I just love them, with all their flaws and crappy special effects and, when ti comes to superheroes, the sometimes complete changes of the comic stories (i.e. Captain America). Still, I'm drawn to them.

I bought these on eBay just because.







Any fellow serial lovers here?

Yeah...I'm a big sucker for these, too.

Neat magazines!!

I own copies of about 100 different serials. I guess I like 'em.

I have most of the adventure, sci-fi and super-hero type ones...and a very few of the westerns.

When I was a kid one of the local stations would run a couple episodes of different serials on Saturdays...and one of the local morning kid shows would always run Flash Gordon...that's how I first got introduced.

I have fond memories of watching the Flash Gordon one on UHF, trying hard to get a decent signal.

My Dad bought a few for me on Super-8mm film.

I enjoy a good old serial. Fine for binge watching.
Their ramshackle nature is part of their charm.Even if they're junk,they're vintage junk that often beats out today's junk.

I've watched very little old-fashioned matinee serial material. Mostly just those feature-length condensations they used to release. It's easy to see where a LOT of what comic books and movies have been doing ever since was first popularized by those things.

I've never heard the word "ramshackle" before. But I kind of like it.

So what are the best serials?

Adventures Of Captain Marvel is considered one of the best,if not the best,serial ever made.

Flash Gordon,one of the most famous serials,reminds me of Star Wars a bit.Coincidence?

Houdini starred in the 1919 serial The Master Mystery.Two things I remember about this:it had a goofy-looking robot,and it showed that as an actor,Houdini was a great escape artist.

To be continued...?

Just in case you're not kidding -- of course it's not a coincidence. Lucas tried to get the film rights to Flash Gordon first but couldn't afford them, so he decided to invent his own Flash Gordon.

Complete 1943 Batman serial....



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AQOHNA/?tag=imwan-20

The condensed "Flash Gordon" movie I saw a couple of years ago was pretty impressive in terms of what they were trying to do. It has to have been one of the first times anybody ever showed a spaceship battle onscreen. You can definitely see the ancestral influence on "Star Wars"--and on an awful lot else.

Where did you see that?

It was part of a big collection of B and sub-B science fiction movies on DVD.

I like The Adventures of Captain Marvel, but it's far from my favorite. Captain Marvel is a little too removed
from the Captain Marvel character for my tastes. Plus, he's not on the screen enough.

I enjoyed the three Flash Gordon and the one Buck Rogers serial. Not my favorites by any stretch, but very good.

Spy Smasher is an outstanding serial, but it features a rather poor villain, and lacks a strong central plot.

I've longed considered Zorro's Fighting Legion the best serial, but I'm biased towards liking almost anything Zorro-related, including all of the serials.

Perils of Nyoka is very good, but the lead actress, Kay Aldridge, looks better than she can act, and the storyline gets rather redundant. Still, it's pretty good.

Daredevils of the Red Circle is very good, but I wish I could edit it down some, especially towards the end. Who the hell uses chapter 11 (of 12) as a recap chapter?

Fighting Devil Dogs is very good, but also very cheaply made. Plus, way too much footage cut into this one from other serials. But, if you haven't watched the other serials, this one would rank a lot higher.

Drums of Fu Manchu is quite good, but I would have cut it down to 12 chapters.

Mysterious Doctor Satan is definitely worth watching.

All of the Dick Tracy serials are very good. As is S.O.S. Coast Guard.

For non-Republic serials, I enjoyed both Green Hornet serials, both Batman serials, Captain Midnight, Devil Horse, and Holt of the Secret Service.

Agree. Great flying scenes for it's time but needed more Cap and less unnecessary changes from the comic.



Agree. Fun but flawed stuff.



I need to watch the GH andCM ones. Enjoyed the Batman ones for what they were.

Okay. I was going to watch something and then fall asleep tonight, so I've pulled out
a Ralph Byrd serial that I've never seen yet: Blake of Scotland Yard. I'll let you guys
know what I think. Byrd is generally pretty good, but I think this is one of his earliest.

If you don't mind a little harmless fun, J-Men Forever takes a bunch of old serials, and gives them new dialogue and tells the story of The Lightning Bug, and his attempt to take over the world with rock and roll, and a little...ahem....herbal product.
It's done by the guys from Firesign Theater.

Not a good sign. I fell asleep midway through the first episode of Blake of Scotland yard.
Didn't help that the Alpha Video copy of it that I bought was rather washed out and gray.

J-Men is lots of fun. Love the Caped Madman.

Thank you, Sir.

S for sneaky
H for hateful
B for bigoted
O for obnoxious
O another O for double obnoxious
M for mean