Blackhawk (serial)
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| Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet Fred F. Sears |
| Produced by | Sam Katzman |
| Written by | Royal K. Cole Sherman L. Lowe George H. Plympton Will Eisner (characters) |
| Starring | Kirk Alyn Carol Forman John Crawford Michael Fox Don C. Harvey Rick Vallin Larry Stewart |
| Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
| Cinematography | William Whitley |
| Editing by | Earl Turner |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | US 1 July 1952 |
| Running time | 15 chapters (242 min) B&W |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blackhawk (1952) is a Columbia movie serial based on the comic book Blackhawk published by Quality Comics at the time. The serial's subtitle was "Fearless Champion of Freedom". It was the studio's 49th serial.[1]
It stars Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk and Carol Forman as the foreign spy whom the Blackhawks must prevent from stealing the experimental super-fuel "Element-X". Alyn and Forman were also the hero and villain, respectively, of Columbia's earlier Superman. This serial was produced by the famously cheap Sam Katzman and directed by the team of Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred F. Sears. It is considered a relatively cheap and lacklustre serial, produced in the waning years of the serial medium.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The Blackhawks must prevent the villainous Leader's plots to steal technology.
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[edit] Cast
- Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk, the "Fearless Champion of Freedom"
- Carol Forman as Laska, foreign spy working for The Leader
- John Crawford as Chuck
- Michael Fox as Mr Case/The Leader
- Don Harvey as Olaf
- Rick Vallin as Stan (a Blackhawk) and his twin Boris (an agent of The Leader)
- Larry Stewart as Andre
- Weaver Levy as Chop
- Zon Murray as Bork
- Nick Stuart as Cress
- Marshall Reed as Aller
- Pierce Lyden as D
[edit] Production
Writer George Plympton described a production staff meeting where they listened to a recording of the short lived Blackhawk radio series. Everyone at the meeting was "aghast at the confusing babble of accents." In the serial, all of the Blackhawks speak with standard American accents.[2]
[edit] Stunts
In chapter 3, Kirk Alyn performs a potentially dangerous stunt without the use of a stunt double. In order to save the life of Stan, tied to a stake in the path of a taxiing plane, Blackhawk (Alyn) runs up to the vehicle and turns it aside by grabbing the wing. A hidden pilot inside the plane steered it to simulate the movement. The scriptwriters were thinking of a lighter wood and canvas plane, not a heavy metal one, which could have killed Alyn if something had gone wrong.[2]
[edit] Critical reception
Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure."[3] Despite this Blackhawk was the last aviation serial. Aviators were becoming less impressive in popular culture and science fiction was taking its place.[2]
As a serial of the 1950s, this was produced after the medium's heyday. The serials of this time were generally inferior to those that had been made in the previous decade.[4]
[edit] Chapter titles
- Distress Call from Space
- Blackhawk Traps a Traitor
- In the Enemy's Hideout
- The Iron Monster
- Human Targets
- Blackhawk's Leap for Life
- Mystery Fuel
- Blasted from the Sky
- Blackhawk Tempts Fate
- Chase for Element X
- Forced Down
- Drums of Doom
- Blackhawk's Daring Plan
- Blackhawk's Wild Ride
- The Leader Unmasked
Source:[5]
[edit] References
- ^ "The great movie serials: their sound and fury, Jim Harmon, Donald F. Glut, 1973, p.160". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=yCJbPSH772AC&pg=PA160&dq=Blackhawk+1952+serial&as_brr=3&ei=-VIgSvaZDZO-M7TmgPEP&client=firefox-a. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ a b c Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut. "7. The Aviators "Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 161–163. ISBN 9780713000979.
- ^ Cline, William C.. "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. p. 27. ISBN 078640471X.
- ^ Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture - The Decline of the Serial
- ^ Cline, William C.. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 253–254. ISBN 078640471X.
[edit] External links
- Blackhawk at the Internet Movie Database
- Blackhawk at AllRovi
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