In 1950,there was a film called 'The Good Humor Man' and Fawcett released a tie-in comic called Captain Marvel and the Good Humor Man.
If you look on the cover,you can see the star of the film,Jack Carson surrounded by some boys known as The Captain Marvel Club-they wear capes similar to Captain Marvel,Jr.and they are also wearing shirts with Captain Marvel printed all over and beanie caps that read the magic word 'SHAZAM!'
Anyone seen this film on video and is there a DVD release?
[ May 22, 2012, 05:01 PM: Message edited by: Reboot ]
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Inspired by Lash's reviews of Lost, I am going to write reviews of the Republic Pictures serial "The Adventures of Captain Marvel".
In addition to Billy Batson, the cast of characters are: Honky er.... I mean Whitey, Billy's friend and presumed comic relief Betty Wallace, secretary to John Malcolm John Malcolm Prof. Bentley Henry Carlyle Tal Chotali (the foreign guide and presumed villain) Dr. Stephen Lang Dwight Fisher
and
The Scorpion All of the other characters are credited with the actor's name except The Scorpion. So presumably, one of the other characters is the Scorpion.
No Sterling Morris. The serial was released in 1941 and Captain Marvel started in 1940. So other than Sterling Morris I don't know of any other supporting cast from the comic books that could have been included. Both Mary & Freddy don't debut until after the serial is made.
The story starts out in the jungles of Siam. The Malcolm Archaeological expedition is searching the Valley of the Kings for the secrets of the Scorpion dynasty. Natives (all white actors) attack the camp, but are held off. The expedition is given one day to leave.
So without a minute to spare, they break into the Tomb. However before breaking into the main chamber, Billy feels like they are grave robbing and goes off to another part of the tomb to pack up some of the pots they found in the tomb.
The team breaks in and discovers a giant golden scorpion with five lens, one on each of four legs and one on the tail. Putting the lens in order produces an explosion that knocks them out and seals them in the tomb. Meanwhile a secret door opens near Billy. He goes into check it out and there finds Shazam. This kind of reminded me of Dr. Fate's origin. Shazam tells Billy he is to guard the scorpion as Captain Marvel and only call out Cap for a good reason otherwise the curse of the scorpion will be upon him.
Cap rescues the team. They also recover a scroll that tells them to position the lens in a certain way and it can change ordinary things into pure gold. Realizing how valuable and dangerous this is, they divy up the lens. That night a hood figure lights a signal fire and some natives break into camp. They kill a guard and Mr. Howell (poor Lovey) who had been given a lens. They steal the giant scorpion and the scroll from Billy.
The local volcano erupts and the natives take it as a sign of war and attack again. The British army comes to the rescue. The team is escaping across the gorge bridge. The first car makes it, but the second car with Whitey & Betty are on the bridge when it explodes.
Next episode: The Guillotine.
For the flying effects they use a combinatin of the effect from the Superman TV series and a mannequin zipping along a wire. I haven't actually seen a wire yet. Cap at first is surprized to find that he is bullet proof.
[ May 22, 2012, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Quislet, Esq ]
Posted by Kent Shakespeare on :
I remember seeing some of those old series in elementary school; our principal would show them during lunch.
We saw the 40s Captain Marvel, Batman, the Masked Marvel (A takeoff n The Spirit), among others.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Wow! Awesome reviews! Keep them coming!
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
The Guillotine:
Oh Nos! The bridge explodes! Whitey and Betty are still in the car. Will Cap reach them in time? He arrives just as the bridge explodes and... and... Whew! The car lands safely in the river below while Cap just watches. Cap did almost lose his balance when he landed on a boulder.
Cap dives down a la Tarzan. He rips open the roof and pulls out Whitey. Cap carries Whitey to the shore. Hmmmm.... I guess Betty drowned. Oh no wait. She's already on the shore.
And it is back to America and not a moment too soon. Billy is still a radio broadcaster. And does he have a story to tell. But the Scorpion is here too. And per his henchman, Scorpion is one of the Malcolm expedition. It also looks like they didn't get the lens given to poor Mr. Howell. I wonder who got it?
The first person they are going after is Henry Carlyle. And they got him. The thugs show him a doorway to a hall. The doorway is covered with electric eyes that will knock out anyone going through it. They toss a chair in to show how it works. Once unconscious the chair falls onto a conveyor belt and is brought under a Click Here For A Spoilerguillotine which falls down destroying the chair. Poor innocent chair.
Henry Carlyle then writes a note having Betty get the lens and deliver it to a bridge. The rest of expedition agree to this. Billy takes Betty aside to say he has a cunning plan.
Betty put a small box on the bridge and drives off. A thug hiding in the bushes comes out and takes the box. Billy & Whitey pop up in the back of Betty's car and jump out of the car. They plan to follow the thug. Although how they are going to follow the thug who has a car while on foot, I don't know. But it is a moot point as other thugs surprize Billy & Whitey. A fight ensues. Billy and one thug fall off the bridge. The thug is knocked out and SHAZAM!. Cap is again surprized to find out that he is bullet proof. The last thug uses Whitey as a hostage and drives off.
Cap flies up and lands on the roof of the car. The stupid thug drives Cap right to the hideout. The box is empty though. The thugs threated Carlyle with the death trap. They are about to toss him in when Cap busts through the window. Another fight ensues. Cap is no longer surprized that he is bullet proof. Even though he has seen that Cap is not harmed by bullets, Carlyle throws himself on one thug about to shoot Cap. Another thug grabs a chair and smashes it against Cap. poor innocent chair. Cap staggers back and into the electric eyes which shock him into unconsciousness and the conveyor belt send him right into the guillotine.
Next episode: Time Bomb
Ok so this isn't so much a review as a telling you what happened.
Everyone is wearing suits. what is this? Madmen? Even Billy and Whitey are wearing suits when they know that they are going out to the countryside to follow the thug(s). The fights are pretty well choreographed. In the first episode they did have Cap fly into the natives and it looks more like he fell on them than flew into them. After Billy changes into Cap, he leaps up onto the bridge. I assume the special effect was playing a film of him leaping off the bridge played backwards, but it was very well done.
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Time Bomb:
Do you need me to tell you that the guillotine breaks upon Cap's invulnerable body?
More gun play between the thugs and Carlyle. Carlyle is shot. He tells Cap that he thinks he knows who the Scorpion is, but dies before saying who.
Betty is going to Carlyle's Oak Mountain lidge to get his lens. Tal Chotali is suspiciously acting suspicious. Someone overhears Billy telling Whitey to follow Betty as she goes to Oak Mountain Lodge.
The Scorpion's thugs trick Betty with a fake detour and have her drive Billy's car into a big truck. Whitey passes the truck unaware. But smart Betty secretly turns on the 2 way radio in BIlly's car & Billy hears that she is in an Acme truck and where they are. The thugs take the combination to Carlyle's safe from Betty, start gasing Betty, and leap from the truck to another car while both are in motion. They like doing this as they did it in the last episode too. Cap stops the runaway truck and pulls Betty away from the gas. He then turns back into Billy before Betty wakes up. She tells him that the thugs have the combination. Billy says that he can beat the thug upto the lodge by flying in his plane.
Back at stately Malcolm Manor, Betty relays this to the group. Tal Chotali again suspiciously acts suspicious. Betty is about to leave when she sees a unhooked phone and hears the Scorpin talking on the other end. The Scorpion, who put on his costume to make this phone call, tells a henchman at the airport to put a bomb in Billy's plane - a time bomb! Betty calls Whitey to have him radio a warning to Billy. Whitey is sleeping but manages to wake up to answer the phone. WHitey then tries calling Billy on the radio, but Billy is already in the plane and we see that the wires to his radio have been cut.
The time ticks down..... and Boom! goes the plane.
Next: Death Takes the Wheel
The flying sequences are pretty well done. You can tell that it is a dummy, but so far you can't see the string.
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Hmmmm...... Seeing how I am giving a play-by-play of each episode rather than a review, do people want me to continue?
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Feel free to continue!
I'm pretty sure I've seen these, but I don't remember them very well.
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Death Takes the Wheel:
Ah but Billy sees the radio wires are cut, and twists them together in time to hear Whitey warn him of the bomb and....Shazam!
The Scorpion has gotten Carlyle's lens. And plans a trap for Billy. At the meeting of the expedition the next day he will arrange to have Billy go to the trap.
At the meeting Tal Chotali arrives late. He was at Carlyle's Lodge and found a small golden scorpion. Dr. Lang says that only Chan Lal the oriental dealer would have something like this. Prof. Bentley questions whether Chan Lal might be working for the Scorpion and if any of the members of the expedition go, they will be recognized. Dwight Fisher then suggests that Billy go. To which Billy agrees.
Betty is going to see if she can find out who owns the truck that was used to capture her. As Betty & Billy leave the house, a planter is pushed from a 2nd floor window, and just misses them.
At Chan Lal's ... Holy Moley! Chan Lal is an actual Chinese person! Anyway, Chan tells BIlly that the little scorpion must be a fake, but let's go down to the basement to check the collection. Trick stairs cause Billy to fall and some of the Scorpion's men come out and knock him out with the butt of a gun. They tie and gag him and lock him in the walk-in vault.
Meanwhile, Betty has gone to the garage where the truck came from. The owner says that the truck never came back and a phony name was given. Betty's leaving when she see one of the Scorpion's thugs drive up. He and the owner drive up to the top of the parking garage. Betty follows them up using the elevator. A secret room. Betty overhears that Billy has been captured. She starts to go, but is seen and captured. More jumping into moving cars.
The main thug comes to Chan Lal's to do Billy in. In the vault, Billy comes to and on a handy knife, pulls the gag away and Shazam! CAp. hears that Betty has been captured. He beats up the thugs and finds out where Betty is. He flies to her rescue. Oops I can see a string as he flies.
The thugs in the garage are going to kill Betty, but have to make it look like an accident. They decide to knock her out, put her in the car, and let is go down the ramps and crash. But Betty get the jump on the thug guarding her. She gets into the car and crashes through the secret door. But oh no, she got knock unconscious, and the car is going down the ramps at a high rate of speed. Will Cap get to her in time?
It is amazing that the car is able to turn as it goes down the ramps without anyone steering and then straighten out as it exits the garage.
Next;: The Scorpion Strikes
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
The Scorpion Strikes:
Yea! Cap got there in tme. Betty is saved. She comes to and points to the top of the garage and says "The Scorpin's men are there." The thugs see Cap. Two draw guns, but the third tells them to put them away as they won't hurt Cap. As they strt to flee, they see an engine block on a chain. The thug that said guns wouldn't hurt Cap, thinks the engine block will. They drop it on Cap, but he catches it. Cap tosses the engine block at one thug. Cap then takes the thug that was the garage owner and tosses him over the side and he falls screaming to his death. The last thug (Mr. Guns don't hurt him but maybe engine blocks will) reaches the elevator. He thinks he's in the clear. Ha! Cap does his whole pull the elevator up by the cable thing. Like he did in his very first issue.
Cap questions the thug about the Scorpion. The thug says he doesn't know who the Scorpion is because he always wears a mask. Cap asks if he could recognize the Scorpion's voice. The thug says "yes". So Cap takes him to stately Malcolm Manor. But it is Billy who brings him into a meeting. Billy tells the group that he thinks that one of them is the Scorpion and that the thug can identify him by voice. Each man speaks, but the thug does not recognize any voice. The men first look relieved, but the become indignant and storm out. As they go, someone slips a note to the thug. It tells him to tell Billy that the Scorpion is at the Harrison mine. He does so and Billy makes the thug take him there.
Billy and thug wander through the mine/cave and finally see the Scorpion. As they approach, the floor drops out. Thug falls to his death, but Billy managed to catch the side, giving him enough time to say Shazam!
Cap now confronts the Scorpion. But it's not the real Scorpion, just a dummy rigged up with a speaker. The real Scorpion is outside the mine. He has the giant scorpion and with using just the one lens he has, he is able to melt the rock over the mine. Molten rock starts flowing through the cave towards Cap.
Next: Lens of Death
The effect they use to show the mine/cave mouth melting is really good. The minature cave throough which the molten rock flows is not as good.
They (the film makers) don't seem to grasp that Cap is invulnerable and that the molten rock would not hurt him. They also forget his strength. Cap could easily punch his way through the solid rock. It was cool seeing him pull the elevator up.
Posted by Blacula on :
I've always wanted to watch some of these old serials like Congo Bill, Spy Smasher, Vigilante, etc. but they seem difficult to track down.
Where are you watching this one Quis?
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Blacula,
I got it from Netflix. They seem to have the Spy Smasher one, but the description says that it is the condensed TV version of the serial.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Molten rock is flowing towards Captain Marvel. We know it can't hurt him, but the film makers don't. Luckily, Cap notices a hole in the cavern ceiling and leaps through it.
For some reason, once out of the cave, Cap turns back into Billy instead of searching the area for the Scorpion. The Scorpion tells his men that he has a trick to find where the others hid their lenses. At stately Malcolm Manor, the expedition is meeting once again. They get a message from the Scorpion to turn on their radio to a certain frequency. When the do so, they hear the Scorpion telling them that he has their lenses except for one. We see that it is not the Scorpion speaking, but a recording that the head thug is playing. Dr. Lang states that the Scorpion hasn't gotten his lens. The men then leave to check their lenses and if they are gone, look for clues. As they leave, they are each followed by the Scorpion's thugs.
Billy deduces the Scorpion's trick. He heads over the Prof. Bentley's house and sends Whitey to Dwight Fisher's house. Prof. Bentley arrives home and after having his butler leave the study, goes towards where the lens is. Two thugs come in through the window and knock him out. They search the room and find the lens in a hollowed out book. The butler returns and puts up a really good fight, but loses. Billy arrives, changes to Cap (when no one answers the door), and bursts in. The butler points out the window and tells Cap they got the lense. Cap goes out and pursues the 2 thugs.
Now here is a bit of bad continuity. Although the building Prof Bentley & Billy go in is clearly an apartment building, it is in a residential neighborhood. But upon exiting the window, it is now a city neighborhood.
Anyway, Cap easliy dispatches the two tugs and returns the lens to the butler for safe keeping before rushing to Dwight Fisher's house.
It is now night time and raining as we see Whitey driving towards Fisher's house. Inside we find Fisher being held at gunpoint by the Scorpion and one thug. Fisher gives in just as Whitey arrives. Fisher flips a secret switch and a wall panel slides back. The Scorpion has the thug get the lens, but when the thug reaches in, he is electrocuted. The Scorpion tells Fisher to switch off the current and get the lens, but Whitey gets the drop on the Scorpion. Scorp see the light switch and plunges the room onto darkness. A gun battle rages between Whitey & Scorp. When Fisher tries to leave, Scorp shoots him.
Scorp runs out of bullets, but manages to sneak behind Whitey and knock him out. He is about to get the lens when Cap shows up. Scorp hides behind the curtain where the controls for the panel and electric trap are. Cap comes in to the room, checks on Whitey & Fisher (Fisher is dead), sees the lens and reaches for it. Scorp turns on the electricity and Cap is knocked out.
Next: Human Targets
I got tired of writing out The Scorpion each times, so from now on he is Scorp. The fight scene with the butler was very well done and action packed. Boy can he fight.
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Human Targets:
The electricity didn't kill Cap, but while he was unconscious, Scorp took the lens.
The next day Whitey is telling the expedition members about what happened. They want to know how Whitey knew to go to Fisher's house. Whitey said that Billy told him and that Billy heard about Scorp's broadcast from Betty. The members seem upset that Betty is telling Billy about the meeting even though Billy is part of their group.
Scorp plans to trap Cap using Betty as bait. A trick call has Betty going off. As she is driving a thug climbs out of her trunk. He shoots her tire and she skids off the road. Another car with more thugs pulls up and they take Betty away. Meanwhile Billy arrives at stately Malcolm Manor and realizes that Betty has been tricked away. He drives after her and finds her abandoned car.
The thugs have Betty in the front seat of their car. Betty reaches over and takes the key out of the ignition and toss it out the window. They stop to look for it. They make Betty look too. Which shows how stupid these thugs are. "Oh Mr. Thug! Here is the key I tossed out the window." Yeah right. Betty takes the opportunity to run off. Two of the thugs chase her, while the third keeps looking from the key.
Billy sees the third thug and changes to Cap. After beating him up Cap heads in the direction the thug said Betty went. Betty manages to elude the 2 thugs and they spilt up. Cap sees one and tosses im into the lake. The other one spots Betty and chases her onto the top of a dam. Cap sees them and flies down. The thug tries shooting Cap and as he backs away, he loses his footing and falls to his death. Betty screams and starts to faint. But Cap grabs her before she falls off the dam.
The first thug comes to just as Cap & Betty return to the car. He manages to hide on the side of the car on the runningboard. He hears Cap tell Betty of a radio frequency that will get a message to him. Betty drives off with the thug. Cap turns back into Billy.
The thug recaptures Betty & takes her to Scorp. Scorp wants the thugs to capture Billy too. He plans to take them to a shed on a bombing range. In the shed will be a radio for Betty to contract Cap. The thugs waylay Billy and knock him out. Boy the way people are getting constantly knocked out, they are going to have problems with concussions. OH I forgot, Betty manages to get one of the thugs' gun and shoots Scorp in the hand.
In the shack, Betty is tied to a chair, Billy is bounded and gagged. Over the radio, Scorp tells the thugs to leave as the bomber is approaching. When they leave, Betty wiggles over to the radio to call Cap. The bomber appproaches and starts dropping bombs. Boom! Boom! Boom! Betty gets knocked out yet again.
Next: Boomerang
I have to say, Whitey is pretty cute. Billy's not so bad looking himself.
[ May 27, 2012, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: Quislet, Esq ]
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Boomerang:
I am not sure exactly how this was suppose to trap and/or hurt Cap. When Betty tells Billy that she is going to call Cap, Billy shakes his head "no". Anyway, just after Betty gets knocked out, Billy has loosened the gag enough to say Shazam! Cap then gets the unconscious Betty out of the shed in time.
Betty tells Billy about shooting Scorp in the hand. They think that they will now know which member of the expedition is Scorp. Scorp decides to do away with Billy.
The next day at stately Malcolm Manor, Billy & Whitey arrive and 2 thugs plant a bomb in Billy's car. Inside, Billy has each member of the expedition sign a form. Who has the injured hand? Why Dr. Lang does.
Billy is going to search Dr. Lang's house. Whitey warns him that Dr. Lang has armed guards at is house. Billy decides to take Dr. Lang's coat, hat, and car to hopefully bluff his way in. He tells Whitey Betty to delay Dr. Lang. The thugs finish setting the bomb in Billy's car. It will blow when he reaches 50 mph. Hey I think they stole that from Speed.
Billy is heading to Dr. Lang's house. Dr. Lang comes out of the meeting. Betty tells Dr. Lang that Billy had to borrow his car. Dr. Lang wants to call a cab, but Whitey insists on driving him - in Billy's car.
Billy manages to bluff his way pass the gate guard. But 2 of Scorp's thugs recognize him. The thugs corner Billy in the garage and a lucky blow knocks Billy out. They then start the car back up and close up the garage.
Dr. Lang tells Whitey to go faster. Whitey increases his speed to 45 mph. Billy comes to groggy from the carbon monoxide, but manages to say Shazam! Cap then beats up the thugs just as Whitey & Dr. Lang arrive. Billy confronts Dr. Lang about his wounded hand. Dr. Lang says he will explain, but inside. As they enter his study, Dr. Lang tells the butler that it is cold and he should go to the furnace and make sure they get plenty of air The butler then puts some knock out drugs in the furnace.
We never get to hear Dr. Lang's explanation for his wounded hand although Billy does. Whitey drops off and then Billy. Dr. Lang shuts the vent. (he had been periodically holding a handkerchief to his face) He tells his butler that Billy & Whitey would have delayed him and he thinks that Scorp will soon be there. Knowing that Scorp will kill Billy but not Whitey (how I don't know) he takes Billy with him. Scorp's thugs come to and see Dr. Lang leaving. They hop in Billy's car to give chase. FAster & faster they go. The thugs plan to run Dr. LAng off the road. Just as they pull aside Dr. Lang, they reach 50 mph and Boom!
Next: Dead Man's Trap
We don't get to see the fighting skills of Dr. Lang's butler, so I prefer Prof Bentley's pugilistic butler. Plus he is cuter.
Posted by Blacula on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Many serials are available at the The Internet Archive.
Thanks EDE. What a great website!
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Dead Man's Trap:
Well, that's 2 thugs we don't have to worry about anymore. Although Billy needs a new car now.
Dr. Lang's gatekeeper is in the employ of Scorp. He calls Scorp & tells him that Dr. Lang left with Billy and they are taking the Old Mill Road. Scorp sends more thugs.
Dr. Lang has gone off the road due to Billy's exploding car. Billy is still out from the knock-out drops. Oh no Dr. Lang! You are flagging down the thugs. They take Dr. Lang & Billy to Scorp.
Scorp puts Dr. Lang in an iron maiden to make him turn over his lens. Billy comes too in the cellar, but pretends to still be unconscious. Dr. Lang tells Scorp the lens is in a safe (behind a painting, natch) in his house. Scorp makes him write down the combination. Scorp then wants Billy brought up so he can be dealt with. I really don't see that Billy has been much of an interference to Scorp, but oh well. The thugs leave Billy alone to get some water to revive him. Shazam!
Cap confronts Scorp, but Scorp uses Dr. Lang as a human shield and escapes down a secret passage. And quite an extensive secret passage too. Dr. Lang, left alone calls Malcolm. Betty answers and says the Mr. Malcolm is out of town. Dr. Lang give Betty to combination to his safe. Scorp has lost his mask white running through the tunnels. He doubles back and get's the drop on Dr. Lang before he can wrn Betty about a trap on his safe. Dr. Lang sees who Scorp is, but is shot before he can name him. Scorp grabs the giant scorpion statue and flees. Cap finds Dr. Lang, who with his last breath tells Cap that he sent Betty to get the lens, but there is a death trap. "Save...save her!"
The thugs arrive first. They give the gatekeeper a shotgun and tell him to lock the gate & stay out of sight. He does lock the gate but not very well because when Betty arrives, she easily opens it. Cap arrives in time to stop the gatekeeper from shooting Betty. Then for some reason, he turns back into Billy.
The thugs have found the safe. We see what the death trap is. When the painting is opens, a panel on the opposite wall slides open revealing 2 machine guns. The thugs almost have the safe open when the hear Billy calling out to Betty. They hide.
Billy seems to think the death trap was the gatekeeper. Silly Billy! He and Betty are opening the safe. The machine guns are in place. They do the last number of the cobination and Budda-budda-budda!
Next: Doom Ship
The number of the expedition who could be Scorp is decreasing. All that are left are Mr. Malcolm, Prof. Bentley, Tal Chotali, Betty, Whitey, and Billy. Hmmm.... You never see Billy and the Scorpion together....
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Doom Ship:
Budda-budda-budda go the machine guns! But the stupid thug had jumped out of their hiding spot and got between Betty & Billy and the guns.
Billy and Betty get knocked out. Well not so much Billy. The remaining thugs look in the safe. There is no lens. But there is a map of the tomb back in Siam showing where Dr. Lang hid his lens. Billy fights the thugs. One tells the other to take off with the map. Nice flying leap there Billy! Thugs get knocked out accidentially. Shazam! Cap goes after the fleeing thug & catches him. Cap hog ties him with the thug's own belt. Cap seems pretty well practiced in doing this. Cap turns back into Billy. The other thug comes to and flees. Betty comes to.
Back at stately Malcolm Manor, the espedition realize that they have to go back to the tomb as even though Scorp doesn't have the map, he does know the last lens is back at the tomb. Malcolm has Betty book passage on the next steamer to Bangcock for all of them. Malcolm tears up the map into several pieces and divides it amongst the expedition.
Scorp leaves orders for the thugs and takes the giant scorpion with him.
They are all on the ship and there is a terrible storm raging. Malcolm is concerned that Scorp may get to the tomb before them. Which is not right. They know Scorp is one of them (I'm thinking Whitey) and they are all on the steamer, so Scorp couldn't get there any sooner than they could.
The ship hits some rocks near the shore. With the storm still raging, Billy turns into Cap and flies a rope to the shore. They use this rope with a bucket to get everyone off the ship. But before Betty goes, she remembers her part of the map is in her cabin. She rushes back to get it. Both Tal Chotali & Prof. Bentley see Betty headed to her cabin. Whoever is Scorp takes the time to put on his costume and mask before knocking Betty out and taking her piece of map. Cap turns back into Billy as everyone is being taken off the ship in the rope and chair setup. Later as they are gathered round a fire and the storm has stopped, Billy realizes that Betty's not there. Deducing that she is still on the ship, Billy has them send him back over on the rope & chair. As he is going , we see the anchor rope starting to break. He get's there and finds Betty just as the anchor rope breaks and the boat starts to sink.
Next: Valley of Death
We know that Cap could have just carried the whole ship to the shore. Seeing as this was made fairly soon after Cap debuted, it is possible that even in the comics he wasn't shown to have that much strength. Even so, Cap could have flown everybody off the ship in less time than using the rope & chair setup.
There is also a continuity error here. When Billy turns into Cap on the ship, he is wearing a raincoat & hat. But when he turns back into Billy, the raincoat and hat are gone and he is just wearing a very dry suit. No one else seems to notice this even though they are all still wearing their raincoats.
I hope Scorp had the giant scorpion statue sent by another ship otherwise, it went down with the steamer.
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
Going to finish this up tonight.
Valley of Death:
Heh the steamer is the SS Carfax. Show me the Carfax!
Anyway, the ship is sinking. Billy has Betty in his arms. Water starts ruching in. If ever there was a moment to yell "Shazam!" this is it. But Billy doesn't switch. He swims with the unconscious Betty up from the sinking ship and to the shore.
Betty's part of the map is safe. Tal Chotali says that the village of Khandapur is just over the hills, about 4 hours away. Once at Khandapur, Malcolm suggests the rest up for a couple of days and sends Billy & Whitey to find some cars and equipment.
Scorp sends a message to the natives via homing pigeon. Sorry make that homing hawk. He tells the natives when the expedition is coming and to be ready. But Billy finds cars and equipment pretty easily and the expedition starts out a day sooner.
A native sees the expedition and signals to another native, who rides off. Billy sees the native signaling and Shazam! Cap captures the native, who luckily speaks English. The native tells of the trap set. A blocked road and then the mountain side will be blasted, burying the expedition. Cap flies off to help.
A large tree blocks the road. It is too heavy for the guys to move, so they start chopping it. Cap arrives warning them of the trap. Cap lifts the tree and the expedition drives through.
The natives see them arrive at the tomb. One wants to attack, but the leader says they are too few. They launch a plan to unite all the tribes together to attack. They will divert a river (stream really) to flow into the sacred volcano, causing it to flare up. The other tribes will take this a sign.
The expedition puts their map together to see where Dr. Lang hid his lens. Tal Chotali won't go into the tomb and defile it. Billy stays out to watch the cars. The natives dynamite the side of a hill, diverting the stream to flow into the volcano.
The group in the tomb find the plaque behind which Dr. Lang hid his lens. It takes Whitey with some tools and two of the men to take down the stone plaque. I don't know how Dr. Lang did this on his own. Meanwhile the volcano erupts causing a cave-in in the tomb. Whitey and Betty are trapped in the plaque room. Malcolm & Prof. Bentley go further into the passageways to escape the falling rocks.
Next: Captain Marvel's Secret
Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
The final chapter
Captain Marvel's Secret:
As the tomb collapses, we hear a native ringing a giant gong summoning all the other tribes. Tal Chotali tells Billy that the erupting volcano will arouse them to kill all foreigners. Billy asks Tal Chotali to try to reason with the natives. He agrees to try.
Billy goes into the tomb to get the others so they can all leave. In the tomb Billy turns into Cap to remove the heavy stone debris. Malcolm and Prof. Bentley make their way through more cave like passages. They see a way out. Their heads become obscured by shadows. We hear the voice of Scorp. He shots the other guy, takes the lens, and makes his way out. When he comes out, he is now wearing his costume & mask. He sees Cap turn back into Billy, although he is too far away to seeor hear how Cap did it.
Meanwhile the native tribes have gathered. The native who is Scorp's man wants them to attack now. Tal Chotali says that it's possible that some bad men diverted the stream to make the volcano erupt. Another native leader is persuaded by what Tal Chotali says. Suddenly scorp enters. He wants them to kill all the white men (I guess Betty's safe). Tal Chotali says that Scorp is a false profit wearing the saced mask. He tries to take the mask off him but it held back. The other native leader also tries to take the mask off Scorp, but he is held back too. Scorp has them chained up.
Scorp tells his native henchman that Cap is Billy. Scorp think Billy uses a drug or device to turn into Cap. He instructs his henchman to capture all three alive. Scorp wants the secret of Captain Marvel.
Billy is easily captured by being knocked out. Whitey and Betty have a thrilling car chase where they even leap a gorge in their car (this model work is not as good as the model of the ship on the reef). But to no avail and are captured.
They are all tied up. Billy is also gagged. Scorp gloats and shows the natives what the giant scorpion with the lens can do by vaporizing a small monkey statue. He then uses it on the other native leader, vaporizing him. He says that Betty is next. He then tells Billy that he knows that he can turn into Cap and he will let Betty go free if Billy tells him the secret.
Billy agrees and when the gag is removed calls out Shazam! Cap breaks free of the ropes and grabs scorp. Cap then unmasks him. It's Click Here For A SpoilerProf. Bentley! Cap tells the natives that Scorp will be brought back to his own country for his many crimes there. Scorp breaks free and grabs Betty. As he is making his way out, the native henchman, angry because he was fooled, uses the scorpion statue to vaporize Scorp.
Cap makes a speech and then tosses the scorpion statue and lens into the lava of the volcano. We then hear a disembodied voice say Shazam and Cap becomes Billy. Tal Chotali explains that Cap was the protector of the scorpion statue and that once it was destroyed, the need for Captain Marvel ended. Billy, Betty, and Whitey head back to America. Betty will have to find a new job as Scorp killed her boss.
The End!
The film makers made a mistake there at the end by having Billy lose the power of Captain Marvel. Now it would be harder to do a sequel.
I also noticed that the actor playing Cap would say "Shazem" instead of "shazam"
All in all it was a good little serial. The fight scenes were very well done. A lot of the special effects were very good.
Posted by Blue Battler on :
I first saw this serial in the late 80s. Then I bought it on a SLP VHS tape with a Superman-like coloring of Captain Marvel's outfit. Then I I finally got it on DVD.
The actor who played Captain Marvel also did a credible job as the Phantom. (He was also the first actor to portray the Universal character The Mummy after Boris Karloff.)
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Weird fact: Despite not fitting in at all with the comics continuity, the serial is actually referenced in Whiz Comics #22, when Whitey shows up at Billy's office.
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Cap turns back into Billy. The other thug comes to and flees. Betty comes to.