The Serial Squadron now works through a distributor, Hermitage Hill Media LLC, which to date at least seems to offer only Serial Squadron product on actual DVD (not DVD-R). Their first joint release, the 1935 Universal serial Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery ($15.95) was a surprise and delight on all counts; this unheralded chapterplay is a pip, and the Squadrons presentation is flawless. The second release, the 1944 Universal serial Mystery of the Riverboat (out this week, $15.95), is a bit more problematic.
Like the Tailspin Tommy offering, Riverboat is presented sans added colors or music, for which were grateful (it sounds silly to be thanking somebody for presenting a vintage film without altering it, doesnt it?). It looks good, certainly better than the old VHS release from VCI Entertainment. Still, the pickier of those amongst us are going to gripe about the rather snarky vertical lines that slash the screen through all 13 chapters. Itll either annoy you for the next three months, or youll get used to it and wont notice it. Report back and let us know!
The other drawback is that this is not a very good serial, and the entertainment value youre going to derive from it is going to depend on your tolerance for the musical numbers that pop up all over the place, many of them provided courtesy of the riverboats resident singer/guitarist, Jimmie Dodd (you know, the adult Mouseketeer. No, the OTHER adult Mousketeer, the one with hair like Gumby).
It seems three families have invested in some worthless Louisiana swampland, but its only worthless because they dont know about the rare element under the muck. Our villains know, though, and theyll do whatever they have to do to procure the property. Gumming up the muddy works is Robert Lowery, who most people hate as a serial lead but who is one of our clunky serial faves (he was the hero of Batman and Robin and Monster and the Ape, although if hes remembered at all these days its for yanking on Kharis bandages in The Mummys Ghost). The producers were generous enough to give us not one but two screen funnymen to provide comic relief in between the plethora of musical numbers and the sparse action sequences. Eddie Quillan was later teamed with Wally Vernon for a not-particularly-popular series of 2-reel Columbia comedies. Such titles as Parlor, Bedroom and Wrath and His Pest Friend demonstrate the level of humor found therein. In Mystery of the Riverboat, Quillan is Jug Jenks, who provides quips while Lowery provides fisticuffs. That is, while Lowery's stuntman provides fisticuffs.
Of much more interest is Mantan Moreland, appearing in his one and only serial. The man would appear in anything, it seems, and I cant think of a film that wasnt considerably brightened by his appearance. In the sample chapters we screened in the Balcony, he didnt have much to do, but hopefully they found use for his talents from time to time over the length of this thing.
Mystery of the Riverboat is worth watching just for the cast (besides Lowery and Moreland, you'll find Lyle Talbot and the usual serial guys; what, did Anthony Warde get a call EVERY time somebody was making a chapterplay?), and if you particularly enjoy the song stylings of Jimmie Dodd, well, this is recommended.
Like the Tailspin Tommy offering, Riverboat is presented sans added colors or music, for which were grateful (it sounds silly to be thanking somebody for presenting a vintage film without altering it, doesnt it?). It looks good, certainly better than the old VHS release from VCI Entertainment. Still, the pickier of those amongst us are going to gripe about the rather snarky vertical lines that slash the screen through all 13 chapters. Itll either annoy you for the next three months, or youll get used to it and wont notice it. Report back and let us know!
The other drawback is that this is not a very good serial, and the entertainment value youre going to derive from it is going to depend on your tolerance for the musical numbers that pop up all over the place, many of them provided courtesy of the riverboats resident singer/guitarist, Jimmie Dodd (you know, the adult Mouseketeer. No, the OTHER adult Mousketeer, the one with hair like Gumby).
It seems three families have invested in some worthless Louisiana swampland, but its only worthless because they dont know about the rare element under the muck. Our villains know, though, and theyll do whatever they have to do to procure the property. Gumming up the muddy works is Robert Lowery, who most people hate as a serial lead but who is one of our clunky serial faves (he was the hero of Batman and Robin and Monster and the Ape, although if hes remembered at all these days its for yanking on Kharis bandages in The Mummys Ghost). The producers were generous enough to give us not one but two screen funnymen to provide comic relief in between the plethora of musical numbers and the sparse action sequences. Eddie Quillan was later teamed with Wally Vernon for a not-particularly-popular series of 2-reel Columbia comedies. Such titles as Parlor, Bedroom and Wrath and His Pest Friend demonstrate the level of humor found therein. In Mystery of the Riverboat, Quillan is Jug Jenks, who provides quips while Lowery provides fisticuffs. That is, while Lowery's stuntman provides fisticuffs.
Of much more interest is Mantan Moreland, appearing in his one and only serial. The man would appear in anything, it seems, and I cant think of a film that wasnt considerably brightened by his appearance. In the sample chapters we screened in the Balcony, he didnt have much to do, but hopefully they found use for his talents from time to time over the length of this thing.
Mystery of the Riverboat is worth watching just for the cast (besides Lowery and Moreland, you'll find Lyle Talbot and the usual serial guys; what, did Anthony Warde get a call EVERY time somebody was making a chapterplay?), and if you particularly enjoy the song stylings of Jimmie Dodd, well, this is recommended.
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