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KanSmiley |
Comic Book Heroes to Serials |
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I can come up with several comic book heroes making a screen appearance in serials but I was wondering just who they are. Will the members list the heroes
they can think of?
Smiley
http://www.saturday-matinee-memories.com/
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Black Tigrrr.movieserialmess... |
#1 | |||
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Hmmm. Counting out the comic strip heroes, the ones I can think of offhand are:
Batman Superman Captain Marvel Spy Smasher Captain America Rocket Man/Commando Cody/Larry Martin seemed to be adapted from Bulletman. I think you're asking about only heroes that originated in comic books, right? There were a number of heroes from other media that had comic book series' at one time or another. Some of the serial heroes that originated as comic strips: Flash Gordon Buck Rogers Secret Agent X-9 Lone Ranger The Phantom Red Ryder Mandrake the Magician Dick Tracy Brenda Starr Red Barry Some heroes that originated as pulps: The Shadow The Spider
Last Edited By: Black Tigrrr 06/21/09 18:49:31.
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Chuck White |
#2 | |||
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Don't forget the many that came from newspaper comic strips, including (but not limited to): Terry and the Pirates Ace Drummond Bruce Gentry And also from radio: The Green Hornet |
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Riddle Rider |
#3 | |||
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I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the DC also-rans Columbia licensed: Hop Harrigan, The Vigilante, Congo Bill. Plus there's Blackhawk. Tex Granger,
also, migrated from comic books to the screen.
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toddgault.movieserialmess... |
#4 | |||
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How does the Masked Marvel fit into all this? Is he a completely original character or a reworking of The Spirit? Didn't Raymond Stedman mention there
had been a comic book character with that name in his book?
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acedrummond |
#5 | |||
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And let us not forget the first, Tailspin Tommy.
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Riddle Rider |
#6 | |||
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Todd, there was indeed a comic-book MM who predated Republic's MM, but the two characters were completely different. There was also a '30s wrestler who
billed himself as the Masked Marvel.
Republic's Marvel was an original character. The name was conjured up as a generic one and the title announced for production before anybody designed the character. The serial's producer, W. J. O'Sullivan, told me that Republic wanted to do another serial with a masked hero without having to license it from comics or pulps. He also said somebody in Republic management suggested he revive the LONE RANGER concept of introducing MM "suspects" and killing them off one by one. THE LONE RANGER was a phenomenal earner for Republic -- I believe it was the top moneymaking serial they ever had -- and various people, including Bill Witney, have told me the company brass spent years looking for a way to replicate its success.
Last Edited By: Riddle Rider 06/22/09 13:01:42.
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Chuck White |
#7 | |||
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I think THE MASKED MARVEL had the potential to be a great serial franchise for Republic. It is a fun, action-packed/mystery serial, with a masked hero. I loved it! I know it is far from perfect, like the wooden acting of the four guys playing the potential Masked Marvel, but I have watched this serial 3 or 4 times and I always enjoy it. RR, do you know of any reasons why Republic did not make a sequel for THE MASKED MARVEL? Was it not a big enough success? Do you know where TMM rates on the scale of money-making serials for Republic? |
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Riddle Rider |
#8 | |||
Chuck White wrote:No, I don't, Chuck, but I imagine it wasn't a box-office smash in the way that the first LONE RANGER and the Dick Tracys were. Otherwise there certainly would have been a sequel; since the character was home-grown, so to speak, the company would have a powerful incentive to do a follow-up. It's just an educated guess on my part, but I'd say the company brass figured that, having exhausted the secret-identity gambit, there was no compelling reason to do another MASKED MARVEL. The fact that Rod Bacon -- who was unmasked as the Marvel on screen -- was killed shortly after the serial was completed might also have had something to do with the decision. Although I doubt that. |
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HiYoSilverAway |
#9 | |||
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well I think that Republic would have just found someone who was tall & lanky like Tom Steele to play the Bob Barton character.
BTW RR - you have your bacon mixed up, it was David Bacon who played Barton, Rod Bacon was Jim Arnold. Also Fawcett published Nyoka the Jungle Girl which was based on the Perils of Nyoka serial. Many of the issues (the first actually was a comic book version of the serial) were in serial format with cliffhangers at the end of every part. There were 4 - 5 parts in each story, which only lasted the one issue. |
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toddgault.movieserialmess... |
#10 | |||
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Riddle, maybe you could answer a question I've aways wondered about. Do you know why Republic had a war setting for the Masked Marvel, but not Captain
America? I've always thought the villains should have been reversed as Cap was better suited for fighting a spy ring during WWII.
Todd Gault..........Serial Buff
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Riddle Rider |
#11 | |||
toddgault wrote:Todd, I wish I could give you a definitive answer on that one, but I can't. For many years it was rumored that, having just been licensed from the forerunner of Marvel Comics, the Captain America character was shoehorned into an already-written script for a proposed Copperhead serial. That sounds logical, but I don't believe it's ever been proved. I actually think it's possible that somebody thought it would be a good idea to have Cap fight common criminals because four of Republic's last five serial releases -- KING OF THE MOUNTIES, G-MEN VS THE BLACK DRAGON, SECRET SERVICE IN DARKEST AFRICA, and THE MASKED MARVEL -- had had wartime themes. I wish now that I had thought to ask your question of the aforementioned W. J. O'Sullivan, who produced CAPTAIN AMERICA as well as MASKED MARVEL. But it didn't occur to me while I was talking to him -- and, frankly, getting hard information out of him was like pulling teeth. |
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Black Tigrrr.movieserialmess... |
#12 | |||
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Cap would have been more natural in a WWII setting, but I really loved Lionel Atwill's performance as Dr. Maldor.
Little known trivia: the man who wrestled as the Masked Marvel was Dory Funk Sr. - father to two wrestling greats in their own right Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. |
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Chuck White |
#13 | |||
Riddle Rider wrote: Thanks, for the info, RR. That's too bad that Republic didn't find a worthy enough storyline for a sequel. It could have been a blast. |
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Ravenstone |
#14 | |||
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Here's an interesting bit of trivia about THE MASKED MARVEL: it was, apparently, originally conceived as a Western!
I recently had an opportunity to look through an old Republic Exhibitor's Book from 1943, and, along with a beautiful spread for CAPTAIN AMERICA, was another spread for THE MASKED MARVEL, clearly a Western character on horseback in a Zorro-like outfit. Why they changed there mind and placed MM in a wartime, urban setting is anyone's guess. Perhaps Western serial weren't as popular in the 1940s as they had been, or would once again become, or perhaps they were looking to build off the popularity of such masked hero serials as THE LONE RANGER, ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION, MYSTERIOUS DR. SATAN, and SPY SMASHER. Who knows? Best, John |
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Black Tigrrr.movieserialmess... |
#15 | |||
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Interesting about the Masked Marvel. Never heard that one before.
Most likely the change was to add to Republic's wartime product following on the heels of King of the Royal Mounted, King of the Texas Rangers, Spy Smasher, King of the Mounties, G-Men vs. The Black Dragon, and Secret Service in Darkest Africa. Ironically, the serial that followed MM, Captain America, is one that would have most suited that era. |
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Pa Stark.movieserialmess... |
#16 | |||
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Ravenstone, is there any chance you could scan that Exhibitor's Book and post it here, and do you have any access to any similar Exhibitor's books? We
all would love to see them.
Remember, you can always trust Honest Pa Stark |
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Ravenstone |
#17 | |||
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Unfortunately, I don't have access to scan that particular book. You can see several pages from it, including, I believe, the Captain America page, at :
http://movieposters.HA.co...le_No=59072&Lot_No=52331 While
exhibitors books come up frequently at auction, I believe this is the first time I've seen one from Republic. It doesn't seem that they issued these
with the frequency of the major studios. They're always fascinating to look through when you get a chance. John
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Riddle Rider |
#18 | |||
Ravenstone wrote:Like the majors, Republic issued campaign books annually in an attempt to pre-sell their yearly output to exhibitors. In those days, remember, studios marketed their product not by calendar year but by "season." All campaign books are scarce, but I don't think there are any fewer Republics in existence than those of other studios. In fact, I've seen and/or owned at least a half-dozen of Republic's over the years. |
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KanSmiley |
#19 | |||
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What is an Exhibitor's Book?
http://www.saturday-matinee-memories.com/
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Ravenstone |
#20 | |||
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That's very interesting, Riddle. I've handled quite a few Exhibitor's Books, and I've seen far more Universals, MGMs, and RKOs, for example,
than Republic. Now, it's possible that the majors were seen as more desirable, and were saved in greater numbers. It's also possible that the books
from the majors were distributed in greater numbers than those from smaller studios like Republic. It seems true, however, that Republics are scarcer on
today's market than books from other studios. Exhibitor's Books, Kan, were promotional pieces put out by the studios to pre-sell upcoming movies. While
it's fascinating to see the campaigns for movies that ere actually produced, it's even more interesting to see the pictures that either fell by the
wayside or underwent great changes before reaching the screen. for example, a 1932-33 Universal Exhibitor's Book had a full-page ad for a movie called
CAGLIOSTRO with Boris Karloff. As we know, that movie was eventually re-worked and released as THE MUMMY. Also, an RKO (I believe) book from 1943 featured an
ad for the upcoming VALLEY OF GWANGI, with special effects by Willis O'Brien. As it turned out, that movie wasn't released until 1969, with special
effects by Ray Harryhausen. All in all, they're fascinating documents, often boasting art and graphics not seen anywhere else. Unfortunately, they can sell
for big money, sometimes well into four figures for the really desirable ones. If you ever get a chance to look through one, though, do, as it's a real
time capsule of film history. John
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