King of the Wild (1931), an absolutely outrageous and wonderfully fast-paced Mascot serial with Boris Karloff, guys in gorilla suits, exotic settings in Darkest Africa and the Mysterious East and unbelievable amounts of inspired lunacy. Unbelievably political incorrect.
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), an excellent Republic serial and a treat for fans of diabolical criminal masterminds bent on wold domination and yes it’s also unbelievably political incorrect.
Flash Gordon (1936), probably the most expensive serial ever made. The Universal science fiction serials were all good but this is the best of them. And in Ming the Merciless it has one of the great screen villains.
Spy Smasher (1942). If it’s a Republic serial directed by William Witney you know you’re in for a treat. Made on a much more modest budget than Universal’s serials but it manages to look very impressive. Incredibly entertaining.
The Mysterious Dr Satan (1940). Another Republic serial. This one has killer robots, a mad scientist and a mysterious masked crime-fighter. Lots of enjoyment to be had here.
4 comments:
I watched the first episode of "Spy Smasher" last night, from a non-professional outfit on ebay. Picture quality was poor, but, bloody hell, they packed a lot into 28 minutes! I felt rushed off my feet!
I know I'm going to enjoy the rest of it!
I've been impressed by the production values and plots of early Universal stuff like Red Barry and Tailspin Tommy and the Great Air Mystery, this summer's TCM serials. I recommend them both if you haven't seen them already.
Samuel, I'll definitely keep a lookout for those serials.
Having watched Spy Smasher over two more nights, I can confirm that it is indeed brilliant! I especially liked the way the villain's henchmen weren't complete idiots and could adapt to changing situations, in much the same way as the heroes. Although the resolution to the final cliffhanger can be seen a mile off, it is at least logical within the story.
The other serials you quote are on order, so I sat down to watch The Undersea Kingdom instead. It really shows the variety in quality in these serials. Great idea, and some nice sword-and-sandal battles; and Lon Chaney Jr seems to be having a great time as a captain of the guard. But: it's got some unnecessary comic relief - apparently added at the end of filming, as they don't interact with the main cast at all, at least two of the worst cliffhanger cheats I've ever seen, an odd moment when a major character is killed off basically by falling over (admittedly next to a rocket), and a really bittersweet climax to the story ...
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