Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF Cliffhangers : with an Appendix of the 37 Serials with Slight SF ContentDestination Moon; George Pals 1950 Technicolor epic, is generally cited as the first noteworthy science fiction film. Usually ignored or casually dismissed in genre histories are the serials, the low-budget chapterplays exhibited as Saturday matinee fare and targeted almost exclusively at children. Lacking stars and top-notch writers or directors, the serials went largely unnoticed and unacknowledged by either critics or by the film industry. Yet serials were financially important to the Hollywood studios, and were often free to exploit risky or outlandish subjects that producers of "distinguished" movies would not touch. Influential serials such as The Phantom Empire (1935) and Flash Gordon (1936) finally brought science fiction themes to the big screen. Those serials and 29 others are exhaustively covered in this work, which provides complete cast and credit information along with plot descriptions and historical commentary for each serial. Video distributors (if available) are also listed. |
Contents
Contents | 1 |
The Vanishing Shadow 1934 | 11 |
The Phantom Empire 1935 | 22 |
Copyright | |
17 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF ... Roy Kinnard Limited preview - 2008 |
Science Fiction Serials: A Critical Filmography of the 31 Hard SF ... Roy Kinnard Limited preview - 2015 |
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12 chapters actor Ashe Atom Barin Batman and Robin blast bomb Brand Brick Bradford Buck Rogers Buster Crabbe Capt Captain Video Cass and Rand Cast Chapter Titles Claire Columbia comic book Copperhead Crash Crimson Ghost Dale Dale Van Sickel Death destroy Dick Tracy director Dorn Earth Ergro escape explosion Feature version fight Film editors Flash Gordon Conquers Flash Gordon serials Flash Gordon's Trip flying footage George Grayson and Corby Grood henchmen Howard Lydecker invisible Jack Jean and Larry John Kane Kane's Katzman killed Kirk Alyn Lost City Lydecker Martian Mephisto meteorite Ming Ming's Morgan movie Music Phantom Creeps Phantom Empire plane Prof Purple Monster radio ray gun Reardon released remote-control Republic serials Republic's Richards robot Rocket rocketship role Rulu Sam Katzman Satan scenes science fiction Screenplay ship special effects strip Superman Tallen trap tribesmen Trip to Mars Video availability William William Witney Wizard Zarkov Zombies Zorka