ATOM MAN vs. SUPERMAN / Chapter 13 - "Atom Man's Flying Saucers" - 1950

Here's the Columbia 15 Chapter serial of ATOM MAN vs. SUPERMAN from 1950. The story involves Lex Luthor and his teleportation device, he also assumes the new identity of Atom Man in his plan to take over things.

It stars Kirk (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, BEGINNING OF THE END) Alyn, Noel (INVASION, U.S.A.) Neill, Lyle (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) Talbot, Tommy (Butch in OUR GANG) Bond and Pierre (IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE) Watkin.

Yeah, and SUPERMAN even had his own radio program, ah, the good old days.

So, here we go, chapter 13 here we come!.. Whoa! Looks like the Atom Man even has, some... Flying.. Saucers??!.. Hey Madge! C'mere and check this out!

These guys work for Lex Luthor aka Atom Man. They have taken their truck van with another sinister weapon of Luthor's inside to the Daily Planet building (which looks like a dump compared to the one in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) and turns on the beam.

It makes all the electrical items in the offices turn into weapons!! Freakin' genius!! Lois and Jimmy have fun trying to figure what's going on!

For me, this is the perfect changing place for the man of steel at the office!

Perry, Supe, Lois and Jimmy react to the disruption. Superman wants to go to a certain office and get the goods on the criminals.

Luthor has the Daily Planet bugged and clears out with all the important papers before Superman gets there.

He then uses a special coin to teleport him and his pal back to his headquarters.

And they have a big laugh as they watch on their televiewer, Superman simply cannot find any damning evidence in the office. 

You will find the most impressive explosions of cars and trucks in the movies! This was a truck baited to blow up Lois and Jimmy but is thwarted by Superman. A few seconds after the explosion, one of the tires hits the ground and rolls around a bit, Holy Cow, flying fenders too!!

All the scenes, except for close ups, of Superman flying are cartoons, which makes him look more impressive, but are obviously, drawings.

The old televiewer is working overtime, Clark and Lois are up in a plane searching for clues to the whereabouts of Atom Man's hideout. What a perfect time to use a flying saucer bomb to get rid of two problems, namely, those nosey reporters.

The flying saucer is also a cartoon, here's a good look at it.

Lois is starting to realize that something's coming straight at them!

And it hits their plane square, and there's a giant explosion!.......

Just do what the card says and they're won't be any problems!

MOCKINGBIRD LANE - "Unaired Pilot" (2012)

Today's Saturday Night Special falls a little short in the "Special" department, in fact, I didn't really enjoy it much at all. I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to remake The Munsters as completely different characters, and I'm too lazy to look it up, because I really just don't care!

It's called "Mockingbird Lane" and is either a TV movie or a failed pilot from the year 2012, depending on who you talk to. Either way, it's probably really something that just should have never happened.

The best part of the forty minutes is imagery like this!

This is the house that's for sale at 1312 Mockingbird Lane, and Marilyn Munster is there to look at it.

But what she really likes and wants is the dilapidated olde mansion across the street at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, an address we're all familiar with.

She's told by the realtor that the house is scheduled for demolition and, and is not for sale, but she ends up getting her way.

They do a fake out at first, and Herman is standing in front of a hanging deal that makes him look like he has the standard Frankie electrodes in his neck, but when he steps away, we see he looks pretty much like a normal guy, except with severe stitching on his neck.

Jerry (Stand By Me) O'Connell is Herman Munster. Jerry was also the star of the cool TV show called "Sliders."

British actress Charity (Burlesque Fairytales) Wakefield has the role of Marilyn Munster, and is probably the best character in the show!

1313 Mockingbird Lane needs a little TLC!

 Lilly Munster makes a rather flamboyant entrance!

 The very lovely Portia (Dead & Breakfast) de Rossi has the role of Lily Munster. 

Calm down boys, Portia is the wife of Ellen DeGeneres.

 

Eddie (Across The Universe) Izzard has the role of Grandpa, so you can see the problem is not a lack of talent!

Somebody's at the door!

 

The whole premise of the story is that little Eddie is maturing, and Lily has to try and explain to him that he is a werewolf. Eddie had no memory of it, but at the very beginning of the show, he appears to slaughter his whole boy scout troop while on a camping field trip. Eddie Munster is played by Mason (The Lone Ranger) Cook.

The shots of the house are always great!

It's fairly traumatic for Eddie to know that he is a werewolf, especially since he wants to be a vegetarian.

 

Grandpa shows his true colours in the end, and......

.........Eddie gets a dog to make him happy!

THE GREEN HORNET / Chapter 1 - "The Tunnel Of Terror" - 1940

In this classic movie serial from Universal, a newspaper publisher and his Korean servant fight crime as vigilantes who pose as a notorious masked gangster and his aide in 13 Action-Thrill Episodes!

Gordon Jones stars as newspaper publisher Britt Reid and the crime fighting Green Hornet. Gordon had 162 acting credits and played the sheriff in THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD. He died of a heart attack in 1963 at age 52 in Tarzana, CA.

Keye Luke stars as Kato, he had 226 acting credits and played Charlie Chan's number 1 son among other roles and did English voiceover in the American versions of RODAN and GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER. He was born in China, raised in Seattle and died at age 86 in Whittier, CA in 1991.

This serial was adapted from the radio show created by Fran Striker, who also wrote for THE LONE RANGER and SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON. Francis Striker was a man.

Okay, so here we go, chapter one, "The Tunnel Of Terror."

Britt Reid visits his servant Kato in the garage where the Korean handyman is creating clever devices designed to fight crime for his boss...

Britt's father has just died and he takes over the reigns at The Sentinel newspaper.

After meeting with the police chief, it seems like there's a need for a modern day Robin Hood to fight against the crime syndicates in the city...

Then, the man who was going to spill the beans on a tunnel project, well, he gets blown the Hell up in his truck as he was driving to meet with Britt Reid about the situation.

Like in many of the serials, the big boss is just a voice coming over a radio until he's exposed at the end of the story.

Here are the crooks carrying out the boss's orders, guy on the left needs to be followed.

After floating the idea of becoming a real crime fighter, freaking Kato has made Britt a leather mask with a hornet tooled in. And, a special gun that fires sleeping gas pellets instead of bullets.

There's also a very cool Green Hornet emblem sewn onto the palm of one of his new gloves.

Green Hornet goes to the home of one of the crooks for info, and when the guy's ready to name names, his pals that are keeping an eye on him turn off the lights and shoot him dead. Hornet ends things when he hits the men with a few gas pellets.

Reid and his driver try to get into the mine tunnel to check out the safety violations claims but are forcefully turned away by one of the goons in charge there.

So, it's time for the Green Hornet and Kato to hit the scene. This is a special 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr named Black Beauty, and Kato has tricked it out to do 200 mph!! In this scene, Kato, who's driving, has just kicked in the Energizer. To the mine!

Green Hornet has ordered one honcho to take him to mine 4, the other one sees them and follows with a hunk of wood in hand. But, Kato sees that guy and follows him. What's cool is that Kato karate chops the big oaf in the back of the neck and he drops like a ton of bricks!

The unsafe tunnel decides to implode, causing a disaster that Green Hornet and Kato must escape from. See what happens in chapter 2, next week at this theater!

After this, THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN! Now, that is one sweet poster!