Classic Adventure
Remember those moments where the main character finds himself in a difficult or precarious dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation, those thrill-a-minute extravaganzas, those rip-roaring spectacles, swashbuckling and derring-do action, cliff-hanger endings .... that was what Saturday Matinees were made of.
Below is a compilation of the 'essence' of this wonderful genre. See also 'Cliff-Hanger Serials'
Northwest Passage (1940)
7.1/10
Director: King Vidor
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan
This rousing adventure saga is based on the exploits of colonial American frontiersman Robert Rogers and his men. Spencer Tracy stars as Rogers, leadi... Read more
Omoo Omoo - The Shark God (1949)
3.2/10
Director: Leon Leonard
Starring: Ron Randell, Michael Whalen
A sea captain (Trevor Bardette) courts disaster when he removes a pair of black pearls from a native shrine. According to native legend, bad luck will... Read more
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
7/10
Director: Albert Lewin
Starring: James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick
A seductive woman falls in love with a mysterious ship's captain. Read more
Phantom from Space (1953)
4/10
Director: W Lee Wilder
Starring: Dick Sands
A cop and a pair of scientists are lured to an observatory by a series of murders, links to an invisible alien (Dick Sands) who has crash-landed on Ea... Read more
Prince of Foxes (1949)
7.1/10
Director: Henry King
Starring: Everett Sloane, Orson Welles, Tyrone Power, Wanda Hendrix
Tyrone Power stars as Orsini, an ambassador to the despotic Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles) who grows weary of serving as a political pawn to the powerfu... Read more
Prince Valiant (1954)
6.3/10
Director: Henry Hathaway
Starring: Debra Paget, James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Sterling Hayden
Young Prince Valiant (Robert Wagner), son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes... Read more
Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937)
6.8/10
Director: Joseph Kane
Starring: Gene Autry
Rustlers using modern technology (airplanes, shortwave radios, refrigerated trucks) are Gene's target. Shannon is running a modern rustling operation... Read more
Rancho Grande (1940)
6.6/10
Director: Frank McDonald
Starring: Gene Autry
Kay and her eastern clan go out West to run the ranch left her by her grandfather. Badguys are out to ruin the ranch's irrigation system, so Autry len... Read more
Ride Tenderfoot Ride (1940)
6.4/10
Director: Frank McDonald
Starring: Gene Autry
Gene Autry inherits and runs a meat packing company. To get Gene to sell, the lady owner of a rival company starts a feud to derail Gene, who tries to... Read more
Riders In The Sky (1949)
5.9/10
Director: John English
Starring: Gene Autry
When asked about the Ghost Riders song he sings, Gene Autry (Gene Autry) tells this legend: Gene is about to resign as an investigator for the county... Read more