Customer Reviews

The Republic Chapterplays: A Complete Filmography of the Serials Released by Republic Pictures Corporation, 1934-1955

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The introduction to this book gives the most concise and to the point evaluation of Republic Pictures that I have read so far. Author Hayes also explains what happened to the still beloved "Thrill Factory," a company whose style of B-movie making was second to none. The remainder of this handsome volume is a listing of all the company's serials in order of appearance, the good, the bad and the indifferent, each accompanied by McFarland's usual generous dollup of illustrations. But unless you have the serials on video tape, you won't know what exactly they were about. The reader quickly feels like someone who has remained in the movie theater after everyone else has left and the lights are being turned on. The credits just roll on and on, from Executive producer HERBERT I. YATES to Wrangler TRACY LAYNE. But keep this book at the ready while you crank up the olde vcr for the first chapter of JUNGLE GIRL starring the beautiful but doomed Frances Gifford and you will learn who actually donned Miss Gifford's jungle garb to swing through those vines (it was, of course, stunt-woman Helen Thurston).

If you like returning to yesteryear and remembering spending Saturday mornings and afternoons watching your favorite heros do battle with the evil villians, you will love going thru this book. It is a great addition to the video " The Republic Pictures Story". You will be able to find date of your favorite cliffhanger serials releases, how long they actually ran and even if there were sequals. Go visit with your heros like Commander Cody, Zorro, Jungle Girl and the G-men. Have fun returning to the Saturday morning serials from Republic Pictures.

This book is a very fine introduction for every newcomer in the genre of serials. That's my case. At this time I saw two jungle serials : the silent "Tarzan the Tiger" with Frank Merrill and the marvelous "Jungle girl" with the tremendous looking Frances Gifford. The book of R.M. Hayes is a complete work of the filmography of serials from Republic Pictures. I will use it for my next purchases of serials ! My only regret is the lack of a brief synopsis of each cliffhanger presented here, without revealing the end of course ! But that's just a very little negative critic. Because I really admire the work of R.M. Hayes. He did a great job. I can only recommend this book.

McFarland & Co Publishing presents "THE REPUBLIC CHAPTERPLAYS: COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY OF THE SERIALS RELEASED BY REPUBLIC PICTURES 1934-1935" (Paperback) - From pen to paper by author R.M. Hayes --- Formed in 1935, Republic Pictures and their serials are often sited as the best from this era --- Lead by the directing team of William Witney and John English, the Republic serials stood out from the rest in terms of writing, directing and acting.

"Zorro Rides Again" was their first serial and first success --- It was then quickly followed up by "The Lone Ranger" which was one of the most eagerly anticipated serials since Universal's Flash Gordon --- The Dick Tracy serial series followed and lasted for over 60 episodes.

Their string of hits continued with "Adventures of Captain Marvel" and "Jungle Girl" being two of the most regarding Republic Pictures from today's fans.

But most notable of all were the directing talents of William Witney and John English. Together they directed 17 consecutive serials, honing an approach that allowed Republic serials to far outdistance the competition --- They adopted a no-nonsense approach that treated the serial material with respect and rarely gave any clues that we shouldn't consider the stories seriously --- Other directors would allow an element of goofiness to gradually seep into the serial. For example, few people would point to a Witney/English serial as an example of camp, unlike the Flash Gordon serials.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. William Witney (Director)
Date of Birth: 15 May 1915 - Lawton, Oklahoma
Date of Death: 17 March 2002 - Jackson, California

2. John English (Director)
Date of Birth: 25 June 1903 - Cumberland, England, UK
Date of Death: 11 October 1969 - Los Angeles, California

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Title and Page Numbers)

Introduction - 1

THE CHAPTERPLAYS

Fighting Marines (Mascot, 1935, 12 ch.) - 15

Darkest Africa (Republic, 1936, 15 ch.) - 17

Undersea Kingdom (Republic, 1936, 12 ch.) - 19

The Vigilantes Are Coming (Republic, 1936, 12 ch.) - 20

Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (Republic, 1936, 14 ch.) - 22

Dick Tracy (Republic, 1937, 15 ch.) - 23

The Painted Stallion (Republic, 1937, 12 ch.) - 25

SOS Coast Guard (Republic, 1937, 12 ch.) - 27

Zorro Rides Again (Republic, 1937, 12 ch.) - 29

The Lone Ranger (Republic, 1938, 15 ch.) - 30

The Fighting Devil Dogs (Republic, 1938, 12 ch.) - 33

Dick Tracy Returns (Republic, 1938, 15 ch.) - 34

Hawk of the Wilderness (Republic, 1938, 12 ch.) - 36

The Lone Ranger Rides Again (Republic, 1939, 15 ch.) - 38

Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939, 12 ch.) - 40

Dick Tracy's G-Men (Republic, 1939, 15 ch.) - 42

Zorro's Fighting Legion (Republic, 1939, 12 ch.) - 45

Drums of Fu Manchu (Republic, 1940, 15 ch.) - 48

Adventures of Red Ryder (Republic, 1940, 12 ch.) - 49

Zane Grey's King of the Royal Mounted (Republic, 1940, 12 ch.) - 51

Mysterious Dr Satan (Republic, 1940, 15 ch.) - 53

The Adventures of Captain Marvel (Republic, 1941, 12 ch.) - 55

Edgar Rice Burrough's Jungle Girl (Republic, 1941, 15 ch.) - 57

King of the Texas Rangers (Republic, 1941, 12 ch.) - 58

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (Republic, 1942, 15 ch.) - 60

Spy Smasher (Republic, 1942, 12 ch.) - 62

Perils of Nyoka (Republic, 1942, 15 ch.) - 64

King of the Mounties (Republic, 1942, 12 ch.) - 66

G-Men vs the Black Dragon (Republic, 1942, 15 ch.) - 67

Daredevils of the West (Republic, 1943, 12 ch.) - 70

Secret Service in Darkest Africa (Republic, 1943, 15 ch.) - 72

The Masked Marvel (Republic, 1943, 12 ch.) - 73

Captain America (Republic, 1943, 15 ch.) - 76

The Tiger Woman (Republic, 1944, 12 ch.) - 78

Haunted Harbor (Republic, 1944, 15 ch.) - 81

Zorro's Black Whip (Republic, 1944, 12 ch.) - 83

Manhunt of Mystery Island (Republic, 1945, 15 ch.) - 84

Federal Operator 99 (Republic, 1945, 12 ch.) - 86

The Purple Monster Strikes (Republic, 1945, 15 ch.) - 87

The Phantom Rider (Republic, 1945, 12 ch.) - 89

King of the Forest Rangers (Republic, 1946, 12 ch.) - 91

Daughter of Don Q (Republic, 1946, 12 ch.) - 92

The Crimson Ghost (Republic, 1946, 12 ch.) - 93

Son of Zorro (Republic, 1947, 13 ch.) - 95

Jesse James Rides Again (Republic, 1947, 13 ch.) - 97

The Black Widow (Republic, 1947, 13 ch.) - 98

G-Men Never Forget (Republic, 1947, 12 ch.) - 99

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (Republic, 1948, 12 ch.) - 101

Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (Republic, 1948, 13 ch.) - 102

Federal Agents vs Underworld, Inc (Republic, 1948, 12 ch.) - 104

Ghost of Zorro (Republic, 1949, 12 ch.) - 105

King of the Rocketmen (Republic, 1949, 12 ch.) - 107

The James Brothers of Missouri (Republic, 1949, 12 ch.) - 109

Radar Patrol vs Spy King (Republic, 1950, 12 ch.) - 110

The Invisible Monster (Republic, 1950, 12 ch.) - 111

Desperadoes of the West (Republic, 1950, 12 ch.) - 113

Flying Disc Man From Mars (Republic, 1950, 12 ch.) - 114

Don Daredevil Rides Again (Republic, 1951, 12 ch.) - 116

Government Agents vs the Phantom Legion (Republic, 1951, 12 ch.) - 117

Radar Men From the Moon (Republic, 1952, 12 ch.) - 119

Zombies of the Stratosphere (Republic, 1952, 12 ch.) - 121

Jungle Drums of Africa (Republic, 1952, 12 ch.) - 122

Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe (Republic, 12 ch.) - 123

Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders (Republic, 1953, 12 ch.) - 124

Trader Tom of the China Seas (Republic, 1954, 12 ch.) - 127

Man with the Steel Whip (Republic, 1954, 12 ch.) - 127

Panther Girl of the Kongo (Republic, 1955, 12 ch.) -129

King of the Carnival (Republic, 1955, 12 ch.) - 131

Appendix: The Lost Jungle (Mascot, 1934, 12 ch.) - 133
(Republic's first official chapterplay was a sequel to a
Mascot production, information about which follows for
those who wish to compare the two serials)

Index - 135

Check out a new book from Empire Publishing - "SMILEY BURNETTE: WE CALLED HIM FROG" (Perfect Paperback) - by Bobby J. Copeland (Author) and Richard B. Smith III (Editor), one of a kind book on this beloved sidekick during the Golden Age of B-Westerns --- Lester Alvin (Smiley) Burnette, an American singer songwriter who could play as many as 100 different musical instruments, was a successful comedy actor in Western films over three decades -- 1. How he got the name Smiley -- 2. His vast music contribution to his films -- 3. What Smiley thought of Gene Autry -- 4. Comments by those who loved him and those who didn't -- 5. Film Historians' opinions of his place in Western Film History -- 6. His roles in his many films -- 7. Many great photos -- 8. Plus -- A lot about Gene Autry's strikes against Republic -- 9. Pat Buttram's near death experience - made it possible for Smiley to end his film career the way it started - with Gene Autry --- Autry was in the lead role and the rotund Burnette would team up with him as a lovable comedy sidekick named Frog Millhouse (or plain Frog and sometimes as Smiley) --- Their association would produce more than 60 feature length musical Westerns --- This book is available at Amazon or Empire Publishing, pick up your copy soon.

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of Movie Serials, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- R.M. Hayes and McFarland & Co have captured the moment, please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 176 ~ McFarland & Co ~ (October 2000)

i was very impressed with this book. i wish he would write one for each studio

It was a good thing that I did not pay the full $39 for this book as I would have felt terribly cheated. As it was, this little paperback book cost me $28 and was only worth about $8. The quality of the pictures in the book were terrible. The information provided within the book was nothing spectacular either. I was thoroughly disappointed. Once again I am reminded to touch and see the things I want before I purchase them.