Jim Harmon - Great Movie Serials Cb: Great Movie Serial

THE WOBURN PRESS : LONDON 1973

First published 1973 in Great Britain by WOBURN BOOKS LIMITED 67 Great Russell Street, London WCIB 3BT

Transferred to Digital Printing 2005

Copyright 1972 by Jim Harmon and Donald Glut

ISBN 0 7130 0097 X

Dedication

This book is especially dedicated to our friends,

Kirk Alyn
and
Spencer G. Bennet,

and to Buster Crabbe, Roy Barcroft, Adrian Booth, John English and William Witney, Howard and Theodore Lydecker, George Plympton, Jean Rogers, Dave Sharpe, Dale Van Sickel, Linda Stirling and Tom Steele without all of whom the sound serial could not have existed as we knew and loved it; and finally to

Alan G. Barbour

to whose research and private publications the authors are outrageously indebted.

It is certainly an honor to have this excellent book on serial films dedicated to me and to be given such extensive coverage in the sections on Superman, Blackhawk, and my other chillers.

Jim Harmon and Don Glut are completely dedicated buffs and their tireless enthusiasm for their avocation has resulted in this thoroughly researched volume which might easily be called An Encyclopedia of the Serial Era.

As one who actively participated in the making of the last of these exciting cliffhangers, I can testify to the accuracy of the authors information. Don and Jim were just youngsters when the films they discuss so authoritatively were first shown, so they are to be doubly congratulated for catching the spirit of the serial years while faithfully recording the minutest details.

This book, like Harmons other books and articles on various aspects of show business, will arouse the readers nostalgic memories. Fond recollections of long-past Saturday afternoons at the movies will flit through his head. He will again experience the same excited anticipation for next weeks solution to this weeks terrible dilemma.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to buffs, collectors, and all those who retain pleasant memories of serial motion pictures.

It is also a privilege to have this opportunity to salute each of you who recalls favorably my small contributions to that thrilling era.

KIRK ALYN
Hollywood, California

The authors wish to thank the following people who lived through the wonderful era of the cliffhangers, either as creators or audience members and who have shared their memories with us:

Forrest J Ackerman (editor, Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine), Dave Amaral, Richard Alexander (the last surviving classic villain of the B Western), Richard Alexander (animator extraordinary, Superman serials), Kirk Alyn (Last of the Serial Kings, so invulnerable he eats curry at nine in the morning), The Kirk Alyn Fan Club (Box 1362, Hollywood, California 90028), Dick Andersen, the late Bart Andrews (stuntman), the late Roy Barcroft (best of the bad men), Alan G. Barbour (editor, Screen Facts, Serial Quarterly, The Serial limited edition publications, Box 154, Kew Gardens, New York 11415), Spencer G. Bennet, Larry Byrd, Ed Connors, John Cooper, ( Hero Hobby magazine), Alan Copeland, the late Kenne Duncan, Buster Crabbe, Ray Craig, Skip Craig, William K. Everson, Gene Femete, Jack Gold, M. C. Goodwin, Alex Gordon, Richard Gulla, John Hagner ( Falling for Stars magazine), Jim Harmons Radio Heroes Society (serial-related radio characters, P.O. Box 38612, Hollywood, California 90038), Ron Haydock (writer, actor, star of Batman parody film, Rat Pfink), George Henderson (publisher, Captain Georges Whizzbang and Comic World, 594 Markham St. Toronto 5, Canada), Judd Holdren, Eric Hoffman (owner of one of the worlds largest information libraries on serials and other popular culture media), Larry Ivie ( Monsters and Heroes magazine), A1 Kracalik, Kalton C. Lahue (author, Continued Next Week and Bound and Gagged), Woody Langley, Dan Leavitt, the late Howard Lydecker, Ferris Mack of Doubleday, Robert Malcomson ( Those Enduring Matinee Idols magazine), Ken Maynard, Chuck McCleary, Rick Mitchell, Lloyd Nesbitt, Olive Stokes (Mrs. Tom) Mix, Kris Neville, Bill Obbagy (President, American Bela Lugosi Fan Club), James Pierce (movie and radio Tarzan), Bob Price, Kane Richmond, Robert M. Rosen, Gene Roth, Mike Royer (associated with Russ Manning in illustrating the Tarzan newspaper comic strip), Sam Sherman, Jim Schoenberger (President, The ClifEhangers Club), Tom Steele, International Tom Steele Fan Club, (P. O. Box 4334, North Hollywood, California 91607), Glenn Strange (who followed Boris Karloff in the role of the Frankenstein Monster, but who was also one of the most dependable villains in Westerns and serials), Bill Warren, and Jim Warren (Warren Publications, Spacemen, Screen Thrills Illustrated, On the Scene presents Superheroes, Wildest Westerns, etc.).

J.H. and D.F.G.

Following page 170

Following page 194

Movie serials were the best action films of any kind ever made.

The scenes of action in many major motion pictures, especially ones in recent years, do not approach the professional skill and excitement of movie serials, especially those of Republic Studios, and especially during the very brief Golden Age of 1939 to 1942. The A pictures had more spectacle, yes. Serials could not afford massive armies pitted against one another. But the spectacles of major films borrowed on the skills of serial-makers. The classic example may be the fact that the burning of Atlanta and other spectacles in