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Okay, this version of the conflict between G men and the Black Dragon society might not have the great chapter endings or the raven or the super weapons in "G Men Versus the Black Dragon", but I couldn't help liking it anyway. You have thwe antics of the East Side Kids...no Leo Gorcey, but the rest are all there. You have Lionel Atwill as the Japanese villain with a rather german accent. You have the secret entrance to the hideout in a haystack. You have shots where the shadows cast by the staircase resemble the rising sun symbol associated with the Japanese during the second world war. You have allusions to history in touches like the Japanese merchant (a cover, of course, for the Black Dragon Society) closing their doors on December 7, 1941. I guess I can't call this one of the great serials, but what the heck, I really enjoyed it and recommend it.

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Junior G-Men of the Air" (1942) (Dolby digitally remastered), featuring the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys together in 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes loaded with action sequences...story line has our favorite group of juvenile delinquents The Dead Ends Kids up against "The Black Dragons" a gang of Japanese terrorists bent on destroying American oil fields and airports...will "Ace" Holden (Halop) and his group be able to stop the evil plot and handle the saboteurs without the help of the police...watch the action within each cliffhanger, fight scenes and spies in a burning warehouse...next we have the dam exploding as our heroes try to escape for the final 12th chapter "Civilian Courage Conquers"... can the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys (who's who) foil the Japanese spies and roundup the villains, heavies and just down right bad guys...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 Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins, associated producer Henry MacRae, screenplay by Paul Huston, Griffin Jay, George H. Plympton, additional dialogue Brenda Weisberg, original music score by Milton Rosen...the cast include Billy Halop ( Billy 'Ace' Holden), Huntz Hall ('Bolts' Larson), Lionel Atwill (The Baron), Gene Reynolds (Eddie Holden), Frank Albertson (Jerry Markham), Gabriel Dell ('Stick' Munsey), Richard Lane (Agent Don Ames), Bernard Punsly (Creaseball' Plunkett), Frankie Darro (Jack), David Gorcey (Double-Face' Barker), Turhan Bey (Araka-henchman), Eddy Waller (Jed Holden), Paul Phillips (Agent Dick Parsons), Noel Cavat (Monk-henchman), John Bagni (Augar-henchman), Eddie Foster (Comora-henchman), John Bleifer (Beal-henchman)...for chills and thrills we had David Sharpe (stunt double for Billy Halop), Tom Steele (stunt double for Turhan Bey) and Ken Terrell ...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.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Wings Aflame
2. The Plunge of Peril
3. Hidden Danger
4. The Tunnel of Terror
5. The Black Dragon Strikes
6. Flaming Havoc
7. The Death Mist
8. Satan Fires the Fuse
9. Satanic Sabotage
10.Trapped in a Burning 'Chute
11.Undeclared War
12.Civilian Courage Conquers

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
1. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Columbia Pictures present "Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere" (1951) (digitally remastered), 15 Chapters.finally for the first time on video the really great Columbia Serial that broke the mold...we have everything a serial fan would want...the tinted sequences by Cinecolor and unique inventions that were unlike any other serial out there in the '50s...get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Junior G-Men of the Air" (1942), 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, 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: 231 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1779 ~ (11/01/2000)

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "JUNIOR G-MEN OF THE AIR" (1942) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film --- Known as "chapter plays," they were extended motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes." --- Each chapter (a typical serial usually had as many as 15 of them) would be screened at the same theater for one week --- The serial would end with a cliffhanger, as the hero and heroine would find themselves in the latest perilous situation from which there could be no escape --- The audience would have to return the next week (and pay admission) to find out how the hero and heroine would escape and battle the villain once again --- Serials were especially popular with children, and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century, a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial, along with animated cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films.

The Movie studios of Universal, Columbia and Republic, with Republic quickly becoming the acknowledged leader in quality serial product --- Each company turned out four to five serials per year, of 12 to 15 episodes each, a pace which they all kept up until the end of World War II when, in 1946, Universal dropped its serial unit along with its B-picture unit and renamed its production department Universal-International Pictures -- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys in "JUNIOR G-MEN OF THE AIR" (1942) (231 mins/B&W) --- A Universal Chapter Play -- Under Lewis D. Collins (Director), Ray Taylor (Director), William Sickner (Cinematographer), Saul A. Goodkind (Editor) - - - - featuring the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys together in 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes loaded with action sequences --- story line has our favorite group of juvenile delinquents The Dead Ends Kids up against "The Black Dragons" a gang of Japanese terrorists bent on destroying American oil fields and airports...will "Ace" Holden (Halop) and his group be able to stop the evil plot and handle the saboteurs without the help of the police --- watch the action within each cliffhanger, fight scenes and spies in a burning warehouse --- next we have the dam exploding as our heroes try to escape for the final 12th chapter "Civilian Courage Conquers" --- can the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys (who's who) foil the Japanese spies and roundup the villains, heavies and just down right bad guys --- 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 --- .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.

the cast include
Billy Halop ... Billy 'Ace' Holden
Gene Reynolds ... Eddie Holden
Lionel Atwill ... The Baron
Frank Albertson ... Jerry Markham
Richard Lane ... Agent Don Ames
Huntz Hall ... 'Bolts' Larson
Gabriel Dell ... 'Stick' Munsey
Bernard Punsly ... 'Creaseball' Plunkett
Frankie Darro ... Jack
David Gorcey ... Double Face Gordon
Turhan Bey ... Henchman Araka
John Bleifer ... Henchman Beal
Eddie Foster ... Henchman Comora (as Edward Foster)
John Bagni ... Henchman Augar
Noel Cravat ... Henchman Monk
Paul Phillips ... Agent Dick Parsons
William 'Billy' Benedict ... Whitey
William Desmond ... Parts Customer
Bill Hunter ... Policeman
Pat O'Malley ... Train Conductor
Eddy Waller ... Jed Holden

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Wings Aflame
2. The Plunge of Peril
3. Hidden Danger
4. The Tunnel of Terror
5. The Black Dragon Strikes
6. Flaming Havoc
7. The Death Mist
8. Satan Fires the Fuse
9. Satanic Sabotage
10.Trapped in a Burning 'Chute
11.Undeclared War
12.Civilian Courage Conquers

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. Junior G-Men of the Air - Trailer
2. Daffy Duck Cartoon - "The Commando" (1943) (Friz Freleng)
Commando Daffy Duck goes behind enemy lines and causes havoc for a
Nazi German officer and his troops.
3. Photo Gallery - with naration of "Junior G-Men of the Air"

Hats off to VCI Entertainment, President Robert A. Blair and his staff -- for the wonderful restored versions featuring some of the best classic cliffhangers of the big silver screen --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 231 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (2/05/2008)

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