These old serials were silly and inexpensively made, but entertaining nonetheless. They remind me of my childhood Saturdays at the local theater. Upcoming movie previews, a news program, The Three Stooges, a serial chapter, cartoon, then the main movie. Sometimes a 1 hour old western too. That was a lot for 50 cents.
Coastguard 1: hey skipper, should we radio that unknown boat? Might be kids, drunks, fishermen? How about the loudhailer? Or pull alongside? Coastguard 2: screw that, open fire!
In those fight scenes their hats must be glued to their heads not one hat came off. The law men drove up to that warehouse in a new 1951 Mercury sedan. That was a common practice that car companies showed off their new car models for that year in movies looking to attract buyers.
Tom Steele, the famous stunt man, used rubber tubing inside his hats to keep them on so he wouldn't be recognized as a double. Other stunt men did the same after that. *Now think about why there are no bloody noses or missing teeth or torn clothing in the fights. That's ACTING, folks. And the same cars go off of how many cliffs in the same film. That's show biz.
This is very formulaic even to the point of the secret chief crook be he "The Voice "the Wasp" etc being on the business,or science council. I still can't get enough of this stuff. Thanks Atomic Age.
All those fist fights, leaps from moving vehicles, even being thrown out a window, and Duncan never looses his hat. Except for when he is driving a convertible.
Used to go every Friday to see "chapters." All that fighting, & no one even got a scratch. After the movie we'd discuss how the hero was going to make it safely. My favorite was "The Masked Marvel." Coming home I remember saying, "I can't wait until the Masked Marvel gets his hands on Sikima." I wonder why the Americans were on the side of the Japanese. Loved & still love my "chapters."
WOW! Fist fights...no cuts,bruising,hospital visits, these guys were tough...and the variable round count revolvers is just too good! And the good guys hat finally comes off in the car, but never in a fight LOL
Anyone notice the endless supply of automobiles Hal has at his fingertips? And what about all the shoe leather he must wear out after walking back after each car crash? - BG
Did not enjoy this from beginning.. Action is to intense from beginning. And music is way too much more interest than is needed. Immediately creates displeasure. And repulsion. To continue watching, no, entertainment value, no ongoing compulsion to keep watching.
I started watching serials after listening to mom explain how they paid a nickel every week to see these at the theater. Those were the days when men always wore suits and hats. I still got to experience the tale end of those styles in the 60’s and 70’s. I miss my Dobbs hat and Brooks Brother suits.
GOLLY-GEE BATMAN*****************! This is the first show, I'VE EVER SEEN, where the cops are Not Only Awfully STUPID. they also get BEAT UP every episode! They Can't beat the bad guys when they're both together, yet they keep splitting up and trying to take the bad guys by themselves before getting the crap beat out of them and the bad guys get away.... It's still good anyway.
Very entertaining but a bit silly. Hal and Sam happened to start at the top of the building just to see the crooks coming out. Get your hands up, no. let's have a fist fight instead, time after time. They should have taken up boxing, not a mark on them and up for another fight. I suppose they did have a week to recover though. Anyway it was the guy I suspected, he looked shifty.
I didn't see a pair of handcuffs until the last episode. I guess someone jumping from cars, planes, trains and boat that many times and all those (2 or 3 on one) and never an injury. They didn't believe in police backup back then as well.
From watching most of these serials, this is the 1st one I have seen with 1 writer and 1 producer. Love seeing all the "classic" cars, especially in background shots. Interesting that nearly all these serials eventually work a remote controlled plane or truck into the story. Her it is 70 years later and both technologies are just starting to be used.
The sole writing credit is Ronald Davidson, who shows up as one of the team of writers of older serials. He appears to have been the story editor at Republic. There seem to have been perhaps half a dozen writers who wrote nearly all the serials regardless of the studio that made them, and similarly a handful of directors. There seems to be nearly no biographical material on the web, especially of the writers. It would be interestng to know what the budgets were, very little I suspect. I have met and talked to some of the old time technical people from Republic. They actually had a good camera and sound department because they did not want to have to reshoot anything for technical reasons. I love the way the miniature cars and trucks all explode in air after going off a cliff. Like others, I remember these from my childhood. I think they didn't make a lot of sense even then but were fun. All those suits, ties and fedora hats.
Pretty sophisticated schemes for those days. But the good guys always managed to get flanked by the bad guys. They take a beating but come out ok. I appreciate being able to watch my old faves.
Aw jeez, guys! Give it a break, will youse? These were 15-30 minute episodes that played in movie houses between the regular features each Saturday! We were 5-10 year olds who forgot all the cheesy stuff and kept coming back to see if the hero escaped the burning building or got out of the car before it went over the cliff! This stuff kept us heading back to the Bijou for three months!
The revolvers were part of Republic Pictures stock prop department, so they cost the production nothing extra to use them. It was also easier to make blanks for revolvers. In addition the standard issue side arm for the FBI at the time was a .38 colt revolver, so the choice is fairly authentic.
In th e introduction fo Chapter 4 it says the train has a cargo of Uranium, What? Then the meeting is talking about radar components. The second fits the "electronic components" plot. Methinks Republic might have been having financial troubles and wasn't watching the store. Not surprising for 1951. They may have gone to a single writer and director to keep the costs down. there is a subtle difference in the post WW-2 serials from the earlier ones. The better done serials are wonderfully naive.
Well too be fair, in 1951, uranium, and radiation in general, was new to the general public, and to writers of motion pictures. It wasn't at all clear what its effects were, or what it might be used for. Science and industry were touting atomic energy as the end all be all magic of the future. Besides the kids won't know the difference.
Well you are correct of course but I can't help feeling something else was going on. These serials are lots of fun and not to be taken seriously but still they were business for Republic and other studios who made them. This one shows signs of economy beyond what one usually expects. For instance, it seems to me that there are an unusual number of stock shots used and one has the feeling that the writer was drying up. I wish I knew more inside history. The whole industry was going through a revolution at the time, adjusting to the "consent decree" and while Republic was not quite a major studio (maybe marginally) it still was affected by the new rules of distribution and exhibition, plus, of course, television. Despite my seeming criticism I love these old serials. Mostly, its that they pique my curiousity. I am glad there are others who feel the same way.
@@Richard-t7q1f absolutely. After the war and in particular after the studios were forced to sell off their theaters, things like serials were no longer very profitable. So Republic cut the budgets significantly. From about this period on, you start to see a heavy reliance on stock footage from older serials, recycled plots, and sometimes just plain lazy filmmaking.
These serials were a part of the culture of the time and, for people of a certain age, like me, a part of our growing up. Its interesting to know more than we did at the time. They are reminders of a simpler time. Its interesting that they remain so popular on You Tube. For ever a rainy Saturday down at the Bijou. @@AtomicAgePictures
I assume and hope the target audience were children & youngsters, who were especially fond of the fist fights and car chases. Accuracy was less important, and no need to name the "governent agency" and well, if these agent would have been too smart, there wasn't content enough for 12 episodes, is it ? Fun to see those nice cars and trucks however.
A science museum had the cabinet of a large old TV with a monitor inside playing clips of TV shows from the 1960's and 1970's space age, including I Dream of Jeannie and Gilligan's Island. ... You could get an old TV set, get it working, and connect it a computer video output with an appropriate interface. A lot of effort to enjoy vacuum tubes.
Yesterday I just finished watching the first episode and coming back for more today. Thank you very much for showing us a part of my teenage years of yesterday.
Not as much fun as you think. Tubes have limited life, and when one would go bad you'd have to pull them all and take them to a tube tester to find out which was the bad one.
The Phantom LEGION is composed by the mysterious boss and two guys. Crooks are dumb, but the good guys are colossaly idiots. It was the only way of keeping these serials going and going for 12 or 15 episodes... When the good guys have the baddies aimed with their revolvers they always approached them so the baddies could start a brawl, nd everytime the hero's sidekick was knocked down, leaving the hero to fight with The Legion (meaning the same good ole two henchmen).
Yesterday I just finished watching the first episode and coming back for more today. Thank you very much for showing us a part of my teenage years of yesterday.
The part with the pump trolleys in the tunnel is really funny--but it's supposed to be serious--when the good guy suddenly needs to go back the other way! (18:12)
RIP to all of those model trucks tortured, set on fire, and murdered at the beginning of this film. Would NOT be allowed today. #blackandwhitetrucksmatter
I really can do without the political ads and commercial breaks every 2 1/2 minutes. Since I started watching this movie, I've been offered everything but the keys to Grant's Tomb, and that's probably negotiable as well.
@@AtomicAgePictures You are so right about that. It's gotten really bad on "Walking Tour" videos, which I really used to enjoy. As for this flic...6 ads in the first 10 minutes.
It seems odd that no one got a traumatic brain injury in those days. No one seem to suffer a fracture, concision, or other potentially lethal results like a subdural hematoma. One the other hand, no one seemed to bleed when they were shot.
And real motors with real carburetors inside real frames with real bodies wrapped around them. And without electronics that go bad and need expensive maintenance.
I haven't finished watching all the episodes, but I'd lay money down that one of those guys on the board wearing a pinstripe suit and sporting a thin moustache is a colossal crook. Good thing these guys weren't around to face Ali, they would have beat the snot out of him.
I'm just starting to watch a bunch of serials - i'd be interested to hear what folks think are some excellent ones to check out- i've done some of the better known ones ... Lone Ranger, Captain Video, Flash Gordon, Ghost of Zorro, Green Hornet, Adventures of Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, King of the Rocketmen ... I pretty much enjoy all styles. Thank you. 🙋🏻♂️
almost all of the serials are really good , especially those from Republic - and although not a serial the Hopalong Cassidy movies are really good as well.
Done to make editing easier when they're putting different shots together in the edit room - the guy can't have his hat on in one shot, then off in the next, then back on in the next shot, etc.
I loved that pump trolley scene, some cartoon writer must have been behind it. That trail of burning gas was super funny. Also the flammable box of explosives.
This is too stupid to watch: 1) why did both cops have to go into building? One should have waited outside. 2) when cops were chasing the crooks, why didn't they shoot out the tires? Too stupid!!
Having to ask "why" means that one is missing the enjoyment factor, just as solving the problem too soon would make the serial end before the credits stop rolling. It probably is dumb, stupid, and lots more, but lots of enjoyment lurks for those who cut a little slack. Most serials after about 1949 are going to be on the downside of serial•doms golden age.
17:10 - 19:34 Wow..in those days the hats never fell off even in a knock down drag out fight and cave chase (even your suite jackets remained closed..no buttons popped) and pistols ran out of bullets only after you got 9 or 10 shots off without reloading. (and even the director of the movie got to fire shot number 8 (18:40) ;-P 19:12 is a scene right out of Bugs bunny :D ...and STILL..he's not even sweating nor breathing hard..suite and hat still in tack btw. This is really a Sci-Fi movie folks! LOL!
I read in one of these comments that the hats stayed on to disguise the stunt men who did the fights. Harder to identify someone who has a hat pulled around their heads.
Tom Steele, the legendary stunt man, used rubber tubing inside his hats. That way he could do the action scenes and the viewer wouldn't realize that that wasn't the actor. The technique was used widely after that.
12:42 what's the use of putting a wooden fence there ??? 17:00 notice how tight those hats stick on those fighting guys, they really look glued to their heads....
Yeah, hats that don't come off not matter what,( i wonder how many takes those scenes took to get it right) jumping out of cars moving at high speeds and not even getting so much as a scratch, a fire inside a building with no smoke. Hmm! Whose Ideas were these anyways? I liked the movie, but don't give anyone the idea that jumping out of cars going 20 mph or more is not going to hurt or kill you.
Forgot to add: why didn't cops ask how the crooks knew the crook was in the hospital ? If they had asked, it would lead them to the someone in the association.
If you're wondering how he eats & breathes, And other science facts...(la! la! la!) Then repeat to yourself its just a show, I should really just just relax.... -Theme from Mystery Science Theater 3000
It's a long film. 2 Hours to go. These guys supposedly protecting the shipments are pretty dumb. An accident and they're not suspicious, they fell for that. Their hats must be stapled to their heads. At 7.14 I see a 19 Set. Even with 2 hours to go why does nobody suspect the one other person always in the know of their movements? The secretary.
Hats stayed on for two reasons 1 it help to cover the face of the stuntman. 2 it was simpler that they just stayed on so that they didn't have to keep track of continuity. These serials were filmed very fast and they didn't have time to keep track of that sort of thing.
