Cliff-Hanger Serials
A world unto their own, the great serial chapters of the 1930s, '40s and '50s brought adventure and intrigue to the cinema screens every week as young and old alike would check out the latest instalment to see if our hero would survive (naturally!) and if the bad guys would be stopped in their tracks (of course!). The best part was always the 'cliffhanger' where the filmmakers would come up with an ingenious hook to keep you coming back for more. Films like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'The Rocketeer' owe a debt to these thrill-a-minute extravaganzas, where saving the Earth from peril was all in a days work.
Mandrake the Magician (1939)
7.1/10
Director: Norman Deming
Starring: Warren Hull, Al Kikume, Doris Weston, Forbes Murray
The comic's crimefighting prestidigitator came to the big screen in this thrill-laden serial with Warren Hull as the top-hatted, splendidly caparisone... Read more
Buck Rogers: The Serial (1939)
7.3/10
Starring: Larry 'Buster' Crabbe
A classic action packed sci-fi serial in 12 chapters. Emerging from a state of hibernation after 500 years, Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and young Budd... Read more
Flash Gordon: Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars (1938)
6.5/10
Starring: Lane Chandler, Kenne Duncan, Charles Middleton, Larry 'Buster' Crabbe, Reed Howe...
Life on Earth is about to be destroyed! A mysterious beam of light - emanating from Mars - is sucking the nitrogen from the planet's atmosphere, and o... Read more
Zorro Rides Again: Episodes 7 - 12 (1937)
6.8/10
Director: John English, William Witney
Starring: John Carroll, Helen Christian, Richard Alexander, Noah Beery, Reed Howes, Duncan...
The California-Yucatan Railroad, being built for the good of Mexico, is under siege by a gang of terrorists hoping to force its sale; no one can prove... Read more
Dick Tracy: Volume 1 (1937)
6.1/10
Director: Ray Taylor, Alan James
Starring: Ralph Byrd, Smiley Burnette, Lee Van Atta, Kay Hughes
Police detective Dick Tracy is hard on the heels of the ruthless Spider Ring and their evil leader, the Lame One. As he gets closer, the Spider Ring p... Read more
Dick Tracy: Volume 2 (1937)
6.1/10
Director: Ray Taylor, Alan James
Starring: Ralph Byrd, Smiley Burnette, Lee Van Atta, Kay Hughes
Volume 2 of 3. Ace detective Dick Tracy appears in more action-packed serial adventures (this is the middle five of fifteen installments). Hard on the... Read more
Zorro Rides Again: Episodes 1 - 6 (1937)
6.8/10
Director: William Witney
Starring: John Carroll, Reed Howes
The masked crusader vows vengeance for the murder of his uncle, but the evil Marsden will stop at nothing to gain control of the railroads. John Carro... Read more
Blake Of Scotland Yard (1937)
5.8/10
Director: Bob Hill
Scotland Yard inspector Sir James Blake (Herbert Rawlinson) has financed a death ray designed by young inventor Ralph Byrd. The ray will be a boon to... Read more
Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers - Chapters 9-13 (1936)
6.5/10
Director: Ray Taylor, Ford Beebe
Starring: Larry 'Buster' Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton
Chapters 9-13. Buster Crabbe stars as Flash Gordon in this classic 1930s serial. Humanity is doomed to destruction! A distant planet has broken its or... Read more
Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers - Chapters 1-4 (1936)
6.5/10
Director: Ray Taylor, Ford Beebe
Starring: Larry 'Buster' Crabbe, Carol Hughes, Charles Middleton
Chapters 1-4. Buster Crabbe stars as Flash Gordon in this classic 1930s serial. Humanity is doomed to destruction! A distant planet has broken its orb... Read more