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IMDbPro

The Adventures of Frank Merriwell

  • 1936
  • Approved
  • 3h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
56
YOUR RATING
Donald Briggs, John 'Dusty' King, and Jean Rogers in The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (1936)
ActionAdventureMysteryRomance

A 12-episode serial in which scholastic sports star Frank Merriwell leaves school to search for his missing father. His adventures involve a mysterious inscription on a ring, buried treasure... Read allA 12-episode serial in which scholastic sports star Frank Merriwell leaves school to search for his missing father. His adventures involve a mysterious inscription on a ring, buried treasure, kidnaping and Indian raids. He saves his father and returns to school just in time to wi... Read allA 12-episode serial in which scholastic sports star Frank Merriwell leaves school to search for his missing father. His adventures involve a mysterious inscription on a ring, buried treasure, kidnaping and Indian raids. He saves his father and returns to school just in time to win a decisive baseball game with his remarkable pitching and hitting.

  • Directors
    • Clifford Smith
    • Lew Landers
  • Writers
    • Burt L. Standish
    • George H. Plympton
    • Ella O'Neill
  • Stars
    • Donald Briggs
    • Jean Rogers
    • John 'Dusty' King
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    56
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Clifford Smith
      • Lew Landers
    • Writers
      • Burt L. Standish
      • George H. Plympton
      • Ella O'Neill
    • Stars
      • Donald Briggs
      • Jean Rogers
      • John 'Dusty' King
    • 3User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast60

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    Donald Briggs
    Donald Briggs
    • Frank Merriwell
    • (as Don Briggs)
    Jean Rogers
    Jean Rogers
    • Elsie Belwood
    John 'Dusty' King
    John 'Dusty' King
    • Bruce Browning
    • (as John King)
    Carla Laemmle
    Carla Laemmle
    • Carla Rogers
    House Peters Jr.
    House Peters Jr.
    • House Peters
    Herschel Mayall Jr.
    • 'Hersh' Mayall
    Wallace Reid Jr.
    Wallace Reid Jr.
    • Wally Reid
    Edward Arnold Jr.
    • Eddie Arnold
    Bryant Washburn Jr.
    Bryant Washburn Jr.
    • Bryant Washburn
    Allan Hersholt
    • Allen Hersholt
    Carlyle Blackwell Jr.
    Carlyle Blackwell Jr.
    • Carlyle Blackwell
    Peter Gowland
    Peter Gowland
    • Peter Gowland
    Sumner Getchell
    Sumner Getchell
    • Harry
    William P. Carleton
    William P. Carleton
    • Charles Merriwell [Chs.10-12]
    • (as William Carleton)
    Ben Hewlett
    • Daggett
    • (as Bentley Hewlett)
    Ella Ethridge
    • Mrs. Mary Merriwell [Chs. 2, 10-12]
    Walter Law
    Walter Law
    • Murray Belwood [Chs. 4-9]
    Jack Donovan
    Jack Donovan
    • Coach Harding [Chs. 1-2, 11-12]
    • Directors
      • Clifford Smith
      • Lew Landers
    • Writers
      • Burt L. Standish
      • George H. Plympton
      • Ella O'Neill
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews3

    6.656
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    Featured reviews

    2bkoganbing

    That Merriwell Does It All

    I might have enjoyed the Adventures of Frank Merriwell a whole lot more had they kept it within the time frame it was written. The first Frank Merriwell story came out in 1896 and the attitudes in those stories very graphically expressed those of pre-World War I America. And that's where Frank should have stayed.

    Instead he's updated to the year 1936 and the character really doesn't play well here. For those who don't know Merriwell was a fictional character created by Gilbert Patten writing under the name of Burt L. Standish. He was a square jawed, clean living, college athlete with no vices of any kind who while getting into all kinds of adventures still managed to get back in time to make the winning touchdown, win the race, or hit the home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for good old Yale. The books were enormously popular in the Theodore Roosevelt era and baseball pitcher Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants was in that time considered a living embodiment of Frank Merriwell. I'm surprised no one has ever considered a biographical film based on Mathewson.

    This is a serial, so I'm not expecting the greatest caliber of acting and certainly not even Cecil B. DeMille type special effects. In that I wasn't disappointed. Donald Briggs plays our firm jawed hero who in this version after hitting a game winning grandslam homerun, gets called home when his mother is taken ill. That's a ruse, she's being harassed by prowlers and she thinks they're after a ring that Dad Merriwell left before disappearing two years earlier.

    The ring holds the key to a buried treasure and our intrepid hero with his gang of college chums go searching for it with these mysterious villains on their trail. During the course of the Merriwell gets to show off his prowess in rowing, track and field, and boxing. The climax in fact involves a football game.

    Jean Rogers who played Dale Arden in the Flash Gordon serial is on hand as Frank's most chaste girl friend and biggest booster. It's what was expected of the all American hero back then in 1896.

    It might have gotten a couple extra stars had it stayed in 1896.
    5jaybee-3

    Pretty good Universal serial

    Enjoyable chapterplay from producer Henry MacRae. A bit slow in spots but overall a nice job by everyone. Interesting young cast includes Jean ( "Dale Arden" ) Rogers and Carla Laemmle. The last few chapters are the best with a good use of Universal features stock music in the background.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The original adventures of Frank Merriwell took place in the 1890s, but for the serial, the writers set the story in the then present day.
    • Crazy credits
      Featuring the sons of famous actors.

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 13, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • O protathlitis tis peripeteias
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 3h 39m(219 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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