Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack: Volume One (Chapters 1-6)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the better Universal serials. Ranks high with Flash Gordon (1936) and Tim Tyler's Luck(c.1938) for the best serials made at Universal. Selection of Tom Brown to play Zach Moseley's Smilin' Jack was great casting. Brown plays Jack to perfection. As one who read the comic strip during the 40's and 50's I pictured Jack as closely as possible to Brown's portrayal. Jack is in China trying to prevent an Axis agent Fraulein Von Teufel from taking over the island of Mandon. With the help of two friends, Janet and Tommy, Jack is able to destroy the Axis plans. The highlight of this serial is the ending to Chapter 12. To prove that he is an honorable person, Jack has to walk barefoot over a bed of hot coals. He is taught by a Chinese friend how to do this without harm. This serial is full of action and adventure. There is also a mystery as Jack tries to find out who Frauline Von Teufel is. Look for Sidney Tolar (Charlie Chan) playing a Chinese general.

Smilin' Jack was a leading comic strip hero during the 40's and 50's, and Tom Brown does a very good job in bringing him to life. The time frame is the year 1941, beginning before the U. S. officially entered the war, and including the attack on Pearl Harbor. There is quite a bit of stock war movie footage here, which is not detriment. It helps tell the story.

This serial could be offensive to those of Japanese or German heritage, because being made during World War II, both races are depicted as inherently evil. That's unfortunate, but it is part of war. Although there are lots of Japanese characters portrayed, there were of course no Japanese actors...they were all in camps (euphanism for prison) at the time.

Among the grand old names of B movies in this serial are Sidney Toler giving a Charley Chan characterization to a Chinese general, Turhan Bey as one of the two principal villains, Keye Luke, Phillip Ahn, and Jay Novello.

One distinguishing element in this serial is the preface to each chapter, quite different from the standard synopsis.

All in all, this is a fast moving and quite enjoyable serial which, once you have the major serials in your collection, will be a welcome adition.

This is that rarity of rarities--a good Universal serial from the forties. Along with Gang Busters (also 1942) this is Universal's best serial effort from the 1940-46 years. Minimal use of stock footage, an inventive screenplay, a music background that relates to the action going on are some of the assets. An interesting cast also helps particularly Rose Hobart as an icy cold ruthless German agent and the ultra suave Turhan Bey as her Japanese counterpart.

This serial movie, both disks, volumes 1 and 2, are absolutely entertaining and well worth watching.
Smilin' Jack Martin is a barn storming, old style action aviator whose love of flying is only surpassed by his love of adventure. In 'The Adventures of Smilin' Jack', Jack Martin encounters a centuries old secret that could help defeat the Japanese takeover of China. The secret is a hidden mountain path connecting China and India that would allow the resupply of China from India. Jack's adversary in the race to discover the secret passage over the mountains is the ruthless Fraulein Von Teufel, a Nazi spymaster from Hitler's war machine. The secret pass would provide a safe trade route for the Chinese, but the ancient people that protect it are not willing to give up their secret so easily. To defeat Smilin' Jack, the bloodthirsty Fraulein Von Teufel dispatches her Black Samurai to murder him and seize the passage. The Black Samurai are trained killers, dedicated to their cause and relentless in their attacks, using tricks, torture, and cunning in their attempts to kill Jack and his plans for opening the secret route.
Despite its dated and politically incorrect use of caucasians to play the parts of many asian characters, notably the performance by Sidney Toler (of Charlie Chan fame), this is an adventure with continuous action and a cliffhanger that caps every 22-24 minute episode of this thirteen chapter serial.

This was from Zack Mosley's popular comic strip, one of many tuned into a serial, and long thought to be lost. Jack Martin is a daredevil pilot who gets involved in Far Eastern intrigue just before Pearl Harbor. As played by Tom Brown (1913-1990) Jack no longer has his pencil-thin moustache and seems younger, but Brown does a commendable job here.

This is a very good cast. Perhaps the most interesting casting is Sidney Toler and the great Keye Luke ("Secret Agent X-9," 1945), who played Charlie Chan and his number One Son in numerous movies. Toler was concurrently playing Chan while appearing in this film as General Kai Ling. Luke plays Captain Wing, who assists the general and bails Smilin' Jack out of many predicaments. Marjorie Lord, later known for her role on TV's "Make Room For Daddy," also helps Jack in his endeavors as Janet Thompson.

Rose Hobart is excellent at playing the evil Fraulein von Teufel off against her alter ego Rose Franklin, whom no one suspects. Just as convincing is her agent Kageyama, played by the ultra suave Turhan Bey. The sniping between the German and the Japanese agent is rather humorous. Cyril Delavant almost steals the show as Mah Ling, the Chinese provincial governor whom both sides are trying to entice into revealing a vital wartime secret. He even plays a double role with a small segment as a Japanese agent who will pretend to be him. Mah Ling's loyal servent Wu Tan is played by long-time Asian actor Philip Ahn, and his role grows in importance as the plot progresses.

The plot seems to be more intelligent and well thought-out than is the case with many serials. There are some great and unexpected twists and turns, getting one more emotionally involved than normal with a serial. There's some pretty good archival footage taken early in WWII. I also like Universal's method of prefacing each chapter with one or two new scenes which let us know what's happening before repeating the ending that led up to the cliffhanger, instead of using a written summary as Republic did or an annoying narrator as Columbia did.

Universal's great director Ford Beebe was the producer of this one. Directors Ray Taylor and Lewis Collins had a chance with this to learn how to put together a good WWII spy flick, which may be why their "Secret Agent X-9" (1945) was so good. And like that one, it has the look and feel of a feature movie rather than just a serial. About all that separates this from the best Republic serials is more fights and better cliffhangers.

Adventures of Smilin' Jack is that rarity of rarities--a good forties Universal serial. Along with Gang Busters (also 1942) this represents Universal's best serial effort for the 1940-46 time period. A thoughtful script that helps convey a good action-adventure romp; minimal use of stock shots; good musical background that relates to the action going on; and good casting bolster this serial considerably. Rose Hobart is very good as a coldly efficient and ruthless Axis agent. Also very good is the ultra suave, Turhan Bey as her Japanese counterpart. And Tom Brown is well cast as the hero. Oh sure, it's Rover Boy stuff but its well done and very entertaining. If you collect serials this will be a very nice addition.

If, like me and a devoted base of hardcore fans, you love the old movie serials of the 1930's and 40's, you'll gladly overlook the mediocre sound and image quality displayed here for a chance to see the famous comic strip hero fly once again. Companies like Alpha Video (who released this and other classiscs like Radar Men on the Moon and the marvelous Phantom Creeps with Bela Lugosi) and VCI (Terry and the Pirates, Captain Midnight) have done fans like us a great service by preserving these otherwise lost treasures. Be warned though, that little care has been taken to improve decaying film quality; these are not the lush digital restorations we see in the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto movies-- blemishes, cue blips, acid rot, sync discrepancies and poor sound are the norm here. If the content interests, you, it's worth the dough, but keep your expectaions low.

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures based on the Zack Mosely newspaper comic strip present..."The Adventures of Smilin' Jack" (1943) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 13 Chapter cliffhanger from an action packed Universal serial era featuring an outstanding cast with Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor at the helm....story line has the Chinese and American governments mount a joint operation just before World War II, to prevent the Germans and Japanese from taking over the strategic island of Mandon...will our hero Smilin' Jack (Tom Brown) (and where is his famous trademarked pencil moustache) and Janet Thompson (Marjorie Lord) (later in TV sit-com "Make Room For Daddy" with Danny Thomas) be able to thwart the spy ring known as "The Black Samurai"....can Von Teufel (Rose Hobart) the German fraulein be outwitted and her identity be discovered as the leader of this spy ring, along with her head henchman Kageyama (Turhan Bey) ...with the help of Chinese Gen. Kai Ling (Sidney Toler) and Capt. Wing (Keye Luke) can we turn the tide and defeat "The Black Samarai"....remember Toler and Luke are on loan and must get back to their roles on the "Charlie Chan" film series which is the famous detective and his number one son....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "Sinking the Rising Sun"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor, producer Ford Beebe, associate producer Don H. Brown, screenplay by Morgan B. Cox, musical director H.J. Salter, dialogue director Jacques Jaccard...the cast includes Tom Brown ('Smilin' Jack' Martin), Rose Hobart (Gertrude Muller, alias Fräulein von Teufel), Edgar Barrier (Tommy Thompson), Marjorie Lord (Janet Thompson), Keye Luke (Capt. Wing), Sidney Toler (Gen. Kai Ling), Cyril Delevanti (Mah Ling/Han Po/his doppelganger), Turhan Bey (Kageyama), Phillip Ahn (Wu Tan), Nigel De Burlier (The Lo-San), James Craven (Commissioner Robert George Hardy), Wheeler Oakman (Freighter mate)........special footnote, actor Sidney Toler was best known as the famous Chinese Hawaiian detective Charlie Chan, Toler accepted the role after the sudden death of Warner Oland who was difficult to replace because of his popularity, Toler's first film was "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1938), then the others followed "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island" (1939) (this was Toler at his best), "Charlies Chan in Reno" (1939), "Charlie Chan in City in Darkness" (1939), Charlie Chan in Panama" (1940), "Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise" (1940), "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" (1940), Murder Over New York" (1940), Charlie Chan in Rio" (1941), Dead men Tell" (1941), "Castle in the Desert" (1942) all by 20th Century-Fox, the next film series were from Monogram Pictures "Charlie Chan in the Secret Service" (1944), Charlie Chan in Black Magic" (1944), "Charlie Chan in the Chinese Cat" (1944), The Jade Mask" (1945), "The Scarlet Clue" (1945), The Shangfhai Cobra" (1945), "The Red Dragon" (1945), "Shadows Over Chinatown" (1946), "Dark Alibi" (1946), "Dangerous Money" (1946), "The Trap" (1946), Toler's performances gave us his signature acting style, was without a doubt one of the best to play the famous Chinese detective........meanwhile back to our Universal Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

BIOS:
1. Tom Brown
Birth Date: 1/06/1913 - New York, New York
Died: 6/03/1990 - Woodland Hills, California
2. Sidney Toler
Birth Date: 4/28/1874 - Warrensburg, Missouri
Died: 2/12/197 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
3. Keye Luke
Birth Date: 6/18/1904 - Canton, China
Died: 1/12/1991 - Whittler, CA

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
2. The rising Sun Strikes
3. Attacked by Bombers
4. Knives of Vengeance
5. A Watery Grave
6. Escape by Clipper
7. Fifteen Fathoms Below
8. Treachery At Sea
9. The Bridge of Peril
10.Blackout in the Islands
11.Held for Treason
12.The Torture Fire Test
13.Sinking the Rising Sun

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "The Adventures of Smilin' Jack" (1943), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 265 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1701 ~ (9/27/1990)

Except for technical advances in movie making and the dubious additions of sex and "sophistication", no James Bond or Indiana Jones has a thing on Smilin Jack. A WWII/Far East spy thriller it spans the globe, several changes in setting and types of action( planes, ships, subs, hotels, water front) giving freshness and suspense to each unfolding episode. Imagine Southeast Asia war zone without the WWII famed Burma Road, then imagine the highpriests of Nepal or Tibet( with a fictional name,) knowing the existence of a real but secret version of such a road, then the obvious espianoge from both Japan and China( with Nazis male and female thrown in) and you have Smilin Jack's enemies. Throw in beautiful heroine and stout Brits and Ausies plus Charlie Chan and sons Chinese types as friends and you have the cast. The world's highest mountains, the China Clipper, Hong Kong and various warfs, luxury hotels, water front dives and bamboo houses give this epic serial all the old James Bond flavor. All this plus clean, family ok dialogue that tells the tale quite dramatically, thank you. And your kids will love the air planes and cars. all WWII vintage and just what is now meant by "the greatest generation"

Movies, radio and especially comic books during World War II were not polite to the Germans or Japanese. Members of the Axis powers were depicted as "Krauts," "Nips," and "Japs." Somehow, Italians were not included. American super heroes battled the Axis and won--every time. The "Japs" wore round spectacles with thick lens, had buck teeth and lemon-yellow faces. The "Krauts" oftn had monacles and clicked their bootheels a lot.

This serial is part of that peculiar ethos, although it wasn't possible to have Japanese with lemon-yellow skin in a black and white film. As such, this isn't bad at all. There's a great deal of piloting and war footage to lend some reality. The plot is simple, as one might expect. Jack gets into an impossible tight spot or two in every episode and manages to get out of them at the beginning of the next episode. There are the usual fistfights, a nice looking young woman or so, and nasty villains who want to destroy everything that is goodness and light. Even Charlie Chan and his number one son are along for the ride--but playing different characters.

I did enjoy this serial. As serials go, it was one of the better ones.