Even today, movie serials continue to enchant movie fans. The innocence, energy and undeniable skill that permeate every reel of these chapter plays is a tribute to the true pioneers of gorilla filmmaking make em fast, make em as good as possible with as little as possible, and make em fun. The best serials are classic examples of early American low-budget filmmaking. The bad ones are silly and stilted, but always charming and sometimes bizarre. At the very least, they offer a window into another time and place. And with the state the world is in today, it s a very welcome place where the good guys always win, the kid saves the day and the hero gets the girl.
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An enjoyable book for devotees of all kinds of classic cinema and pop culture, not just serial fans --Eric Stedman. Serial Squadron
A loving recollection of a more innocent yesteryear. Brimming with humor and intelligence. --Len Brown, KOOP-FM Austin, Texas
A loving recollection of a more innocent yesteryear. Brimming with humor and intelligence. --Len Brown, KOOP-FM Austin, Texas
About the Author
HANK DAVIS is a professor of psychology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, with an interest in evolutionary psychology and popular culture. He became hooked on movie serials when he was a kid growing up in New York. Hank has also written extensively about music and produced more than 100 boxed-sets and reissue albums of 1950s music, from Hank Williams to Sun Records stars like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Charlie Rich. A lifetime baseball fan, Hank is also the author of Small-Town Heroes, a critically acclaimed behind-the-scenes look at minor league baseball, published by Bison Books. These two Volumes of Classic Cliffhangers are his first books about film.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like Serials? You'll like this book!,
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This review is from: Classic Cliffhangers: Volume 1, 1914-1940 (Paperback)
A very informative and interesting account of the more memorable movie serials up through 1940. Few writers have the in-depth knowledge or have taken the time to do this much detail on specific serials.
For serial and nostaligia fans, Hank Davis provides an opportunity to select which serials you want to see and what to watch for in each. One criticsm, the author is very focused on political correctness about every possible minority (Blacks, Irish, disabled, oriental, southern, slow witted, overweight, etc.) it becomes a bothersome distraction. We all know of the differences in today's standards, but way too much sensitivity and criticism of likeable charcters like Smiley Burnette.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSIC THRILLS!!!,
This review is from: Classic Cliffhangers: Volume 1, 1914-1940 (Paperback)
The last few years have seen the publication of several new books on the classic serials of the by-gone Saturday afternoon movie days. Hank Davis' CLASSIC CLIFFHANGERS is certainly one of the best. The author has been watching these chapterplays for most of his life and his affection for them shines through, giving this book a friendly familiar feel, as though one were viewing these films with an old friend.
Not every serial made is covered here, but a hundred or so are in the two volumes that comprise the set. Both the great and the terrible are given fair shake, making this a well represented overview of the genre. Most entries run about 4 to 6 pages and carry background info, plot summary and lots of trivia and personal comments. This is a highly entertaining read, informative and fun to boot! MIDNIGHT MARQUEE PRESS' efforts are also to be commended. This is a good looking book with colorful covers and a well illustrated interior. The photos are sharp and clear. Everything just clicks, making this one of my best purchases in recent years. Buy both volumes.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The first movie serial I remember seeing was The Galloping Ghost. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
radio patrol, bat men, serial fans, sound serial, movie serials, serial history, stock footage, silent movie era Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hank Davis, Classic Cliffhangers, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, The Shadow, Jungle Jim, The Lightning, New York, Frankie Darro, The Vanishing Legion, Buck Rogers, The Lone Ranger, The Phantom Empire, The Galloping Ghost, Deadwood Dick, Ralph Byrd, Pearl White, The Perils of Pauline, The Voice, Nat Levine, Harry Carey, Jean Rogers, Noah Beery, Green Hornet, Mascot Pictures Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The first movie serial I remember seeing was The Galloping Ghost. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
radio patrol, bat men, serial fans, sound serial, movie serials, serial history, stock footage, silent movie era Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hank Davis, Classic Cliffhangers, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, The Shadow, Jungle Jim, The Lightning, New York, Frankie Darro, The Vanishing Legion, Buck Rogers, The Lone Ranger, The Phantom Empire, The Galloping Ghost, Deadwood Dick, Ralph Byrd, Pearl White, The Perils of Pauline, The Voice, Nat Levine, Harry Carey, Jean Rogers, Noah Beery, Green Hornet, Mascot Pictures Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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