DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most celebrated serials for both Republic Pictures and of the sound era in general. Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 1941 twelve-chapter Film serial directed by John English and William Witney for

Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. In the Film industry, a feature film is a Film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening Known as "chapter plays," they were extended motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes. " Each chapter (a typical serial usually had as many as 15 of them) would be screened at the same theater for one week. The serial would end with a cliffhanger, as the hero and heroine would find themselves in the latest perilous situation from which there could be no escape. A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a Plot device in which a movie, Novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending often leaving The audience would have to return the next week (and pay admission) to find out how the hero and heroine would escape and battle the villain once again. Serials were especially popular with children, and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century, a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial, along with animated cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films. The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. A newsreel is a Documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed News stories In the Film industry, a feature film is a Film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening

Most serials were Westerns, since those were the least expensive to film. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Besides Westerns, though, there were films covering many genres, including crime fiction, espionage, comic book or comic strip characters, science fiction, and jungle adventures. Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Although most serials were filmed economically, some were made at significant expense. The Flash Gordon serial and its sequels, for instance, were major productions in their times. Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7,

Serials were a popular form of movie entertainment dating back to Edison's What Happened to Mary? of 1912. What Happened to Mary? is the first Motion picture serial made in the United States. There do appear to be older serials, however, such as the 1910 Deutsche Vitaskop 5 episode Arsene Lupin Contra Sherlock Holmes, based upon the Maurice LeBlanc novel Arsene Lupin Contre Herlock Sholmes, and a possible but unconfirmed Raffles serial in 1911^[1]. Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes is a 1910 drama Film serial directed by Viggo Larsen. Usually filmed with low budgets, serials were action-packed stories that usually involved a hero (or heroes) battling an evil villain and rescuing a damsel in distress. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden is a classic theme in world literature art and film The villain would continually place the hero into inescapable deathtraps and situations, or the heroine would be placed into a deathtrap and the hero would bravely come to her rescue, usually pulling her away from certain death only instants before she met her doom. The hero and heroine would face one trap after another, battling countless thugs and lackeys, before finally defeating the villain.

Many famous clichés of action-adventure movies had their origins in the serials. The popular term cliffhanger was developed as a plot device in film serials (though its origins have been traced by some historians to the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle), and it comes from the many times that the hero or heroine would end up hanging over a cliff, usually as the villain gloated above and waited for them to plummet thousands of feet to their deaths. A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a Plot device in which a movie, Novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending often leaving A plot device is an element introduced into a story solely to advance or resolve the plot of the story Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the Other popular clichés included the heroine or hero being tied to a railroad track; being lashed to a log in a sawmill, lying on a conveyor belt and approaching a gigantic whirling sawblade; or being trapped in an abandoned mine shaft, watching as the burning fuse of a nearby bundle of dynamite sparked and sputtered its way towards the deadly explosive. The popular Indiana Jones movies are a well-known, romantic pastiche of the serials' clichéd plot elements and devices. Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier

The silent era was the zenith of the movie serial and serial stars from this period were major stars such as Pearl White, who starred in the quintessential silent serial The Perils of Pauline which still ranks among the best known silent films. Pearl Fay White, ( March 4, 1889, Green Ridge Missouri - August 4, 1938, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was an The Perils of Pauline was a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character Ruth Roland, Marin Sais, Ann Little and Helen Holmes were also early leading serial queens. Ruth Roland ( August 26 1892 - September 22 1937) was an American stage and film actress and Film producer. Marin Sais ( August 2, 1890 - December 31, 1971) was an American motion picture Actress whose career was most prolific Ann Little ( February 7 1891 - May 21 1984) was an American film actress whose career was most prolific during the Silent Helen Holmes ( June 19, 1893 – July 8, 1950) was an American Silent film actress. Most of these serials put beautiful young women in jeopardy week after week. The serials starring women were the most popular during the silent period but in the sound era few serials had a female character in the major role. Years after their first release, serials gained new life at "Saturday Matinees," theatrical showings on Saturday mornings aimed directly at children. For that reason, serials are sometimes called "Saturday Matinee Serials," even though they were originally shown with feature films.

In the early days of television in the United States, movie serials were often broadcast, one chapter a day. Many are now available on VHS tapes and DVDs for collectors.

Eras

Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914)

Silent era

Famous American serials of the silent era include The Perils of Pauline and The Exploits of Elaine made by Pathé Frères and starring Pearl White. The Perils of Pauline was a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character The Perils of Pauline was a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character The Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales This article deals with the Pathé movie company For their music business see Pathé Records. Pearl Fay White, ( March 4, 1889, Green Ridge Missouri - August 4, 1938, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was an Another popular serial emerged that year, the 119 episode The Hazards of Helen made by Kalem Studios and starring Helen Holmes for the first forty-eight episodes then Helen Gibson for the remainder. The Hazards of Helen is an American Adventure film serial (or possibly a Film series) of 119 twelve minute episodes released over The Kalem Company was an American Film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by George Kleine, Samuel Long, and Frank J Helen Holmes ( June 19, 1893 – July 8, 1950) was an American Silent film actress. Helen Gibson ( August 27 1892 – October 10 1977) was an American film actress, Vaudeville performer radio Other major studios of the silent era produced them, such as Vitagraph and Essanay Studios, as did Warner Bros., Fox, and Universal. American Vitagraph was a United States Movie studio, founded by J The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was a motion picture studio founded on August 10, 1907 in the neighborhood of Uptown Chicago, IL Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Several independent companies (for example, Mascot Pictures) made Western serials. The Mascot Pictures Corporation was a minor film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing Film serials and B-westerns. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Four silent Tarzan serials were also made. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to Europe had its own serials, notably the French Judex and the German Homonculus. Judex is a 1916 silent French movie serial created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède.

Sound era

The arrival of sound technology made it costlier to produce serials, so that they were no longer as profitable on a flat rental basis. Further, the Great Depression made it impossible for many of the smaller companies which had turned out serials to upgrade to sound, and they therefore went out of business. Only one serial specialty company, Mascot Pictures was in fact able to make the transition from silent to sound filmmaking: Universal Pictures also kept its serial unit alive through the transition. The Mascot Pictures Corporation was a minor film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing Film serials and B-westerns. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American

In the early 1930s a handful of independent companies tried their hand at making serials, but managed only two or three, including the once-prolific Weiss Brothers. The Weisses bought a little time when Columbia Pictures decided to take a try at serials, and contracted with them (as Adventure Serials Inc. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company ) to make three chapterplays. They were successful enough that Columbia then established its own serial unit and the Weisses essentially disappeared from the serial scene. This was in 1937, and Columbia was probably inspired by the previous year's serial blockbuster success at Universal, Flash Gordon, the first serial ever to play at a major theater on Broadway; and by the success of that same year of the newly-created Republic Pictures, which dedicated itself to a program of serials and westerns, eschewing major productions in their favor. Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Broadway, as the name implies is a wide avenue in New York City. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution The creation of Republic involved the absorption of Mascot Pictures, so that by 1937, serial production was now in the hands of three companies only - Universal, Columbia and Republic, with Republic quickly becoming the acknowledged leader in quality serial product. The Mascot Pictures Corporation was a minor film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing Film serials and B-westerns. Each company turned out four to five serials per year, of 12 to 15 episodes each, a pace which they all kept up until the end of World War II when, in 1946, Universal dropped its serial unit along with its B-picture unit and renamed its production department Universal-International Pictures. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Republic and Columbia continued unchallenged, with about four serials per year each, Republic fixing theirs at 12 chapters each while Columbia fixed at fifteen.

By the mid-1950s, however, episode television series and the sale of older serials to TV syndicators by all the current and past major sound serial producers, together with the loss of audience attendance at Saturday matinees in general, made serial-making a losing proposition. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

Post-1950s serials

There have been several attempts at serials post the 1950s. The first, and most famous, was Captain Celluloid Vs. The Film Pirates, released in 1966. This was a four chapter silent serial shot on 16 mm in the style of the Republic mystery villain serials. The plot involved a villain named The Master Duper, out to pirate copies of a complete version of Greed. The Master Duper was one of three members of a Film Commission and the heroic Captain Celluloid was determined to uncover him. The film is notable for having serial historians Alan G. Barbour and Willaim K. Everson in it.

In the 1970s, Blackie Seymour allegedly shot a complete 12 chapter serial called The Return of the Copperhead. Whether the film was really shot or not is debated to this day as all that seems to exist of it is a 3 minute trailer. Seymour himself says he shot it all but never edited it.

On February 27, 1979, NBC broadcast the first episode of an hour-long weekly television series Cliffhangers!, which had three segments, each with a different serial: a horror story (The Curse of Dracula, starring Michael Nouri), a science fiction/western (The Secret Empire, starring Geoffrey Scott as "Marshal Jim Donner" and Mark Lenard as "Emperor Thorval") and a mystery (Stop Susan Williams!, starring Susan Anton, Ray Walston as "Bob Richards" and Albert Paulsen as the villain "Anthony Korf"). The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Cliffhangers was an American television series that debuted on February 27, 1979 on NBC. Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American Television and Film Actor. Mark Lenard ( October 15, 1924 – November 22, 1996) was an American actor primarily in television Susan Ellen Anton (born on October 12 1950 in Oak Glen California) is an American singer and Actress. Ray Walston ( December 2 1914 – January 1 2001) was an American stage, Television and Feature film Albert Paulsen ( Guayaquil, Ecuador, 13 December 1925 &mdash Los Angeles, California, 25 April 2004 Unfortunately, the series was cancelled and the last program aired on May 1, 1979 before all of the serials could conclude; only The Curse of Dracula was resolved.

In 2001 a new sound serial was shot on video, King of the Park Rangers, or as it's more simply known KOTPR. This was advertised as the first full length serial since 1956 and it does, in fact, run 12 chapters, most of them close to fifteen minutes. It concerned the adventures of a Park Ranger named Patricia King who teamed up with FBI Agent Alan Blake to track down a trio of killers out to find the Buried Treasure of Captain Kidd in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The film was most notable for having the Jersey Devil as a subplot (though never actually showing the creature), something never before done in a serial. The most common knock against it was that the credits were far too long. In 2008, KOTPR was re-issued on DVD with a shorter credit sequence. KOTPR was originally released in sepia, but the DVD release was straight black and white.

In 2006, Dark Horse Indie films through Image Entertainment released a 6 chapter serial spoof called Monarch of the Moon. Detailing the adventures of a hero named the Yellow Jacket, who could control Yellow Jackets with his voice), it was a goofy but fun film that found the hero battling Japbots and traveling to the moon. It was released in both color and black and white versions, though the color was muted. Former wife of WWE wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, Kimberly Page, gave a solid performance as one of the film's villains. The end credits promised a second serial, Commie Commandos From Mars. Dark Horse attempted to promote the release as a just found never before released serial made in 1946 but suppressed by the US Government. Most fans weren't fooled, however.

In 2008, the makers of KOTPR returned with a second serial, The Dangers of Deborah. This time the serial only ran 10 chapters and had a mystery angle as a fiesty female reporter and a criminologist fought to uncover a mysterious villain named The Terror, who was out to steal an invisibility formula. Like KOTPR, this was shot on video.

Machinima Era

In recent years there has been a small resurgence of a sort in serial production. Many films created using machinima, the art of using pre-existing consumer-level three-dimensional rendering engines to create computer-generated imagery, have been distributed in serial format. Machinima (məˈʃiːnəmə or /məˈʃɪnəmə/ 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model, by means of computer programs Computer animation Computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of Computer graphics or more specifically 3D computer graphics According to Hugh Hancock of Machinima. com, three to five minutes is an optimal length for videos downloaded over the Internet. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks As a result, a serial composed of multiple short videos can be an effective way of telling a longer story in this medium. Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, a comedy series by Rooster Teeth Productions with a continuous, single plot spanning 100 episodes, popularized this distribution method. Red vs Blue The Blood Gulch Chronicles, often abbreviated as RvB, is a Machinima Comic science fiction video series created Rooster Teeth Productions is an award-winning production group from Buda Texas that specializes in the creation of Machinima, or films created using real-time interactive ^[2] Many Red vs. Blue episodes end with cliffhangers, and Rooster Teeth Productions has acknowledged that the series is similar to older film serials in this regard. ^[3] Another notable machinima production, Edgeworks Entertainment's The Codex, is a self-contained film, but was nonetheless released as a serial in 20 episodes between February and August 2005. Edgeworks Entertainment is a Machinima production group created by Alexander Winn and Ryan Luther. The Codex is a 20-episode online Machinima series made by Edgeworks Entertainment and set in Bungie Studios ' Halo video

Production

Peak form

The classic sound serial, particularly in its Republic format, has a first episode of about 30 minutes (approximately three reels in length) and begins with reports of a masked, secret, or unsuspected villain menacing an unspecific part of America. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution A reel is an object around which lengths of another material (usually long and flexible are wound for storage A Masked Mystery Villain is a Stock character in Genre fiction. This episode traditionally has the most detailed credits at the beginning, often with pictures of the actors with their names and that of the character they play. Often there follows a montage of scenes lifted from the cliffhangers of previous serials to depict the ways in which the master criminal was a serial killer with a motive. In the first episode, various suspects or "candidates" who may, in secret, be this villain are presented, and the viewer often hears the voice but does not see the face of this mastermind commanding his "lead villain," similar to a sergeant, whom the viewer will see in just about every episode.

In the succeeding weeks (usually 11 to 14) thereafter, an episode nearer 20 minutes (approximately two reels) in length was presented, in which the "lead villain" and lesser thugs commit crimes in various places, fight the hero, and trap someone to make the ending a cliffhanger. A reel is an object around which lengths of another material (usually long and flexible are wound for storage Many of the episodes have clues, dialogue, and events leading the viewer to think that any of the candidates were the mastermind. As serials were made by writing the whole script first and then slicing it into portions filmed at various sites, often the same location would be used several times in the serial, often given different signage, or none at all, just being referred to differently. There would often be a female love interest of the male hero, or a female hero herself, but as the audience was mainly children, there was no hugging and kissing.

In 1938 Republic introduced the "economy episode" (or "recap chapter") in which the characters summarize or reminisce about their adventures, so as to introduce showing those scenes again (in the manner of a clip show in modern television). A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes This type of episode usually had a cheap, mechanical cliffhanger, like a time bomb rather than being unconscious in a runaway vehicle.

The beginning of each chapter would bring the story up to date by repeating the last few minutes of the previous chapter, and then revealing how the main character escaped. Often the reprised scene would add an element not seen in the previous close, but unless it contradicted something shown previously, audiences accepted the explanation. On rare occasions the filmmakers would depend on the audience not remembering details of the previous week's chapter, using alternate outcomes that did not exactly match the previous episode's cliffhanger.

The last episode was sometimes a bit longer than most, for its tasks were to unmask the head villain (who usually was someone completely unsuspected), wrap up the loose ends, and end with a triumphal proclamation, followed by a joke — and sometimes a kiss (provided that the story supplied a heroine to receive it).

Production practices

The major studios had their own retinues of actors and writers, their own prop departments, existing sets, stock footage, and music libraries. The early independent studios had none of these, except for being able to rent the sets of independent producers of western features.

The firms saved money by reusing the same cliffhangers, stunt and special effect sequences over the years. Mines or tunnels flooded often, even in Flash Gordon, and the same model cars and trains went off the same cliffs and bridges. Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Republic had a Packard limousine and a Ford Woodie station wagon used in serial after serial so they could match the shots with the stock footage from the model or previous stunt driving. Packard was an American luxury Automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following A woodie is a type of car, more specifically an early Station wagon (US or estate car/shooting brake (UK in which the rear portion of the car's bodywork is made Three different serials had them chasing the Art Deco sound truck, required for location shooting, for various reasons. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial Male fistfighters all wore hats so that the change from actor to stunt double would not be caught so easily. A rubber liner on the hatband of the stuntman's fedora would make a seal on the stuntman's head, so the hat would stay on during fight scenes.

Exposition of what led up to the previous episode's cliffhanger was usually displayed on placards with a photograph of one of the characters on it. In 1939, Universal brought the first "scrolling text" exposition to the serial, which George Lucas used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera As this would have required subcontracting the optical effects, Republic saved money by not using it.

Stylistic differences between the studios

Universal had been making serials since the 1910s, and continued to service its loyal neighborhood-theater customers with four serials annually. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American The studio made news in 1929 by hiring Tim McCoy to star in its first all-talking serial, The Indians Are Coming! Epic footage from this western serial turned up again and again in later serials and features. Timothy John Fitzgerald "Tim" McCoy (born April 10, 1891 - died January 29, 1978) was an American Actor. In 1936 Universal scored a coup by licensing the popular comic-strip character Flash Gordon for the screen; the serial was a smash hit, and was even booked into first-run theaters that usually didn't bother with chapter plays. Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, Universal followed it up with more pop-culture icons: The Green Hornet and Ace Drummond from radio, and Smilin' Jack and Buck Rogers from newspapers. The Green Hornet (also referred to as simply Green Hornet) is a masked fictional Crime fighter Ace Drummond was a Comic strip drawn by Clayton Knight and written by Eddie Rickenbacker, American " Ace of Aces Smilin' Jack was an aviation Comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933 in the Chicago Tribune and ended Buck Rogers is a fictional character who first appeared in 1928 as Anthony Rogers the hero of two Novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in the magazine Universal was more story-conscious than the other studios, and cast its serials with "name" actors recognizable from feature films: Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi, Dick Foran, The Dead End Kids, Kent Taylor, Robert Armstrong, Irene Hervey, and Johnny Mack Brown, among many others. Lon Chaney Jr ( February 10, 1906 – July 12, 1973) was an American Character actor, known mainly for his roles Béla Lugosi (October 20 1882 &ndash August 16 1956 was an iconic Hungarian stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula in the American John Nicholas 'Dick' Foran ( June 18 1910 &ndash August 10 1979) was a leading man best known in western Musicals and for The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsley 's Broadway play Dead End in 1935 Kent Taylor ( May 11, 1906 – April 11, 1987) was an American Actor. Robert Armstrong may refer to Robert Armstrong (1792-1854, United States Army officer Robert Armstrong (actor (1890–1973 film actor Irene Hervey ( July 11, 1910 &ndash December 20, 1998) was an American television and film Actress. This article is for the college football player for the head coach see Mack Brown. In the 1940s Universal's serials employed urban and wartime themes, incorporating newsreel footage of actual disasters. The 1942 serial Gang Busters is perhaps the best of Universal's wartime serials; Universal often cannibalized it for future cliffhangers. For the 1942 serial see Gang Busters. For the role-playing game see Gangbusters. The studio's reliance on stock footage for the big action scenes was certainly economical, but it often hurt the overall quality of the films. When the studio reorganized as Universal-International, it shut down most of the production units, including the serial crew. Universal's last serial was Mysterious Mr. M (1946).

Republic was the successor to Mascot Pictures, a serial specialist. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution The Mascot Pictures Corporation was a minor film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing Film serials and B-westerns. Writers and directors were already geared to staging exciting films, and Republic improved on Mascot, adding music to underscore the action, and staging more elaborate stunts. Republic was one of Hollywood's smaller studios, but its serials have been hailed as some of the best, especially those directed by John English and William Witney. William Nuelsen Witney ( 15 May, 1915 &ndash 17 March, 2002) was an American Film director. In addition to solid screenwriting that many critics thought was quite accomplished, the firm also introduced choreographed fistfights, which often included the stuntmen throwing things in desperation at one another in every fight to heighten the action. See also Pre-production Screenplay Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for Film, Television or Video games Republic serials are noted for outstanding special effects, such as large-scale explosions and demolitions, and the more fantastic visuals like Captain Marvel flying. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Most of the trick scenes were engineered by Howard and Theodore Lydecker. Republic was able to get the rights to the newspaper comic character Dick Tracy, the radio character The Lone Ranger, and the comic book characters Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Spy Smasher. Dick Tracy is a long-running Comic strip featuring a popular and familiar character in American Pop culture. The Lone Ranger is an American, long-running Old-time radio and early Television show created by George W Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Republic's serial scripts were written by a team of up to seven writers. By 1950 Republic had amassed an impressive backlog of action highlights, which were cleverly re-edited into later serials to save money. Most of the studio's serials of the 1950s were written by only one man, Ronald Davidson -- Davidson had produced many serials, so he knew where all the old scenes were! Republic's last serial was King of the Carnival (1955), a reworking of 1939's Daredevils of the Red Circle using some of its footage. Ronald Davidson ( July 13, 1899 — July 28, 1965) was an American screenwriter King of the Carnival ( 1955) is a Republic Movie serial. It contains a substantial amount of Stock footage from the earlier Republic Daredevils of the Red Circle ( 1939) is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Charles Quigley, David Sharpe,

Columbia made several serials using its own staff and facilities (1938-39, and 1943-45), but usually subcontracted its serial production to outside producers: the Weiss Brothers (1937-38), Larry Darmour (1939-42), and Sam Katzman (1945-56). }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Sam Katzman ( July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American Film producer. Columbia built many serials around name-brand heroes. From newspaper comics, they got Terry and the Pirates, Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom. Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing and Brenda Starr, Reporter; from the comic books, Blackhawk, Congo Bill, a time traveler named Brick Bradford, and Batman and Superman; from radio, Jack Armstrong, Hop Harrigan, and The Shadow; from the British novelist, Edgar Wallace, the first archer superhero: The Green Archer; and even from television: Captain Video. Brenda Starr Reporter ( 1945) was the 25th serial released by Columbia Pictures. Blackhawk, a long-running Comic book series was also a Film serial, a radio series and a Novel. Congo Bill was a long running DC Comics adventure Comic strip, first published in More Fun Comics #56 (June 1940) created by Brick Bradford was a Science fiction Comic that began in 1933 created by writer William Ritt (a journalist based in Cleveland Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Jack Armstrong the All-American Boy was a Radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951 Hop Harrigan first appeared in All American Comics #1 created by Jon Blummer ( Fighting Yank, Little Boy Blue) as one of the first successful Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace ( April 1, 1875 &ndash February 10, 1932) was a prolific British Crime writer, Journalist Columbia's early serials were very well received by audiences -- exhibitors voted The Spider's Web the number-one serial of the year. The Spider's Web ( 1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the Pulp magazine character The Spider. Former silent-serial director James W. Horne co-directed The Spider's Web, and his work secured him a permanent position in Columbia's serial unit. James W Horne ( December 14, 1880 - June 29, 1942) was an early American Actor, Screenwriter and Film director The Spider's Web ( 1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the Pulp magazine character The Spider. Horne had been a comedy specialist in the 1930s, often working with Laurel and Hardy, and most of his Columbia serials are played tongue-in-cheek, with exaggerated villainy and improbable heroics (the hero will take on six men in a fistfight and win). Laurel and Hardy were the popular American -based comedy team of thin British-born Stan Laurel (1890-1965 and heavy American-born Oliver Hardy (1892-1957 After Horne's death in 1942, the studio's serial output was somewhat more sober, but still aimed primarily at the juvenile audience. Batman (1943) was quite popular, and Superman (1948) was phenomenally successful. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Spencer Gordon Bennet, another silent-serial veteran, directed most of the later Columbia serials. Spencer Gordon Bennet was born on 5 January 1893 in Brooklyn New York. His western-themed efforts were suitably accomplished, but Columbia cut corners in every respect until the quality of the serials suffered. Columbia also substituted animation for more expensive special effects. By the 1950s Columbia serials were low-budget affairs, consisting mostly of action scenes and cliffhanger endings from older productions, and even employing the same actors for new scenes tying the old footage together. Columbia outlasted the other serial producers, its last cliffhanger being Blazing the Overland Trail, (1956), a threadbare melange of western footage from three older serials. Blazing the Overland Trail ( 1956) is a Columbia film serial.

Availability

Many serials are now available on DVD. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Several, however, have only been issued on VHS and some are not available at all (either because they have been lost or due to lack of interest). A lost film is a Feature film or Short film that no longer exists in either studio archives or private collections A gray market for DVDs also exists through websites and internet auctions. These vary between good and poor quality, depending on their sources dependability.

Public domain

Several serials are now in the public domain. These can often be downloaded legally over the internet or purchased as cheap DVDs. The list of public domain serials include:

• Ace Drummond
• Burn 'Em Up Barnes
• Dick Tracy
• Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
• The Great Alaskan Mystery
• The Lost City
• The New Adventures of Tarzan
• The Phantom Empire
• Radar Men from the Moon
• Tarzan the Tiger
• Undersea Kingdom
• Zorro's Black Whip
• Zorro's Fighting Legion

Selected film serials

Main article: List of film serials

Main article: List of film serials by studio

Selected serials of the Silent Era

• What Happened to Mary? (1912)
• The Adventures of Kathlyn (1913)
• Fantomas (1913) - (Cinema of France)
• The Perils of Pauline (1914)
• The Hazards of Helen (1917)
• The Exploits of Elaine (1914)
• Les Vampires (1915) - (Cinema of France)
• The Ventures of Marguerite (1915)
• Les Mystères de New York (1916)
• Le Masque aux Dents Blanches (1917)
• Judex (1917)
• Casey of the Coast Guard (1926)
• Queen of the Northwoods (1929) (Last serial from Pathé)
• Tarzan the Tiger (1929) (partial sound)

Serials of the Golden Age of Serials^[4]

Other notable serials

• The King of the Kongo (1929) - First serial with sound (a Mascot production)
• The Mysterious Mr. M (1946) - Last serial from Universal
• King of the Carnival (1955) - Last serial from Republic
• Blazing the Overland Trail (1956) - Last ever serial (a Columbia production)

References

See also

• Pulp magazines, a contemporary, and similar, form of serialised fiction

Further reading

• Robert K. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Klepper, Silent Films, 1877-1996, A Critical Guide to 646 Movies, McFarland & Company, ISBN 0786421649
• Lahue, Kalton C. Bound and Gagged: The Story of the Silent Serials. New York: Castle Books 1968.
• Lahue, Kalton C. Continued Next Week : A History of the Moving Picture Serial. Norman. University of Oklahoma Press. 1969

External links

• The Serial Experience
• Serial Squadron
• Silent Era, Index of Silent Era Serials
• In The Balcony
• Archive Classic Movies