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5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of Serials & B-Westerns...VCI Entertainment ~ Flaming Frontiers (1938)", January 14, 2006
VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present..."Flaming Frontiers" (1938) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 15 Chapter cliffhanger from an action packed Universal western serial era featuring an outstanding cast with Ray Taylor and Alan James at the helm...."Flaming Frontiers" was one of four serials that Johnny Mack Brown made for Universal Pictures in the 30's he moved back to full feature films and B-Westerns...story line opens with John Archer who has discovered GOLD!!....but James Blaine (villain) with henchman galore Charles Stevens, Roy Barcroft, Charles King along with Charles Middleton (the meanest villain of them all) are after his claim...Archer is framed for a murder he didn't commit and is sister Eleanor Hansen is out to clear him, with the help of our young indian scout Johnny Mack Brown...can our hero find the real culprits and save the day...lots of indian raids, hard riding and excitement over 15 Chapters of adventure....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "A Duel to Death"....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 Ray Taylor and Alan James, associate producer Henry MacRae, from the story "The Tie That Binds" by Peter B. Kyne, screenplay by George Plympton, Basil Dickey, Wyndham Gittens, Paul Perz and Ella O'Neill (dialogue director) , musical director Charles Previn ...stunts by Cliff Lyons, Tom Steele and Bob Woodard.....the cast includes Johnny Mack Brown (Tex Houston), Eleanor Hansen (Mary Grant), John Archer (Tom Grant), William Royle (Crosby), Charles Middleton (Ace Daggett), Charles Stevens (Breed), Chief Thundercloud (Thunder Cloud), Roy Barcroft (Ben Hollister/henchman), Charles King (Blackie/henchman), James Blaine (Bart Eaton), Jack Rutherford (Bill Cody/Buffalo Bill), Eddy Waller (Andy Grant), Ed Cassidy (Joe/henchman), Karl Hackett (Jake), Horace Murphy (Sheriff), Al Bridge (John Merkle), Richard Alexander (bartender), Frank LaRue (Judge)........special footnote, there are several character actors who have made their mark in B-Westerns and Serials...first is Roy Barcroft who was normally cast as a villain...Barcroft's unmistakable smooth voice and his swager made him the perfect heavy in many a Rex Allen, Gene Autry, Johnny Mack Brown, Sunset Carson, Hopalong Cassidy, Eddie Dean, Wild Bill Elliott (Red Ryder), Rocky Lane, Dale Evans and Roy Rogers..........second was actor Charles King, who they called "Blackie" in just about every B-Western...King worked in silent films, then when sound came in his career took off, King was one of the most popular villains riding the outlaw trail against such good guys as Buster Crabbe, Buck Jones, Ken Maynard, Tim McCoy and little Bob Steele...King had Bob Steele had knockdown dragout fist fights that became legend, you couldn't wait for that scene in the film to arrive, you were never disappointed.....great to see one of my favorite villains of all time Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless from the "Flash Gordon" serials), who appeared in hundreds of B-Westerns and Serials, Middleton was as evil as they came....check out Charles Stevens as the Breed, Stevens was the grandson of legendary Apache Chief Geronimo, Stevens first appeared in "Birth of a Nation" (1915), played various roles in some 200 feature films and serials, did guest shots on 40 TV shows, wonderful character actor from the silent era through the '50s in dramas and westerns..........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.
Bobby J. Copeland's book on "Johnny Mack Brown: Up Close & Personal" is chuck full of answers to all the questions his fans had from early on...when you went to see him on the big screen, you got exactly what the marquee said...plenty of thrills, adventure and loaded with action...Johnny Mack was a natural for the western, his riding abilities and fight scenes were of the the same caliber as Buck Jones and Bob Steele...Johnny Mack sets the saddle better than Duke Wayne...seems Johnny got better with the more films he made and the scripts were always top notch...he was one of the best-liked people in films, what you saw on the screen is what he really was, a great human being...pick up your copy from Amazon or Empire Publishing both have this in stock.
BIOS:
1. Johnny Mack Brown
Birth Date: 9/01/1904 - Dothan, Alabama
Died: 11/14/1974 - Woodland Hills, California, USA. (cardiac condition)
CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The River Runs Red
2. Death Rides the Wind
3. Treachery At Eagle Pass
4. A Night of Teror
5. Blood and Gold
6. Trapped by Fire
7. A Human Target
8. The Savage Horde
9. Toll of the Torrent
10.In the Claws of the Cougar
11.The Half Breed's Revenge
12.The Indians Are Coming
13.The Fatal Plunge
14.Dynamite
15.A Duel to Death
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 "Flaming Frontiers" (1938), 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 DVD and 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: 305 mins on 2 DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8442 ~ (1/17/2006)
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