Well, I'm certainly not one to try to sway Republic serial fans from their favorites. Republic is the serial studio I am most familiar with, but I have developed an interest in some of the work by other studios as well. Republic brings you fast and furious action, good special effects, and interesting cliffhangers. Although less a concern of most serial fans, Republic serials generally had pedestrian and predictable plots, especially in the later years.

 

The vintage Universal serials (pre-1940 or so) seem to be better written and more dependent on plot and character development. The downside of that is that they can get talky. For the most part, they lack the technical expertise of Republic. Anyway, I think the better Universal serials like the Flash Gordon trilogy compare very favorably to the Republics of a few years later. And, Flash Gordon brought us the most memorable of serial villains -- Ming the Merciless. You could tell Charles Middleton really got into that role.

 

I agree with Kenwal's suggestion about TCM broacasting "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" on Saturday mornings. It is a good one to hook viewers on the serial genre.

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cap,

Speaking of Charles Middleton as Ming,recalls two other fine performances.One as Pa Stark in a Dick Tracy serial and the other as the mastermind in Daredevils of the Red Circle.Both of these serials gave him a chance to demonstrate his considerable acting talent.

Lastly,as i'm sure you are aware,the later years were the swan song for serials.Republic relied more on stock footage than ever before,and rehashed more plotlines.In the end, their serial productions ceased.

Perhaps the tempprogrammer will pick up on these serial threads and pass them along.

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