Adventures of Captain Marvel

This serial has a reputation, that of being the greatest serial ever made, that is a greatly deserved one. The plot is complex, but not muddled, the actors are extremely competent, and the characters(this is very rare in serials)take on a life of their own. Most serial fans are familar with the plot, and besides, it is posted right here on the internet, so I will go on to the cast. Tom Tyler, probably more familar to film buffs as Luke Plummer in John Ford's classic STAGECOACH, looks the part of Captain Marvel to perfection. He has relatively few dialog scenes in the serial, however, and to some people this is an added bonus, as his extremely gravelly voice is not to everyone's taste Young Frank Coghlan Jr. is remarkably good as Billy Batson, and deserves additional acclaim as Republic's only juvenile serial hero. The incomparable William Benedict provides unobtrusive comedy relief, as he was to do the following year in NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN. Benedict is my all-time favorite serial sidekick, even though he only did these two. Louise Currie, who was also to make a return date three years later in THE MASKED MARVEL, is a very likable heroine, and as for the Scorpion, he has got to be the best villain in serials, thanks largely to Gerald Mohr's voice. His closet competitors are probably Dr. Satan(Eduardo Cianelli), Captain Mephisto(Roy Barcroft) from MANHUNT OF MYSTERY ISLAND) and Jim Belmont(George J. Lewis) from FEDERAL OPERATOR 99. Kenne Duncan gives a good performance as Barnett, the Scorpion's chief henchman, and Reed Hadley also stand out as Rahman Bar, the Scorpion's Siamese cohort. The supporting cast includes silent serial great Jack Mulhall, and, as suspects for being the Scorpion, Harry Worth, Robert Strange, George Pembroke, Bryant Washburn, Peter George Lynn, and the wonderful scene-stealer John Davidson as the superstious Siamese, Tah Chotali. The special effects are positively astonishing, and hold up a lot better than modern high-tech effects do. After watching the serial, you simply have to conclude that Captain Marvel CAN fly. This certainly deserves its reputation as the greatest serial ever made. SHAZAM!

One of my favorite Republic serials, along with Zorro's Fighting Legion and Spy Smasher. Adventures of Captain Marvel is slick, fast-paced and action packed. Of course, it has the usual failings of most serials -- low budget, short shooting schedule, a few bumps and wrinkles along the way -- but if that bothers you, you are probably one of those viewers who complain about the plots of Jackie Chan films. Frank Coughlan, Jr., does creditable work as Billy Batson, while Tom Tyler (Stagecoach, Red River) makes a robust Captain Marvel. Fans of Indiana Jones will love this, especially the sets in Chapter One. The best part about Capt. Marvel is his occasional shortage of a sense of fair play. (When was the last time you saw Superman machine gun three guys in the back as they ran away?) This is one super hero who doesn't play around. I also love Tyler's evil grin as bullets bounce off his chest and his propensity for pimp-slapping the bad guys when they don't answer his questions quickly enough. Also, look for Reed Hadley (Zorro) as one of the bad guys; unmistakable due to his superb voice. Hadley narrated A-bomb training films for the US government and had high level security clearance for the job. The other big plus of Capt. Marvel is the ground-breaking flying effects by the Lydeckers, using wires, dummies, reversed film and the leaping skills of stuntman Dave Sharpe. If you love adventure serials, you'll love The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Highly recommended is the DVD release from Artisan.

The distributor has given this material the respect it deserves.

Perhaps, the best comic book feature ever made! This was the original. Like the earlier 1930's serial "Flash Gordon", there is a sincere attempt at translating a comic book to the screen. And it's fun for both kids and adults!

While, screen serials like "The Shadow" did not manage to live up to it's radio original, this one is a winner. I would guess that Steven Spielberg saw this, prior to making "Raider's Of The Lost Ark".

The guy, Captain Marvel, does look silly running around in a cape...but, this is surprisingly good entertainment. Anyone who passes on this, has missed a good action offering. Possibly, superior to Tim Burton's "Batman"; the "Superman" movies, which featured Christopher Reeve; and, it's NOT bloody violence, like the action films of today.

Highly recommended.

Its hard for me to know just how these things were made up. Even the worst of them is a cool adventure. I like the earlier ones better. They are more adventurous, generally and therefore more influential. And there's no mistake that some of those early ones were very big influences.

This is late in the genre for me, but it surely the apogee of a certain type of serial. The idea of having two different actors play the two identities, the mystical Arabian context, the almost perfect cliffhangers...

The sexual content is lower than usual for these things.

One thing that's striking is how inventive the production is in how it is conceived. The trick in these things is explaining the superpowers and then showing them. Superman was cursed by being a comicbook character first, so his superpowers even today don't translate well to the screen. And his origin and the explanation of his powers was bit tortured.

This is the exact opposite; The explanation of powers is succinct and even makes a sort of sense. The powers themselves are cleverly designed around the limits of the camera.

If you are going to watch any of these old serials for fun and you don't have any particular fetish, this may be the best you will find.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

I was seven years old when I saw this serial in a theater in 1941.

I now own 49 titles of Republic serials,mostly tapes and a few on DVD.This serial is my favorite.For those who have not saw this serial,I won't give away any secrets.The plot concerns a group of scientists and an ancient artifact with lenses that can turn any matter to gold,thus the owner could rule the world.A mortal ,Billy Batson ,is given the power to become Captain Marvel.The Captain fights the arch villain,the Scorpion,for 12 exciting chapters,to keep him from getting the lens.Marvel is played by former cowboy star,Tom Tyler in fine fashion.David Sharpe does the leaps and landings in realistic style.Flying scenes still look great today,with excellent special effects by the Lydecker brothers.The Scorpion is voiced by another actor,and should keep the viewer guessing until the final reel.Music by Cy Feurer,William Lava and others add more excitement to a fine serial.Whitney and English directed.