For nearly 50 years the motion-picture chapter play was a vibrant part of our country's pop-culture scene. Following their favorite serials turned moviegoing into a weekly habit for millions of Americans. During the silent-film era, episodic thrillers were marketed to adults and children alike, but their emphasis on base melodrama and contrived thrills appealed more to kids. Those youthful habitu???s of Saturday matinees faithfully followed serials and retained fond memories of them. Subsequent generations discovered ...
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For nearly 50 years the motion-picture chapter play was a vibrant part of our country's pop-culture scene. Following their favorite serials turned moviegoing into a weekly habit for millions of Americans. During the silent-film era, episodic thrillers were marketed to adults and children alike, but their emphasis on base melodrama and contrived thrills appealed more to kids. Those youthful habitu???s of Saturday matinees faithfully followed serials and retained fond memories of them. Subsequent generations discovered cliffhanger classics via later broadcasts on TV and reissues in collectable home-video formats. Among the many episodic thrillers analyzed in this sequel to 2012's well-received BLOOD 'N' THUNDER'S CLIFFHANGER CLASSICS are such fan favorites as THE MILLION DOLLAR MYSTERY, THE HOUSE OF HATE, THE RIDDLE RIDER, TARZAN THE FEARLESS, PIRATE TREASURE, THE LOST CITY, RADIO PATROL, THE SPIDER'S WEB, SPY SMASHER, and SECRET SERVICE IN DARKEST AFRICA. The essays herein, focusing on chapter plays of unusual quality and significance, are not the typical puff pieces generally found in books on this subject. Each article has been carefully researched and supplemented with first-hand recollections of people who worked in the serials being examined, including leading men Buster Crabbe, Kane Richmond, and Rod Cameron; stuntmen Dave Sharpe and Tom Steele; and directors Ford Beebe and William Witney. Their input makes this volume of CLIFFHANGER CLASSICS a valuable addition to the historical record, as well as an entertaining read. The book is profusely illustrated with rare stills, posters, and lobby cards from each serial. An appendix reprints rare marketing material created in 1936 to promote the first Flash Gordon serial. Th
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