Classic Movie Serials
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, are short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film.
They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction.
Also known as "chapter plays", they were extended motion
pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes".
Each chapter was screened at the same theater for one week and ended with a cliffhanger in which the hero and heroine found themselves in a perilous situation with little apparent chance of escape.
Viewers had to return each week to see the cliffhangers resolved and to follow the continuing story.
Serials were especially popular with children and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial along with animated cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films.
(Info taken from wikipedia)
They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction.
Also known as "chapter plays", they were extended motion
pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes".
Each chapter was screened at the same theater for one week and ended with a cliffhanger in which the hero and heroine found themselves in a perilous situation with little apparent chance of escape.
Viewers had to return each week to see the cliffhangers resolved and to follow the continuing story.
Serials were especially popular with children and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial along with animated cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films.
(Info taken from wikipedia)
List activity
34K views
• 38 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
508 titles
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsVictor JoryVeda Ann BorgRoger MooreThe Shadow battles a villain known as The Black Tiger, who has the power to make himself invisible and is trying to take over the world with his death ray.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsHenry BrandonWilliam RoyleRobert KellardThe nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu searches for the keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, in order to fulfill a prophecy that will enable him to conquer the world. His nemesis, Dr. Nayland Smith, and his associates fight to keep the evil doctor from getting his hands on the keys.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsCharles QuigleyBruce BennettDavid SharpeUsing a diabolical disguise, Harry Crowel embarks on a vengeful career of destruction...opposed by three heroic daredevils.
- DirectorJames W. HorneRay TaylorStarsWarren HullIris MeredithRichard FiskeA crime fighter known as The Spider battles a villain called The Octopus, who is out to sabotage America and install his own government.
- DirectorFord BeebeAlan JamesStarsBuster CrabbeFrances RobinsonEdna SedgewickA famous detective sets out to discover who stole $2 million in bonds.
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsBela LugosiMaria AlbaClara Kimball YoungThe cult of Ubasti, headquartered on the isle of Lemuria, believes that Princess Nadji of Egypt is a reincarnation of their long-dead goddess, Ossana, and intend to sacrifice her so that Ossana may be resurrected.
- DirectorColbert ClarkArmand SchaeferStarsJack MulhallRaymond HattonFrancis X. Bushman Jr.Tom Wayne rescues Clancy, Renard and Schmidt in the Arabian desert and they join him in going after El Shaitan, a bad guy who is never seen as he tries to wipe out the Foreign Legion.
- DirectorAlbert HermanStarsJack MulhallRex LeaseMae BuschA scientist discovers a formula for making synthetic gold.
- DirectorRay TaylorMack V. WrightStarsMalaRexBuck the DogA 14-episode serial in which Mala, a Polynesian in the employ of U.S. Intelligence investigates sabotage on Clipper Island. A gang of spies causes the eruption of a volcano, for which our hero is blamed. He convinces the local Princess Melani of his innocence and helps her ward off a takeover by rival high priest Porotu.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonJoseph KaneStarsGrant WithersAdrian MorrisAnn RutherfordU.S. Marines, attempting to build a landing field on Halfway Island in the Pacific, unwittingly endanger the secret hideout of a mysterious figure known as The Tiger Shark. The Tiger Shark therefore begins a program of sabotage and murder against the Marines.
- DirectorEdward LaurierVin MooreSpencer Gordon BennetStarsBobby CoxJim VanceCarter DixonTwo Boy Scouts win an around-the-world trip with a crack aviator, and find themselves crash-landed in the South American jungles after the ace forgets to refuel in Ecuador.
- DirectorFord BeebeB. Reeves EasonStarsJohn WayneDorothy GulliverEdward HearnThe Eagle uses sky writing to make threats against a corporation. Nathan Gregory owns a traveling fairground and is thought to be the Eagle. Craig McCoy is a pilot who goes looking for the Eagle when Gregory turns up missing.
- DirectorJ.P. McGowanArmand SchaeferStarsJohn WayneShirley GreyConway TearleWhen his father is killed in a train wreck, Larry Baker vows to unmask a mysterious criminal called "The Wrecker," who has targeted the L&M Railroad for deadly" accidents."
- DirectorFord BeebeClifford SmithStarsGrant WithersBetty Jane RhodesRaymond HattonTwo safaris enter the African jungle intent on finding a white girl who is the heiress to a fortune. One tries to help her and the other one wants to kill her.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsHarold 'Red' GrangeDorothy GulliverWalter MillerA gambling ring run out of the Mogul Taxi company is intent on fixing college football games. Football star Harold "Red" Grange is a target for the gamblers, whose thugs try to eliminate Grange from playing. Grange's buddy Buddy is himself vulnerable to blackmail, since he has broken team rules by marrying. The crooks use all their wiles to keep Grange and Buddy from leading their team to victory.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsBruce BennettMalaMonte BlueAn expedition arrives on an uncharted jungle island to rescue the local natives, led by a jungle boy, from a volcano that is about to erupt.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonJoseph KaneStarsClyde BeattyManuel KingElaine ShepardA 15-episode serial in which Beatty goes to darkest Africa to rescue the Goddess of Joba, who is being held by the high priest.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsLee PowellBruce BennettEleanor StewartThe US marine corps must battle a would-be world conqueror who uses electricity as a weapon.
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsEvalyn KnappCraig ReynoldsJames DurkinA famous scientist and his beautiful daughter travel to Indochina to find an ivory disc that has the formula for a deadly gas engraved on it. An evil doctor and his gang are also looking for it.
- DirectorFord BeebeB. Reeves EasonStarsHarry CareyHobart BosworthFrank Coghlan Jr.Natty Bumppo, known as Hawk-Eye, is a frontiersman in the American wilderness. Together with his Indian friends Chingachgook and Uncas, he fights battles against nefarious white soldiers as well as the vicious Indian Magua and his cohorts.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsReed HadleySheila DarcyWilliam CorsonThe masked hero leads a fighting force to fight a villian who plots the conquest of The Republic of Mexico.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsJohn CarrollNoah BeeryRichard AlexanderThe California-Yucatan Railroad, being built for the good of Mexico, is under siege by a gang of terrorists hoping to force its sale; no one can prove their connection to profiteer Marsden. Manuel Vega, aged co-owner, calls in the aid of his nephew James, great-grandson of the original Zorro. Alas, James seems more adept at golf than derring-do; but after he arrives, Zorro rides again! Can one black-clad man on horseback defeat a gang supplied with airplanes and machine guns?
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsClark WilliamsJean RogersDelphine DrewDashing aviator Tommy and his sidekick Skeeter try to foil an unscrupulous plan concocted by Manuel Casmetto and Horace Raymore to steal Nazil Island's valuable oil reserves.
- DirectorFord BeebeClifford SmithStarsScott KolkJean RogersDavid OliverA secret agent goes after the gang that stole the crown jewels of a European monarchy.
- DirectorClifford SmithLew LandersStarsDonald BriggsJean RogersJohn 'Dusty' KingA 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.
- DirectorFord BeebeClifford SmithStarsJohn 'Dusty' KingJean RogersNoah Beery Jr.This 13 chapter serial is based on the comic strip character Ace Drummond created by Eddie Rickenbacker. Ace is a 'G-Man of the sky' working out of Washington D.C. He is sent to Mongolia to find out why a mysterious villain known only as 'The Dragon' is trying to prevent the newly formed International Airways from setting up an airport there. Ace meets Peggy Trainor (Jean Rogers) who is searching for her archaeologist father who has disappeared. Together they search for answers to the puzzles.
- DirectorFord BeebeB. Reeves EasonStarsRexRin Tin Tin Jr.Kane RichmondA 12 episode serial starring Rex, the King of the Wild Horses and Rin-Tin-Tin, Jr. Rex is brought from the island of Sujan, where he is worshiped as a God-Horse, to the U.S. to be trained as a polo pony. He escapes, meets Rinty and with the help of Frank Bradley is returned to Sujan. The natives have been persuaded to turn against their God-Horse, however he is rescued just in time before he is burned as a sacrifice.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsRalph ByrdIrving PichelTed PearsonA mad doctor named Zanoff uses a drug to bring himself back from the dead after his execution in prison. Dick Tracy sets out to capture Zanoff before he can put his criminal gang back together again.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsTom TylerJeanne BatesErnie AdamsThe Phantom's clan has ruled the jungle tribes for centuries. He battles Dr. Bremmer who plans to build an airfield and gets greedy when Professor Davidson and his niece Diana arrive to search for the treasure of the lost city of Zoloz.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsRalph ByrdLynne RobertsCharles MiddletonDick Tracy battles spies and saboteurs in his efforts to bring to justice the Stark gang, a criminal family led by the vicious Pa Stark.
- DirectorColbert ClarkArmand SchaeferStarsJack MulhallFrankie DarroLola LaneMarjorie Temple, owner of a bus line and an apparently worthless plot of land, is set upon by rich oil speculators who know her land actually is worth millions. When they try to put her out of business for good, young race driver Burn 'em Up Barnes comes to her rescue - again and again and again.
- DirectorAlan JamesRay TaylorStarsRalph ByrdKay HughesSmiley BurnetteA master criminal called The Spider puts the famous detective's brother under a hypnotic spell and turns him against Dick.
- DirectorDavid HowardArmand SchaeferStarsClyde BeattySyd SaylorCecilia ParkerAnimal trainer Clyde Beatty heads a rescue party in search of his girl, Ruth, and her father who get lost looking for an uncharted island. His dirigible crashes into the jungles of the island. When he locates Ruth, he learns that her father has disappeared. The ensuing search is hindered by greedy gold hunters and wild animals.
- DirectorRobert F. HillStarsBela LugosiBruce BennettJoan BarclayA madman sets out to destroy a group of Chinatown merchants.
- DirectorOtto BrowerB. Reeves EasonStarsGene AutryFrankie DarroBetsy King RossWhen the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show.
- DirectorFord BeebeSaul A. GoodkindStarsBela LugosiRobert KentDorothy ArnoldA military intelligence officer and a pretty reporter try to find a scientist whose inventions can destroy the world.
- DirectorFord BeebeSaul A. GoodkindStarsBuster CrabbeConstance MooreJackie MoranA 20th Century pilot named Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade awake from 500 years in suspended animation to find that the world has been taken over by the outlaw army of Killer Kane.
- DirectorFord BeebeRobert F. HillFrederick StephaniStarsBuster CrabbeJean RogersCharles MiddletonWhen a deadly Nitron ray strikes Earth, Flash Gordon and his friends travel to Mars to battle Ming the Merciless and his new ally Queen Azura.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsRobert LivingstonChief ThundercloudSilver ChiefHomesteaders are moving into the valley settled many years ago by rancher Craig Dolan. He wants to keep them out by legal means but his nephew Bart brings in outlaws to drive them out. The Lone Ranger is on hand to help the homesteaders battle Bart's men as he overcomes traps, ambushes, burning buildings and other obstacles in his attempt to bring peace to the valley.
- DirectorRay TaylorMack V. WrightStarsRobert LivingstonKay HughesGuinn 'Big Boy' WilliamsA masked hero called "The Eagle" leads California ranchers in a struggle against Russian Cossacks who are plotting to take over California and turn it into a Russian colony.
- DirectorAlan JamesRay TaylorWilliam WitneyStarsRay CorriganHoot GibsonLeRoy MasonThe period is the 1820's and the first wagon train leaves Independence heading west to Santa Fe. In order to maintain his power, the ruthless Official at Santa Fe must not let them arrive and he sends out his men to stop them. The wagon train then has to endure repeated attacks but is aided by a mysterious rider that shoots singing arrows and rides a painted stallion.
- DirectorFord BeebeSaul A. GoodkindStarsJohnny Mack BrownLouise StanleyFuzzy KnightFrontier scout Jeff Scott (Johnny Mack Brown) and his pal, Deadwood Hawkins (Fuzzy Knight), are hired by Washington officials to stop outlaw and Indian raids on pioneer wagon trains crossing the western plains. Strangely, only those trains bound for the rich fur-trapping regions of the Oregon territory are molested. Keeping their identity secret, Jeff and Deadwood overtake a wagon train in time to save its occupants from an Indian-attack massacre. They rescue Margaret Mason (Louise Stanley) and Johnnie Clark (Bill Cody, Jr.), a young boy whose father was killed in the attack. Jeff suspects that the wagonmaster "Bull" Bragg (Jack C. Smith) is a spy for the raiders and has Bragg thrown out of his job. Bragg, after inciting an Indian attack and starting a prairie fire, is thrown into jail. Bragg is working under the orders of Sam Morgan (James Blaine), the manager for a fur company syndicate that hopes to keep the settlers out of Oregon. After many dangers and disasters, the wagon train finally reaches Oregon. When the settlers prepare to stake out land claims, Morgan flashes a fake land grant and demands they pay him a high price for the land.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonArmand SchaeferStarsRexRin Tin Tin Jr.Ben TurpinRex, a wild stallion, and Rinty, a police dog, are pals. Their master , John Sheldon, is framed for murder, and Alice Ingram plans to race Rex for money to pay for John's legal defense. Meantime, Frank Nolan, who has falsely accused John, sets out to steal Rex for himself.
- DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHarry CareyNoah BeeryFrankie DarroBob Norton, seeking his brother's killer, tangles with outlaws, wild horses, and a "wild" boy.
- DirectorBenjamin H. KlineArmand SchaeferStarsRin Tin TinFrankie DarroHayden StevensonA Rin-Tin-Tin serial presented in 12 episodes. The mysterious Wolf Man is terrorizing settlers in a western town. With the help of Rinty, young Jimmy Carter unmasks the Wolf Man and foils his evil plot.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsRin Tin TinWalter MillerJune MarloweA prospector is murdered by The Cactus Kid and his gang, who hope to find the murdered man's goldmine. The miner's dog, Rin-Tin-Tin, recognizes the killers, who thereafter seek to use the dog to locate the lost mine. With the help of a government agent and a young girl, Rinty saves the mine and brings the bad guys to justice.
- DirectorElmer CliftonStarsRex LeaseLona AndreWilliam FarnumWhen some men are attacked by Indians, a survivor obtains an Indian medicine arrow. An Indian tells Blade he has found gold but will not tell him where until he has that arrow. So Blade starts killing the survivors of the attack but fails to get the arrow. One of the men he kills is John Cardigan and Kit Cardigan, a Scout for Custer, now starts looking for the killer of his father.
- DirectorOtto BrowerB. Reeves EasonStarsKen MaynardTarzanVerna HillieKen Williams is determined to discover the identity of the mysterious Rattler, who preys upon railroads and transportation companies like the one owned by Jane Corwin. The Rattler is especially difficult to catch because of his skill at disguising himself as other people.
- DirectorColbert ClarkArmand SchaeferStarsJohnny Mack BrownBetsy King RossNoah BeeryA pack train led by Kit Carson is attacked by Kraft and his Mystery Riders, who want a government shipment of gold carried by the wagons. Matt Fargo manages to hide the gold, but Carson must confront the Mystery Riders time after time in order to prevent them from finding and carrying away the treasure.
- DirectorFord BeebeB. Reeves EasonStarsHarry CareyEdwina BoothRexA mysterious master criminal known as The Voice plots with his gang to sabotage the Milesburg Oil Company, but the rightful heir has a secret army of her own to protect her rights.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTom TylerWilliam DesmondTom SantschiA young man's father is murdered and the man convicted of the crime escapes prison, leaving a note intimating that seven local men know the real killer's true identity. The murdered man's son sets out to locate the seven men and find his father's slayer.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsJohnny Mack BrownJoyce ComptonRaymond HattonThree friends make a journey across the West and come up against rustlers, Indian attacks and outlaw gangs.
- DirectorAlan JamesRay TaylorStarsJohnny Mack BrownEleanor HansenJohn ArcherTom Grant has found a rich gold vein and Bart Eaton is after it. Tom's sister Mary heads for the gold fields and Eaton and his men follow. Eaton teams up with Ace Daggett who plans to doublecross him and get the gold for himself. They frame Tom for murder and then try to get him to sign over his claim. The famous scout Tex Houston is on hand, escaping the attempts on his life, saving Mary from various perils, and trying to bring in the real killer and clear Tom.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsSilver ChiefChief ThundercloudLynne RobertsHeroic's of Lone Ranger & Tonto, matter!
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsTom TylerLucile BrowneWilliam DesmondA western adventure serial in 12 episodes. Buffalo Bill battles gambler Jim Rodney who is trying to scare off the townspeople so he can gain possession of a gold strike discovered in the area. A nearby Indian tribe is provoked to attack the town and the cavalry is called in.
- DirectorNoel M. SmithRay TaylorStarsKent TaylorIrene HerveyRalph MorganDetective lieutenant Bill Bannister is assigned to run down an unknown gang of terrorists who have spread a net of crime over the city.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsTom BrownRose HobartEdgar BarrierJust before World War II, the Chinese and American governments mount a joint operation to prevent the Germans and Japanese from taking over the strategic island of Mandon.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetThomas CarrStarsDon McGuireCleo MooreJack IngramA girl is about to inherit a fortune, but she is missing in Africa. Only then, family charges Congo Bill, an adventurer, to find her, and bring her back to civilization. He follows a legend about some White Queen, but his path is full of difficulties, by an inhospitable jungle, and the man who will lose the fortune if the girl is found alive.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsDonald WoodsBilly HalopRobert ArmstrongEnemy spies try to steal a new fighter plane.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsDick ForanLeo CarrilloBuck JonesThis star-laden western serial has our able heroes escaping various perils devised by the evil Wolfe Reade and his pack of outlaws, who wish to lay claim to a fabled lost mine.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsBilly HalopGene ReynoldsLionel AtwillA group of street kids battle a terrorist gang led by a Japanese spy.
- DirectorFord BeebeJohn RawlinsStarsBilly HalopHuntz HallGabriel DellA gang of street kids work with the FBI in their attempt to find and rescue their leader's father, a scientist who has been kidnapped by a terrorist group.
- DirectorFord BeebeJohn RawlinsStarsBilly HalopHuntz HallGabriel DellThe Dead End Kids go after a gang known as the Sea Raiders, which is sinking Allied shipping.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsSammy BaughNeil HamiltonPauline MooreWhen Captain King of the Texas Rangers is murdered by saboteurs, his son, Tom ("Slingin' Sammy Baugh"), a famous football star, leaves college and joins the Texas Rangers himself. Shortly after, Tom is given the mission of avenging his father's death and defeating the foreign agents. John Barton (Neil Hamilton), supposedly a respectable citizen, works with "His Excellency" (Rudolph Anders), a mysterious leader of a gang of saboteurs, intent on destroying the Dobe Hills Oil Company oil fields in Texas. Tom teams up with Sally Crane (Pauline Moore), a reporter who witnessed his father's murder, and Mexican officer Lt. Pedro Garcia (Duncan Renaldo). The agents are working across the border in both countries with destroying the saboteurs' hideouts being their goal. One of the targets of the gang of saboteurs is an invention by Professor Nelson (Joseph Forte) who has developed a new type of aviation fuel. Tom protects the professor, riding aboard a train as his bodyguard. foiling the plot to kidnap the inventor. When rumors spread that the new aviation fuel is dangerous, Tom and Sally set out in an aircraft to prove the fuel is safe. When Pedro learns that Tom's aircraft is rigged with a time bomb, he warns him in time for Sally and Tom to parachute to safety. The saboteurs plan to destroy the Whitney Dam would flood the oil fields in Texas, and when Sally finds one of their hideouts, Tom has to rescue her. Barton and his gang finally get their hands on the formula for the special aviation fuel and set out in a dirigible flown by "His Excellency". Their attack on the oil fields is thwarted when Tom and Pedro crash their aircraft into the dirigible, killing the gang. The two lawmen parachute to safety and are later honored by the Texas Rangers for their bravery.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsEduardo CiannelliRobert WilcoxWilliam NewellA mad scientist plots the domination of America and only the masked hero, The Copperhead, can stop him.
- DirectorFred C. BrannonWilliam WitneyStarsCharles QuigleyLinda StirlingClayton MooreA criminal mastermind known as the Crimson Ghost is out to steal a device called the Cyclotrode, which can short-circuit every electrical current on the planet.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsKay AldridgeClayton MooreWilliam 'Billy' BenedictIt's intrepid Nyoka and her friends versus Vultura, Queen of the Desert, on a quest for the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates.
- DirectorFred C. BrannonStarsKirk AlynJean DeanAnthony WardeGovernment agent Chris Calvert and lady sidekick Joan battle the evil spy Baroda, despite a regular barrage of shootouts, car crashes, and cliffhangers, in this routine Republic serial.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsPaul KellyAnne NagelTrevor BardetteA police detective goes undercover and joins a gang of Nazi agents using explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the war effort, whom he battles in disguise as The Black Commando.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsKane RichmondMarguerite ChapmanSam FlintAlan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher, battles a Nazi villain known as The Mask, who heads a gang of saboteurs determined to spread destruction across America.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsWarren HullMary AinsleeDave O'BrienThe evil and masked "Gargoyle" is sabotaging all of America's industrial plants. It is up to the Spider to save the country.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsWilliam ForrestLouise CurrieJohnny ArthurA mysterious detective called The Masked Marvel battles Japanese saboteurs intent on blowing up America.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetWallace GrissellStarsAllan LaneLinda StirlingDuncan RenaldoGreedy oil speculators led by Morgan are trying to force Tiger Woman and her band of warriors from their jungle home. Allen Saunders of Inter-Ocean Oil wants to develop the oil too, but fights with Tiger Woman to stop the bad guys.
- DirectorElmer CliftonJohn EnglishStarsDick PurcellLorna GrayLionel AtwillSuperhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsRobert LoweryGeorge MacreadyRalph MorganAt the Bainbridge Research Foundation, Professor Franklin Arnold displays his creation the Metalogen Man, a robot, to Professor Ernst and three other colleagues. Shortly afterward, the three associates are killed by Thor (Ray Corrigan, in his for-rent ape suit), a huge ape trained by Ernst, and Arnold, his daughter Babs and Ken Morgan, a representative of the company for whom the robot was made, find it has been stolen. Their 15-chapter search for Thor, the robot and Ernst leads to a series of cliff-hanging adventures as Ernst strives to gain control of the robot and the supply of metalogen needed for its production.
- DirectorLambert HillyerStarsLewis WilsonDouglas CroftJ. Carrol NaishThe very first serial to adapt the comic book character of the Batman. In it, the Batman is a secret U.S. government agent, attempting to defeat the schemes of Japanese agent Dr. Daka operating in Los Angeles at the height of World War II.
- DirectorFord BeebeJohn RawlinsStarsWarren HullWade BotelerAnne NagelA wealthy publisher uses a disguise and calls himself the Green Hornet to fight crime in his city.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsGordon JonesWade BotelerKeye LukeA newspaper publisher and his Korean servant fight crime as vigilantes who pose as a notorious masked gangster and his aide.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetWallace GrissellStarsGeorge J. LewisLinda StirlingLucien LittlefieldHammond, a leading citizen who owns the town's stagecoach line, is opposed to Idaho becoming a state, and kills Randolph Meredith, owner of the town's newspaper, for endorsing it. Meredith's sister Barbara, expert with a bullwhip and pistol, dons a black costume and mask and becomes "The Black Whip", dealing a blow to Hammond and his gang each time they perform some heinous act in their efforts to keep the town, and their power over it, unchanged. Aided by government agent Vic Gordon, Barbara confronts Hammond in a final showdown just as the town votes on whether or not to accept statehood.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsDick ForanAnne NagelTom FaddenHartford is building a railroad heading west and King Carter is out to stop him from going through his town by goading the Indians into attacking the railroad crew. The head of the crew is Jeff Ramsay and he and his sidekick Tex are repeatedly there to foil Carter's attempts.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsRod CameronJoan MarshDuncan RenaldoAn American secret agent travels to Africa to infiltrate a German spy ring.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsVictor JoryIris MeredithJames CravenThe struggle over the Bellamy estate ends with Michael Bellamy accused of murder and killed on the way to prison, while his brother Abel Bellamy takes control of the estate for his own nefarious plans.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsFrances GiffordTom NealTrevor BardetteDr. Meredith has been driven from civilization by the criminal activities of his twin brother Bradley. With his infant daughter, he settles in the African jungle. But the Masamba tribes possess vast diamond mines coveted by crooks.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsEdward NorrisEddie QuillanDouglass DumbrilleDuring World War II, the German high command sends agents into an African jungle to stir up the local Tongghili tribes against the British.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsDennis MooreWanda McKayLionel AtwillDuring the latter stages of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel (Lionel Atwill), raid all gold shipments destined for Washington from Oro Grande, California. In the first chapter, "Murder By Accident", Captain Steve Clark (Dennis Moore), is recognized as a Union Secret Service agent by Morel's accomplice Trina Dessard (Virginia Christine), and, with his friend Idaho Jones (Joe Sawyer), is ambushed in the baggage car and sent to almost certain death when the car is un-coupled and plunges down the mountainside. Leaping to safety, in order to be around for the next 12 chapters, Idaho and Steve report to Colonel Sewell (Addison Richards) in Oro Grande, and Idaho introduces himself as a Wells Fargo detective to Cathy Haines (Wanda McKay), the Oro Grande company agent. Steve and Idaho learn that the Morel raiders are only posing as Confederates, and their headquarters are at Morel's "Golden Eagle" saloon. In a raid on the hideout, Steve's brother Jim (Gene Garrick) is killed by the gang. The next victim is Confederate Army Captain Clay Randolph (Regis Toomey) who has discovered that Morel is connected with a group of Prussian spies and gives Steve a clue before he dies. The clue leads Steve to a San Francisco dive owned by Abel Rackerby (Charles Wagenheim), who, thinking he has Steve in his power, exposes the ring's activities and operation methods. Aided by the San Francisco Secret Service, Steve escapes and returns to Oro Grande, where in Chapter 13, "Golden Vengeance", he and Idaho round up the spies.
- DirectorFred C. BrannonYakima CanuttStarsJim BannonVirginia BelmontAnthony WardeCrooks discover a Genghis Khan treasure ship on the Canada-Alaska border but the treasure is hidden somewhere on land. In their efforts to find the hidden treasure they resort to murder and sabotage to stop the construction of the Alcan highway which will bring homesteaders to the area. Sergeant Royal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police battles through 12 episodes to find the crooks and to learn the identity of their mysterious leader known only as 'The Boss'.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsAllan LaneRobert StrangeRobert KellardCanadian Tom Merritt has discovered a substance, Compound X, that will cure infantile paralysis, which he extracts from a mine at Caribou, Canada. A country at war with Canada (unnamed because while Canada and the British Empire were at war with Germany, the USA "officially" wasn't in 1940) discovers that Compound X also contains magnetic properties which will make their mines effective against the British fleet, and dispatch one of their intelligence officers, John Kettler, to work undercover to ensure a steady stream of Compound X for the Fatherland. RCMP Major Ross King is killed in a fray against Kettler's henchmen, and his son, RCMP Sergeant Dave King continues on in his place in command of the Mountie post. The foreign agents open a "sham" sanitarium, supposedly to help paralysis victims, but actually to ship the gathered quantities of Compound X abroad to their warring country. Sergeant King discovers the fraud and exposes "Dr. Shelton", the sham head of the hospital. The Mounties also secure some fuse caps which will provide proof that Kettler and his men are saboteurs. In an effort to recover the fuse caps, the enemy agents kidnap Linda Merritt, sister of RCMP Corporal Tom Merritt,Jr.. King and the Mounties eventually put an end to the enemy agents in chapter 12, "Code of the Mounted", but not without a great personal sacrifice by one of their own.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsAllan LaneGilbert EmeryRussell HicksThe chapter-crunched version of this 196 minutes, 12-episode serial from Republic finds Canada being bombed mercilessly by a mysterious-enemy plane (shaped like a boomerang) called the Falcon, under the supervision of Admiral Yamata, Count Baroni and Marshal von Horst, chiefs of the Axis Fifth Column in Canada. No one can identify the plane until American inventor, Professor Marshall Brent, and his daughter Carol arrive with a new type of airplane detector. This poses a threat to the Axis chiefs in preparing western Canada for an invasion and they have him kidnapped by local Quisling Gil Harper. RCMP Sergeant Tom King attempts to rescue Brent, but the inventor is killed when a plane in which he is held captive crashes into a riverboat. Carol, determined to carry on her father's work and with King's aid, manages to prevent the enemy agents from capturing the detector, and destroys the device (many chapters later) when the agents make a last desperate attack on the cabin where it is hidden. She is captured and taken to the crater of a volcano, where the ring makes its headquarters.
- DirectorWallace FoxStarsJoan WoodburyKane RichmondErnie AdamsChapter 1 finds Daily Flash newspaper reporter Brenda Starr (Joan Woodbury), and her photographer, Chuck Allen (Syd Saylor), assigned to cover a fire in an old house where they discover the wounded Joe Heller (Wheeler Oakman),a gangster suspected of stealing a quarter-million dollar payroll. The dying Heller tells Brenda that someone took his satchel of stolen money and he gives her a coded message. Kruger (Jack Ingram), the gangster who shot Heller, escapes to his gang's hideout with the bag but discovers it is filled with paper rather than money. The gang, knowing Heller gave Brenda a coded message makes many attempts on her life to get her to reveal where Heller hid the payroll money. But thanks to Chuck and Police Lieutenant Larry Farrel (Kane Richmond), she evades them for thirteen weeks/chapters, until Pesky (William 'Billy' Benedict), a Daily Flash office boy manages to decode the Heller message.
- DirectorFred C. BrannonStarsClayton MoorePamela BlakeRoy BarcroftIt is 1865 and the telegraph is heading west. George Crane, wanting to keep law and order out of his territory, is out to stop the construction. The engineer on the job is Ken Mason and he is the grandson of Don Diego Vega (also known as Zorro). As Crane sends his men or Native Americans to stop the work, Mason repeatedly puts on the Zorro costume and rides to the rescue in this twelve-chapter serial.
- DirectorDerwin AbrahamsStarsWilliam BakewellJennifer HoltRobert 'Buzz' HenryHop Harrigan (William Bakewell) and his pal "Tank" Tinker (Sumner Getchell) operate a small airport and flying service, and are hired by J. Westly Arnold (Emmett Vogan) to fly an eccentric inventor, Dr. Tabor (John Merton), to his secret laboratory where he has a revolutionary new power unit. However, a mysterious character known as the Chief Pilot is interested in the invention and uses a destroying ray to cripple Hop's airplane and kidnap Tabor. Hop and "Tank", aided by Gail Nolan (Jennifer Holt and her younger brother, Jackie (Robert 'Buzz' Henry), finally overcome the villains - and, then, Tabor goes mad and decides to blow up the world. There is still work to be done.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsCharles QuigleyJoyce BryantForrest TaylorMiserly old Anton Benson once recovered a treasure in gold from a sunken Spanish galleon, and in his greed murdered anyone who got in his way of keeping it. Now his family is gathered at his estate, Bensonhurst, and they are all searching for the treasure, which is hidden somewhere on the estate. Also looking for the gold is a masked killer called The Iron Claw, who murders one member of the family and lets the others know that they'll be next.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsBuster CrabbeCarol HughesCharles MiddletonA ravaging plague has struck the Earth threatening no less than global extinction. This alien disease is believed to be the evil spawn of Ming, the merciless Emperor of Planet Mongo. The world's only hope now rests with Flash Gordon.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsDon TerryWalter SandeElyse KnoxA Coast Guard officer is assigned to protect the coastline from spies, saboteurs and enemy agents.
- DirectorWallace FoxStarsJohn HartRosemary La PlancheClaire JamesJack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, battles the evil Dr. Grood, who has placed a death ray aboard his spaceship orbiting Earth.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsLloyd BridgesKeye LukeJan WileyAmerican, Chinese and Australian agents join forces to stop the Nazis from obtaining the formula for synthetic fuel.
- DirectorDerwin AbrahamsStarsRobert KellardPeggy StewartRobert 'Buzz' HenryWhen Tex Granger rides into Three Buttes, Helen Kent persuades him to buy the local newspaper. However, loan shark Rance Carson appoints the bandit Blaze Talbot as town marshal to act as his enforcer and soon the town is in chaos. With fighting between rival gangs, Tex dons a mask to become The Midnight Rider of the Plains and bring the criminals to justice.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetThomas CarrStarsKane RichmondRick VallinLinda LeightonAn adventurer travels to the moon to stop a madman from getting hold of the Interceptor Ray, a weapon that could destroy Earth.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsMaurice MurphyNoah Beery Jr.Patricia FarrA young mechanic gets a job with a small airline, which he helps win a mail contract. A rival airline plots to destroy it in order to get the contracts for itself.
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsJohnny DownsBobby JordanWard WoodA group of flying cadets have to clear themselves of a murder charge, while trying to stop a traitorous scientist from selling secrets to the Nazis.