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The Masked Marvel
''The Masked Marvel'' (1943) is a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many other well known serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced. Plot In ''The Masked Marvel'', a hero dressed in a business suit and a face mask fights the Japanese saboteur Sakima and his espionage organization. The hook of the story is that, in a reversal of the common serial "Masked Mystery Villain" stock character, the audience doesn't know who the hero is until the final reel—all the audience is told is that The Masked Marvel is one of a group of special investigators (the same plotline is used in the Republic serial ''The Lone Ranger''). Cast * William Forrest as Martin Crane * Louise Currie as Alice Hamilton * Johnny Arthur as Mura Sakima, Japanese saboteur * Rod Bacon as Jim Arnold * Richard Clarke as Frank Jeffers * Anthony Warde as 'Killer' Mace * David Bacon as Bob Barton/The Masked Marvel * Bill Healy as Terry Morton * Howard C. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Gordon Bennet
Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bennet first entered show business as a stunt man, when he answered a newspaper ad to jump from the Palisades of the Hudson River while wearing a suit for the serial film ''Hurricane Hutch'' (1921). The gig at that time paid $1 per foot he had to fall. He made his directorial debut in 1921's ''Behold the Man'' but made his serial directorial debut in 1925 with ''Sunken Silver''. He would keep making serials, as well as B-Western features, until the very end of the genre, directing the last two serials made in the United States, ''Blazing the Overland Trail'' (1956) and ''Perils of the Wilderness'' (1956). After the serials ended he directed a handful of features, his final directorial credit being 1965's ''The Bounty Killer'', which was also th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stock Character
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of stock characters, covering men and women of various ages, social classes and demeanors. They are archetypal characters distinguished by their simplification and flatness. As a result, they tend to be easy targets for parody and to be criticized as clichés. The presence of a particular array of stock characters is a key component of many genres, and they often help to identify a genre or subgenre. For example, a story with a knight-errant and a witch is probably a fairy tale or fantasy. There are several purposes to using stock characters. Stock characters are a time- and effort-saving shortcut for story creators, as authors can populate their tale with existing well-known character types. Another benefit is that stock characters help to mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Superhero Films
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soccer * Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Spy Films
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soccer * Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1943 Films
The year 1943 in film featured various significant events for the film industry. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1943 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 23 – The film ''Casablanca'' is released nationally in the United States and becomes one of the top-grossing pictures of 1943. It goes on to win the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the 16th Academy Awards. * February 20 – American film studio executives agree to allow the United States Office of War Information to censor films. * June 1 – Veteran English stage and screen actor Leslie Howard dies at the age of 50 in the crash of BOAC Flight 777 off the coast of Galicia, Spain. While best remembered for his role as Ashley Wilkes in ''Gone with the Wind'', Howard had roles in many other notable films and was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. * November 23 – British Forces Broadcasting Service begins operation * December 31 – New York Ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lydecker Brothers
Howard and Theodore Lydecker, always known—and billed—as such, were Howard "Babe" Lydecker (June 8, 1911 – September 26, 1969) and Theodore Lydecker (November 7, 1908 – May 25, 1990), a special effects team primarily working as contract staff members of Republic Pictures. They are best remembered as the producers and photographers of some of the best miniature effects of their time. Career They both worked at Republic from its creation in 1935 until the company could no longer afford to maintain full-time contract players and behind-the-camera artists in the middle 1950s, after which they went freelance and found themselves in significant demand for both film and television work. Their miniature effects made Republic serials the best for visual effects, far outstripping their competitors at Universal (where special effects maestro John P. Fulton, ASC was forbidden from working on serials) and Columbia Pictures. Their success came from building large, detailed models a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Terrell
Kenneth Jones Terrell (April 29, 1904 – March 8, 1966) was an American western and action film actor and stuntman best known for playing Joe Marcelli in the 1956 film ''Indestructible Man'' and Jess in the 1958 film ''Attack of the 50 Foot Woman ''Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' is a 1958 independently made American science fiction horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz) and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. It was produced by Bernard ...''. Biography Born in the small town of Coolidge, Georgia, Terrell attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta. As a young man, he took up bodybuilding and developed the athletic skills that helped him become a Hollywood stuntman. His roles in action films were usually minor, and sometimes he did stunt work and acting in the same film. Terrell did only limited stunt work after a foot injury in the late 1950s. He died from arteriosclerosis at the age of 61. Filmography References Externa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betty Miles
Betty Miles (January 11, 1910 – June 9, 1992) was an American B-movie film actress and stuntwoman of the late 1930s and well into the 1940s, who later became an educator. Her father, George Henry T. Henninger, was a Texas cattleman, and had taught her to ride horses from an early age. Early life Born in Santa Monica, California as Elizabeth Harriet Henninger, she attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 1931. While attending college, she took part in several debate competitions, winning three. Educated, athletic, attractive, and an accomplished equestrian, she began acting after graduation, playing in several theater plays through 1936. In 1937, she had her first, albeit minor, film role, in '' Nothing Sacred''. Acting and stuntwoman career Having an interest in western films, she caught the attention of Monogram Pictures when, while watching the filming of a movie scene, she noticed that the actress was having difficulty with her riding, causing several ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stunt Coordinator
A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for stunt casting. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of stunts for a film, television programme or a live audience. Where the film requires a stunt, and involves the use of stunt performers, the stunt coordinator will arrange the casting and performance of the stunt, working closely with the director. In many cases, the stunt coordinator budgets, designs and choreographs the stunt sequence to suit the script and the director's vision. It is a stunt coordinator's responsibility to create an environment where open dialogue among cast & crew involved in stunts can occur (i.e., concerns and problems can be resolved without fear of retaliation, bullying or belittlement). They should ensure that adequate rehearsals and planning occur prior to filming on set, and also ensure that performer credentials are v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Filmmaking
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casting, pre-production, shooting, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release and an exhibition. Filmmaking occurs in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world. It uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques. Although filmmaking originally involved the use of film, most film productions are now digital. Today, filmmaking refers to the process of crafting an audio-visual story commercially for distribution or broadcast. Production stages Film production consists of five major stages: * Development: Ideas for the film are created, rights to existing intellectual properties are purchased, etc., and the screenplay is written ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tiger Woman (1944 Film)
''The Tiger Woman'' (1944) is a 12-chapter film serial by Republic Pictures starring Allan Lane and Linda Stirling (her serial debut). The serial was re-released in 1951 under the title ''Perils of the Darkest Jungle'' and, in 1966, it was edited into the 100-minute Century-66 film ''Jungle Gold''. Stirling was immediately popular in ''The Tiger Woman''. Due to her impact, ''Zorro's Black Whip'' was quickly put into production with her as the main star. Linda Stirling is a jungle girl lost in the South American rainforest and ruling a native tribe. The serial's plot is a variant on the common serial and B-Western "land grab" plot - in this case, the villains attempt to run the natives off the land so that they can claim its valuable oil reserves. Premise Evil oil speculators in South America attempt to drive away a native tribe and their leader, the Tiger Woman. The Tiger Woman, a white woman, might be the lost heiress to a vast fortune, and later plotlines in the serial are b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radar Men From The Moon
''Radar Men from the Moon'' is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Pictures' 12-chapter movie serial, the first Commando Cody serial starring newcomer George Wallace as Cody, Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert, and serial veteran Roy Barcroft as the evil Retik, the Ruler of the Moon. The director was Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by the Lydecker brothers. This serial recycles the flying sequences from Republic's earlier 1949 serial ''King of the Rocket Men''. It was later released by Republic in 1966 as the 100-minute television film ''Retik the Moon Menace''. The odd naming choice of the serial's main hero, "Commando Cody," was possibly an attempt by Republic to make young audiences think they were seeing another adventure of Commander Corry, the hero of the popular ABC TV and radio series '' Space Patrol'' (1950–1955). However, there is no surviving evidence that this was a consideration by anyone at Republic. Plot Commando Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
