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'
The Magic Carpet (1951)
5.3/10
Director: Lew Landers
Starring: Lucille Ball, John Agar, Patricia Medina
Using a magic flying carpet and a handful of friends, the son of a murdered Caliph must fight the usurper in order to win the throne of the Caliphate. 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
Distant Drums (1951)
6.5/10
Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Gary Cooper
After destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to re... Read more
Silver Canyon (1951)
6.5/10
Director: John English
Starring: Gene Autry
During the Civil War, McQuarrie leads guerrilla raiders, Gene and Cougar serve as Union scouts stationed in Utah. Read more
Whirlwind (1951)
6.6/10
Director: John English
Starring: Gene Autry
Big Jim Lassiter is trying to put together a western crime syndicate, but postal inspector Gene, with the help of agent Burnette (posing as a horse do... Read more
Texans Never Cry (1951)
6.3/10
Director: Frank McDonald
Starring: Gene Autry
Texas Ranger Sergeant Gene Autry (Gene Autry) and his pal, Pecos Bates (Pat Buttram), save from eviction the family of Nancy Carter (Gail Davis), whos... Read more
Valley of Fire (1951)
6/10
Director: John English
Starring: Gene Autry
As the new mayor of a lawless 1850s California mining town, Gene Autry attempts to clean up the town by bringing in a wagon train of eligible ladies t... Read more
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950)
6.7/10
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Starring: Lucille Ball, Eddie Albert
Scatterbrained Sally Elliott tries to get a job as a Fuller brush girl and desperate for money she borrows her friend's kit without permission and her... Read more
Burt Lancaster: Local Hero / The Flame and the Arrow / Executive Action / Seven Days in May (1950)
5.5/10
Director: Bill Forsyth, David Miller, Jacques Tourneur, John Frankenheimer
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Fredric March, Kirk Douglas, Peter Riegert, Robert Ryan, Virgini...
Burt Lancaster Box Set. 'Local Hero' (1983) - Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert star in the wonderfully whimsical comedy of an oil company's planned bu... Read more
The Black Rose (1950)
6.4/10
Director: Henry Hathaway
Starring: Jack Hawkins, Michael Rennie, Orson Welles, Robert Blake, Tyrone Power
After orchestrating an unsuccessful rebellion against the Normans, a 13th-century Saxon nobleman (Tyrone Power) must flee his homeland. His journey le... Read more