Showing posts with label serial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label serial. Show all posts

Green Hornet-13 Episodes (1940) Review

Green Hornet-13 Episodes  (1940)
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This DVD release is SUPERB. I can say that because I have purchased numerous releases for the same serial, including VHS and unauthorized DVD releases. The picture quality is sharp and clear and evidently from the studio masters. The sound is excellent and the detail level is superb.
The serial is chaptered so you can select which chapter you want to watch or you can watch them all from beginning to end without interruption. Old-Time Radio shows are a bonus.
Best part about this release is the liner notes. Authored by Martin Grams, it reveals just how and where they filmed each scene for the chapters, character actors in small roles (such as an unbilled Alan Ladd) and more. I recommend you read the liner notes before watching the serial so you have plenty to look out for during viewing. Makes viewing more fun. (And according to the end of the notes, the author has an authorized book on THE GREEN HORNET coming out in early 2010!)
Overall, quality, liner notes, radio shows, bonus features, this is as good as it gets. If you question whether this is worth the price, take it from a Hornet fan. Grab this.

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The Lost Serial Collection - Clips and Chapters from 35 Extremely Rare Serials Review

The Lost Serial Collection - Clips and Chapters from 35 Extremely Rare Serials
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This anthology is overpriced for what it is. Most of the excerpts are too brief and lacking in context to be of much use or interest. The two episodes that are presented complete are not particularly distinguished. Print quality is very variable and often poor. The two-disk format might lead one to expect more: disk 1 is just over 90 min. and disk 2 is barely 50 min. The extremely interesting field of early serials deserves a better showcase.

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This special 2-DVD set features clips, short sequences and chapters from over 30 extremely rare serials that may be lost forever, except for what you can see here. Some clips are very short, featuring usually one special stunt sequence. ZUDORA, THE HAZARDS OF HELEN, CAPTAIN KIDD, HAUNTED VALLEY, THE LIGHTNING RAIDER and others are represented by extended action scenes, and complete chapters are included of THE IRON CLAW featurng Pearl White and THE FLAME FIGHTER starring Herbert Rawlinson. Clips from a couple of rare but not completely lost serials, A WOMAN IN GREY and OFFICER 444 are included too. These scenes and chapters are presented as they might have been originally shown, each with a new opening title and music, and no intrusive narration or explanations. Stills and posters from some of the serials are also included. This is a collection no serial historian or collector can live without. The complete list of serial titles represented is listed below. A great value -- a massive amount of serial history all in one set!LEADING LADIES1912 What Happened to Mary (Mary Fuller)1914 The Hazards of Helen (Helen Holmes, Helen Gibson)1914 The Perils of Pauline (Pearl White)1914 Zudora (Marguerite Snow)1920 A Woman in Grey (Arline Pretty)SERIALS OF PEARL WHITE1916 Pearl of the Army (Pearl White)1916 The Iron Claw (Pearl White) (Chapter 7 Complete)1917 The Fatal Ring (Pearl White)1919 The Lightning Raider (Pearl White, Warner Oland) (Scenes from Chapter 1)1923 Plunder (Scenes from Chapters 9 and 15)1924 Terror (The Perils of Paris)SERIALS OF RUTH ROLAND1919 The Tiger's Trail (Ruth Roland)1920 Ruth of the Rockies (Ruth Roland)1921 White Eagle (Ruth Roland)1922 The Timber Queen (Ruth Roland)1923 Haunted Valley (Ruth Roland) (Abridged version of Chapter 6)LEADING MEN1921 Hurricane Hutch (Trailer)1922 Captain Kidd (Eddie Polo) (Scenes from Chapters 2 and 11)1925 The Flame Fighter (Trailer, Scenes from conclusion of Chapter 2, Chapter 3 complete)1926 Officer 4441927 Return of the Riddle Rider (Trailer)1928 The Mystery Rider (Trailer)MORE PERILS1916 The Shielding Shadow1919 The Masked Rider Trailer produced by the Serial Squadron1920 The Third Eye1923 The Steel Trail1924 The Fast Express1927 King of the Jungle (Trailer)1927 The Man Without a Face (Walter Miller)1927 Whispering Smith Rides (Trailer)1928 A Final Reckoning (Trailer)1928 The Haunted Island (Trailer)1928 The Scarlet Arrow (Trailer)1928 The Terrible People1929 Queen of the Northwoods

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Batman and Robin - The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection (1949) Review

Batman and Robin - The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection (1949)
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How does Bruce Wayne convert his car into the Batmobile? Why, he simply puts up the rag-top, of course! Yeah, okay, so the 1949 Batman Serial was not exactly "cutting edge" or "mind-blowing" or "good", but it has its charm. The dialogue is ridiculous, the fight scenes are clumbsy, and the costumes are ill-fitting at best, but for some reason, I absolutely love it. This floppy-eared incarnation of the Dark Knight is more a film noir private investigator than the shadowy, rooftop avenger that we know today. He and the Boy Wonder spend less time lurking in the Bat Cave and more time beating up the Wizard's greasy haired, fedora wearing thugs. Oh...and the Wizard! This guy is actually a pretty good villain. He is cloaked head-to-toe, has blank, glowing eyes, appears from time to time as a phantom, and remains a mystery through most of the serial. Pretty creepy dude, if you ask me, and a fitting opponent for Batman and Robin. If you're thinking about buying this one, take off your critic's hat and enjoy this gem for what it is: an old-school Bat-brawl. It's fedora bashin' fun!

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Join superheroes Batman and Robin in fifteen action-packed episodes of one of the most thrilling adventure serials of yesteryear. The Dynamic Duo careens from one nail-biting cliffhanger to the next as they combat The Wizard, a villain with all of Gotham City at his mercy. This action adventure was originally shown in movie theaters in 1949, one chapter at a time, in weekly installments.Item Type: DVD MovieItem Rating: NRStreet Date: 03/22/05Wide Screen: noDirector Cut: noSpecial Edition: noLanguage: ENGLISHForeign Film: noSubtitles: noDubbed: noFull Frame: yesRe-Release: noPackaging: Sleeve

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Legend of Rin Tin Tin (2010) Review

Legend of Rin Tin Tin (2010)
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It's easy to suppose that one is getting episodes from the 50s TV show here. No, what you get are four discs, each with a 12-episode Rin Tin Tin serial from the 30s and 40s. Nothing wrong with that, but the quality of the transfers is such that you will have to be a real Rinty enthusiast to get through even one episode. The serials are hardly good enough to merit expensive restoration, but hard to watch without it. One hopes someone can find better elements to put out a more watchable DVD someday. Good example of getting what you paid for.

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The Miracle Rider (Complete Serial - 15 Episodes) (1935) Review

The Miracle Rider (Complete Serial - 15 Episodes)  (1935)
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One reviewer must've gotten the wrong video, because this is definitely Tom Mix, and Rin Tin Tin is nowhere to be seen in it! Besides Tom Mix, you get Charles Middleton as the villian. He's not nearly as menacing as he is in the Flash Gordon serials, but he's still a notable villian.
This is truly a contemporary western, taking place in 1935 when the movie was made. The bad guy is bent on chasing the indian tribe off their reservation so he can mine it for a secret explosive that he plans to sell to an unnamed European country. In one scene, he mentions the added power this powerful explosive would give a dictator, so if you know enough history to know what was happening in Europe in 1935, you can guess what country was being suggested here.
Tom Mix and Middleton together make this one of the better western serials, and I quite recommend it.

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Crimson Ghost - 12 Episodes (1946) Review

Crimson Ghost - 12 Episodes  (1946)
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As a child growing up in New York in the 50"s we were amazingly fortunate to receive a slew of TV channels. One of those channels.. 13.. I believe, had serials on everyday. What a wonderful treat watching after American Bandstand on ABC. Of course 40 years later, it isn't quite the same, but I watched it with my children whoose ages are 10 and 8. We had a grand time watching it together. But watching the episodes, one after the other, the patterns became quite repetitive. Every episode had the same fight albeit different places, and endings where a car either explodes or goes off a cliff. But who was the Crimson Ghost? In a nutshell, if you were into serials as a kid its worth seeing, especially a young Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore), and especially if you could share your memories with your children or someone else special

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The Perils of Pauline (1934) Review

The Perils of Pauline (1934)
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I know this DVD is cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for here. No restoration has been done on this 1934 serial, so we get very hissy, muffled sound and plenty of scratches and flecks etc on a washed-out, very rough-looking print. Oh and an alpha logo popping up on the chapter titles cards. The RHS text of some of the opening chapter summary cards is also cropped off.
This is the only DVD version available at the moment, so by all means buy it, but be prepared - you will certainly not benefit from DVD quality!

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Item Name: The Perils of Pauline; Studio:Alpha Video

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Gang Busters-13 Episodes (1942) Review

Gang Busters-13 Episodes  (1942)
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VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures presents a film based on the radio program by Phillips H. Lord "Gang Busters" (1942) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 13 Chapters based on a real radio show in which unsolved crimes were reenacted in the hope of catching the criminal, stories were combined with original and completely ficitional...dedicated to law enforcement officers throughout the nation, in grateful recognition of their unending war against crime..story line has twists and turns as "The League of Murdered Men" with mad scientist (Ralph Morgan) at the helm...is there a mysterious death stimulating drug that presumes a person dead only to be resurrected by this mad man Prof. Mortis (Morgan)...will Lt. Bill Bannister (Taylor) and Det. Tim Nolan (Armstrong) stop this gang of misfits who is terrorizing the city...can Vicki Logan (Hervey) and Happy Haskins (Davies) who work for the local newspaper, get in the way or be of some assistance bringing the villains to justice...what is this strange hideout in a subterranean cell that is located beneath the city's subways...don't touch that dial or leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "Law and Order"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.
Under director's Ray Taylor and Noel Smith, associate producer Ford Beebe, Original screenplay by Morgan B. Cox, Al Martin, Vic McLeod, George H. Plympton, dialogue director Jacques Jaccard, musical score by Ralph Freed, Charles Previn, Heinz Roemheld, Hans J. Salter, Frank Skinner and Franz Waxman...the cast includes Kent Taylor (Lt. Bill Bannister), Irene Hervey (Vicky Logan), Ralph Morgan (Dr. Clayton Maxton aka Prof. Mortis), Robert Armstrong (Det. Tim Nolan), Richard Davies (Happy Haskins), Joseph Crehan (Police Chief Martin O'Brien), George Watts (Mayor Hansen), George J. Lewis (Joey Morrions aka Mason), Ralf Harolde(Halliger-henchman), John Gallaudet (Wilkinson-henchman), William Haade (Mike Taboni), Vic Zimmerman (Ted Lane, alias Barnard), Johnnie Berkes (Mr. Grub ), Pat O'Malley ( Police Chemist Crandall), Eddie Dean (Blair, Police Lab Tech), William Desmond (Rogan's Death Witness), Karl Hackett (Henry, crooked watchman), Carleton Young (Highway Patrolman)........great stuntwork by Carey Loftin, David Sharpe, Tom Steele, Ken Terrell and Dale Van Sickel....meanwhile back to our Universal Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.
CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The League of Murdered Men
2. The Death Plunge
3. Murder Blockade
4. Hangman's Noose
5. Man Under Cover
6. Under Crumbling Walls
7. The Water Trap
8. Murder by Proxy
9. Gang Bait
10.Mob Vengeance
11.Wanted at Headquarters
12.The Long Chance
13.Law and Order
BIOS:
1. Kent Taylor (aka Louis William Weiss)
Birth Date: 5/11/1907 - Nashua, Iowa
Died: 4/11/1987 - Woodland Hills, CA
2. Irene Hervey
Birth Date: 7/11/1909 - Venice, CA
Died: 12/20/1998 - Woodland Hills, CA
3. Robert Armstrong (of the film "King Kong" fame)
Birth Date: 11/20/1890 - Saginaw, Michigan
Died: 4/20/1973 - Santa Monica, CA
4. Ray Taylor (Director)
Birth Date: 12/01/1888 - Perham, Minnesota
Died: 2/15/1952 - Hollywood, CA
If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present Zane Grey's "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940) (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...is there a discovered substance called "Compound X", which may cure infantile paralysis...has Tom Merritt stumbled on such a rare find...is there a war between Canada and sources known later as the "Father Land".....get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.
Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Gang Busters" (1942), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em
Total Time: 255 mins ~ VCI Entertainment 1731 ~ (1992)

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