Friday, September 22, 2017
COOL SERIAL MOVIE POSTERS!
Since Tabonga! is having more technical difficulties, we go to plan 6. In other words, here are some cool Serial Movie Posters from days past...
We start with FLASH GORGON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE from the thirties, Buster Crabbe was probably my favorite actor when I was growing up in the fifties.
Judd Holdren stars in THE LOST PLANET, CONQUEROR OF SPACE in the fifties. Shown is the poster for chapter 5, "The Atomic Plane!"
Also from the fifties came RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON, featuring the rocket-pack flying hero, Commander Cody.
But, before that came KING OF THE ROCKET MEN from the late forties, starring Tristram (FLIGHT TO MARS) Coffin and Mae (FRANKENSTEIN) Clarke.
Here's a nice poster from THE BATMAN from 1943 starring Lewis Wilson, who only had 16 acting credits, but ended up in THE THREE STOOGES FOLLIES in archive footage in 1974.
In 1948, Columbia brought us our Man Of Steel, SUPERMAN, starring Kirk Alyn.
Great poster for RETURN OF CAPTAIN MARVEL from the early forties starring Tom Tyler. Tom ended up with a whopping 183 acting credits.
Also from the early forties came THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN! It stars Warren Hull as Green Hornet and the popular Keye Luke as Kato.
Love this poster for THE FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS from 1938 starring Lee (FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE) Powell, chapter 1... "The Lightning Strikes!"
Then we have DRUMS OF FU MANCHU from 1940, Henry (SECRET AGENT X-9) Brandon plays the title character.
Love this poster for THE SPIDER RETURNS from 1941, Warren Hull stars again in this one as Richard Wentworth, The Spider and Blinky McQuade! What the Hell?!
This is my favorite poster of the lot, PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO from 1955, because of that weird looking tentacled monster at the top!
We'll end with this great poster for FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS from 1938. Buster Crabbe had 113 acting credits, THE ALIEN DEAD was one of his last films... So, there you go, come back tomorrow when we'll have more for you, here, at The Dungeon!
These serials are kind of inter-related, in a way.
ReplyDeleteTristam Coffin usually played villains in B movies, and he was cast as Rocket Man because Kirk (Superman) Alyn was not available.
George Wallace played Commando Cody in Radar Men From the Moon, and Judd Holdren played the character in the 1955 Commando Cody TV series. Both of those probably used a lot of stock footage from the 1949 Rocket Man serial.
Tom Tyler was in a lot of westerns, playing small parts, often as bad guys, in A pictures (Stagecoach, San Antonio, Red River), and playing starring roles, usually as heroes, in low budget B movies (including the 3 Mesquiteers series).
Warren Hull also played Mandrake the Magician in a serial. He is probably best known for hosting a TV quiz show in the fifties.
Panther Girl of the Congo probably used stock footage from Jungle Girl, Perils of Nyoka, and maybe Tiger Woman. BTW, Phyllis Coates played Lois Lane in the first season of Superman.
Several Republic Pictures serials were later edited into feature films, retitled, and re-released and/or shown on TV. King of the Rocket Men became Lost Planet Airmen, Radar Men From the Moon became Retik the Moon Menace, Fighting Devil Dogs became Torpedo of Doom, and Panther Girl of the Congo became The Claw Monsters.
And the Flash Gordon serials were shown on Saturday morning TV for many years, so Buster Crabbe was still popular when I was growing up in the sixties.
TC - Thank you for all this great extra info on serials, really helps tie everything together. We always love your comments, keep it up...
ReplyDeleteBTW, "Return of Captain Marvel" was the re-release title of the original Captain Marvel serial. IIUC, Republic Pictures did the same thing with the Captain America serial.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the serial that was edited down to a movie, then to an 8mm home movie short, with a guy dressed in a pirate-style outfit, sitting in a chair, on the cover of the short's 8mm box? That one's been stuck in my memory for decades!
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm more of a serial fan in theory than as a viewer. The only two serials I ever made it all the way through were ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN and CAPTAIN VIDEO (with the amazing Gene Roth as the baddie).
Love those posters though!
Sounds like Manhunt of Mystery Island. It was edited into a feature, Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine. I think (not 100% sure) that the latter title was used for the 8mm home movie version.
DeleteRoy Barcroft played the villain, and, IIRC, Linda Sterling played the heroine.