The lost serials thread...

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » September 23rd, 2008, 9:46 pm

All of that legalese is making my head spin!

What do they (Fox) have to do??? Negotiate with 24 other people and entities!?!?!!?

Ay caramba!

Post by **Randall** » September 24th, 2008, 9:00 am

FINALLY an article comes out that brings a fuller picture to the issue. I didn't buy the CBR story; too simplistic and it didn't really make sense to me. The TV Shows on DVD story is mostly speculation too, but I think it's much closer to the truth.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 27th, 2009, 10:00 am

Another thread started to cover movie serial releases on DVD....

Posted in the Internet thread to keep the kiddies happy. Adults-only, please, unless you are a child at heart, too!

All the Flash Gordon serials starring Buster Crabbes are available on DVD. General consensus is that the box set released by Image has the best quality version of the uncut original series on DVD. This set is widely available at Best Buy for $14.99... It originally retailed close to $40.

The 1940s Batman serials have also been available for a few years now. They are becoming harder to find in-store but are generally grouped with the other live-action and animated Batman films in the action-adventure section of better video stores.

Also available are the Captain Marvel and Superman serials. The Adventures of Captain Marvel is released through Republic Video. The Superman serials were released around the time of the deluxe Christopher Reeve movie releases. Both widely available still.

Many, many public domain movie serial DVDs are available through AC Comics. Check for King of the Rocketman, Commando Cody, Spy Smasher, Mandrake the Magician, and others either at AC Comics website, Bud Plant, or Amazon.com...

VCI also has quite a few serial releases on DVD including the complete Dick Tracy movie serial series.

VCI's newest movie serial release DVDs are the two Green Hornet serials released in the 1940s. In light of the production of the new Hornet movie starring Seth Rogen (bad casting IMHO) it's not surprise these are being released now. It's unfortunate that the 1960s Green Hornet TV series featuring Bruce Lee is still caught up in legal hassles that prevent its complete release on home video. Only a bootleg film with edited footage featuring Lee from the TV series has been released on home video.

Here are the VCI Green Hornet DVDs --
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Hornet-Gord ... gy_d_img_b
The Green Hornet (1940)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AQBV9Q/imdb-button/
The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1941)

Of note is the fact that Keye Luke, the American actor best known for playing blind Master Po on the original Kung Fu TV series, is cast as Kato in these serials!

Keye Luke was a favorite character actor of mine when I was growing up. When I think back on all the shows he appeared in and the multitude of times I heard his voice on animated shows I'm amazed. He was all over the place!

Post by **Ben** » July 27th, 2009, 10:19 am

Just too much to collect here, and too much to then find the time to watch.

I've limited myself to the Batman serials (though I need to pick them up) and the Superman collection, which I've loved for years.

These aren't the very best that the cliffhangers used to offer, but while I'd like, and probably will add a couple more (Flash, Marvel) to my shelves the one serial I always absolutely adored were the Commando Cody/Rocket Man adventures, iof which I have King Of The Rocket Men on Republic's LD.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 28th, 2009, 4:57 pm

Let me dial back on what I said on the Batman serials...

These are still very available and prices have been cut to around $10 at Best Buy. Confirmed that in the last 24 hours.

As for the Superman serials, I haven't really looked for them in stores in a while but I imagine they are still very available. I actually liked the first Superman serial better than The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Of course, live-action Superman pales in comparison to the Fleischer animated shorts.

The AC Comics DVD releases of public domain serial releases still pretty much have to be ordered online. BudPlant.com does have many of these titles in stock but you probably would do just as well to order those DVDs from AC Comics' website or Amazon.com... Amazon is probably the cheapest source for those DVDs if they have them in stock.

Post by **Ben** » July 28th, 2009, 5:10 pm

My nearest Best Buy is probably around 3,000 miles away George! And they don't easily ship to the UK. My choice is pretty much limited to Amazon in terms of trusting the quality and returns options.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 28th, 2009, 5:20 pm

Whenever I buy online, I always buy from vendors that have at least high 90-percentile satisfaction.

Amazon is good but sometimes they don't have what I want and other times online stores (hosted on Amazon) have better deals on product, too.

I NEVER buy from vendors that have under 90% satisfaction rate. That's just asking for trouble!

Plus, who said I was just putting this stuff up for you and me, Ben?

Don't forget that Rand likes superheroes, too!

Post by **Randall** » July 28th, 2009, 7:30 pm

GeorgeC wrote: Plus, who said I was just putting this stuff up for you and me, Ben?

Don't forget that Rand likes superheroes, too!

And that's my cue, I guess!

I do love the old serials, and have probably well over twenty of them on VHS and DVD.

Ya gotta love Superman any way you can get him, but I didn't like Kirk Alyn's portrayal at all. He just looks vacuous. Still, they're fun romps, and Noel Neill is THE classic Lois. The serials are essential for the Super fan.

I really enjoy the low-tech Batman serials. My first ever serial experience was the first Batman serial, bought on VHS in a Sears remainder bin nearly 20 years ago! I had my buddies over, and we had a blast hissing the villains, but begged for them to kill Robin, who was a royal screw-up.

Captain Marvel is, I think, overrated. The cliffhangers were really weak, due to the hero being invulnerable. Of course, Superman is also invulnerable, but at least his serials knew to put his friends in danger more to keep it exciting. Still, Marvel has much more impressive direction and flying sequences.

Flash Gordon rules. The first serial is a great adaptation of the first year of the strip. I bought that DVD set for 100 bucks! And that was after having VHS and LaserDisc versions of the first two. Buck Rogers is also decent. Same actor, of course.

The Green Hornet ones are pretty good, too. I have those two on just VHS so far. Spy Smasher is a great one. The Masked Marvel has lots of great fights and a fun mystery hero. Captain America is cheesy (and Steve Rogers is a lawyer!). King of the Rocketmen is fantastic; Commando Cody is okay, but those ones are weaker from what I've seen.

Watchable but lower tier: Mandrake, Tarzan, The Phantom. I also have the two Terry and the Pirates ones, but haven't watched yet.

Actually, I just remembered my true first serial experience: Phantom Empire! It was shown on the old show Cliffhanger! Gene Autry, an underground world, caped riders, and robots. What's not to love?

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 28th, 2009, 10:09 pm

Ah yes! Serials -- so cheesy, they're good! And notice I didn't bring milk into the conversation!

(Bad pun -- shoot me!)

Tom Tyler is good in Captain Marvel until he opens up his mouth.

I liked Tommy Bond a lot as Jimmy Olsen in the Superman serials and wish the comic book character had as much hutzpah. If Jimmy had a pair then maybe he wouldn't be on the list of sidekicks that should be dead to me!

(Yes, I've watched The Godfather and read the novels, too. Still one of the best films I've ever seen. It just speaks to me when I'm in dark AND bright moods!

(Not as funny to me as The Exorcist, though.)

It took me forever to get around to buying the Flash Gordon serials and I still haven't watched them on DVD yet! Everything I've seen of them in documentaries screams, "They 'borrowed' this idea for Star Wars...!"

Then again, just about everything "borrows" ideas from another source, too.

Post by **Ben** » July 29th, 2009, 6:41 am

So many memories!

Although I have hardly any of these in my personal collections, I remember seeing and taping a ton of them in my younger days when they played on TV every morning during summer break.

I do quite like Alyn...not the Superman we know and love, but he's just going on what the character was like at that point. The Kent/Superman of the cartoons wasn't that much more developed either, but the serials' big thing was that they didn't make too much of Clark when he was on screen. But I find the strongman Superman act quite charming, and enjoy both serials for various reasons. The second, with Lex Luthor, is the better of course, but you can't beat the camp realisation of the Spider Lady in the first for all out fun.

The Rocket Man (and varieties) serials were the first introduction I had to the genre, but Batman came along on TV (at 6:20 am, and I distinctly remember getting up early before school to watch them each morning) when the Burton film was out. They are "low-tech", but I like this basic aspect of them and the realistic-y, noir-ish feel they have as a result. And, obvious exception aside, isn't Robin always a screw-up?

Buster Crabbe's Flash is excellent...real early sci-fi stuff that's kind of cheesy but big fun and a clear influence on stuff to follow. The Star Wars connections are obvious: remember that Lucas wanted to make Flash Gordon but couldn't get the rights. When his film came out, that's what prompted the 1980 movie, so it's all full circle after a fashion.

Anyone also remember Champion The Wonder Horse? Though not quite technically a serial, it used to play each day in the same 15 minute slot over here, and I used to love that too - and that theme song!

Post by **eddievalient** » August 1st, 2009, 7:53 am

I've got a few serials (Batman and a double set with Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe and The Green Archer) and I just ordered Captain Marvel yesterday. I'm hoping to someday write a book on the history of comics-based films so I need a few more just for research (Batman and Robin, the Dick Tracys, the Supermans, the other Flash Gordons, Buck Rogers, etc). I think serials are fun because it's like TV shows before there were TV shows, like they were testing the concept. The cheesiness is part of the appeal for me, personally.

Post by **Ben** » August 1st, 2009, 10:43 am

"Cheesiness" aside, I actually think the writers and producers of these things (the good, the bad and the ugly) did amazing work on basically zero budget and time. Movie cliffhanger serials really did action adventure and sci-fi in live action before anything else.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » September 9th, 2009, 11:56 pm

From The Digital Bits, Wednesday...

"Finally, our friends over at VCI Entertainment have provided us with more details on their forthcoming Buck Rogers: 70th Anniversary Edition DVD release (due on 11/3 (SRP $29.99). The classic 1939 serial has been remastered from the 35mm negative, and will come with a rare 1933 Buck Rogers short, 3 video features (The History of Buck Rogers by Clifford Weimer, Buster Crabbe: The All-American Hero and video of the 80th Anniversary Buck Rogers Panel at this past Comic-Con), liner notes by author Hank Davis, a photo gallery and the original theatrical trailer."

**************

I've been wanting to get the Buck Rogers serial for a while...

This may be the version to get!

The problem with VCI is that their product can be hit and miss. Great or not so great quality.

What's always great about VCI is that they do releases of older films and public domain material that the major studios gloss over.

They also happen to have one of the larger video release libraries of serials on DVD, to boot.

And I still have yet to spend the time to watch Flash Gordon on DVD, too. Both the 1980/Queen film and Image DVD collection of the serials!

Post by **Randall** » September 10th, 2009, 12:25 am

Just watched the new(ish) Flash Gordon movie DVD recently. Wow, the movie was even more fun than I remembered. Campy, yes--- but fun.

I have VCI's first Buck Rogers serial DVD, but may have to upgrade to the new edition.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » January 10th, 2011, 10:42 pm

On Tuesday, there's a collection of the Green Hornet serials from the 1940s being released. It's a reprint of the sets that have been available for over a year now.

(In any otherwise dull week of not much special, it's one of the few releases that looks interesting to me. I'm a fan of Keye Luke who plays Kato in the serials. He was also 'first son' in the classic Charlie Chan movies of the same era and later went on to be best-known as Blind Master Po from the original Kung Fu TV series. One of his last roles was as the Chinese antique shop owner who did not want to sell the Mogwai Gizmo in the Gremlins movies...)

IN OTHER NEWS...!

...Those same Green Hornet serials have been edited into movies that should be showing up on DVD any day now.

...The Captain America serial series has been available for some time on DVD. Bud Plant is carrying it in their catalog but I'm sure it can be ordered from whoever pressed that DVD. My assumption is that the serial is long out of copyright protection and anybody can release it now. It just depends on the quality of the surviving 35mm prints. The fact that it has any similarity to the comic is just a matter of coincidence! No shield + no earwings + No Bucky = little chance of a buy from me.

The Green Hornet movie starring Seth Rogen (who I have absolutely no interest in watching) hits theaters across North America on January 14th... Previews have been mild to enthusiastic -- mostly 'meh' from what I hear.

I can wait until the film hits Red Box!