Those of you looking for the remastered DVD versions of the two VCI serials coming out: "Drums of Fu Manchu" and the second "Secret Agent X-9" should be aware that Amazon is saying that both will be released February 25th of this year. I will believe it when I see it. Deep Discount has yet to list the second X-9 serial but is taking pre-orders on FuManchu at $14.39 with free shipping as opposed to the list of $29.99 and Amazon's price of $22.49 (plus shipping and handling.) When the 2nd X-9 arriives, I would bet the same pricing and free shipping will be offered by Deep Discount. So shop with care. CC

I have shopped from Deep Discount and have found them indeed very reliable and a whole lot cheaper. But I have one big problem with this site, as with many others. VCI is NOT going to give them the DVDS on the date they release them; VCI gives priority to their own customer orders first, then they distribute to other distributors who will be selling their product at the "recommend" retail price of $29.99 or whatever. After those retailers have received their shipments, then VCI distributes to the discounters, like Deep Discount. I did this with JUNGLE JIM, and I only got my order almost 5 weeks AFTER VCI had released JJ. When I emailed Deep Discount about why it was taking them so long to fill my order, they replied with the information the discounters would receive their shipments last.
My advice to you, if you're impatient and have lots of money to spare, is to buy directly from VCI, and pay the S&H and all. You WILL have your order before any of the other retailers receive their shipments. Otherwise, if you're as poor as the old villain Dr. Tobor (no doubt due to my many FAILED attempts at conquering the world and then the Universe, and the expense involved therein) and you are extremely patient, then by all means order from Deep Discount. They will see you get your order eventually.

The Crimson Collector has waited a long time for these serials to appear on DVD... a few more weeks won't be that hard to take, especially with the discounts offered. CC

I looked forward in anticipation for the DVD release of the 1937 X-9 but I wasn't too enthusiastic about it's original price. I then waited a month or so to get it at nearly 1/2 the price at Deepdiscount with free shipping. It arrived in less than a week. I don't regret it one bit. If we can wait years or decades for the release of new serials, why not a few months more to save some bucks.

The Secret Agent X-9 (1945) interests me in that it stars Lloyd Bridges. The star of Sea Hunt and Aeroplane! wouldn't make a bad serial. But given that the serial has been "lost" - what's it like ? - has anyone out there actually seen it & can give an opinion. As its a WWII serial (I think) how does it compare to, say, Spy Smasher & G Men vs the Black Legion ? How does it compare to other Universal serials ?

As of yet I have not seen the second of the X-9 serials, but if it as good as the earlyier one just released by VCI, it should be good. Fred Shay uncovered both these serials for VCI and they have supposedly digitally restored them. Street date on the second Lloyd Bridges X-9 is at the end of February and soon as anyone gets a copy, they will post a review on these boards. CC

There was a tape floating around a few years ago that had Chapter #1 of JUNGLE JIM and three or four chapters of the 1945 SECRET AGENT X-9. I can't say I was very impressed by X-9. To me it was just another wartime Universal.

But you should take this with a very large grain of salt. It's hard to judge an entire serial on a few odd chapters. Also the video itself was godawful. As proof I didn't think much of JUNGLE JIM either. But when I got the whole serial and watched it I enjoyed it greatly.

Bruce

An email from Mr. Blair now puts the DVD release of the second X-9 serial at March 25th.... like I said before, I will believe it when I see it. Also on the postponed list is Drums of FuManchu...... VHS collectors will be happy to know that the original February dates for those two are holding....it says here.

I'm not old enough--not by a long shot--to have seen the second X-9 serial before, but a fellow fan who saw it in its first run tells me that he remembers it as being pretty good. I'm eager to see it at any rate--with a young Lloyd Bridges, Keye Luke, Jan Wiley, and Cy Kendall, it ought to be fun.

Have just viewed the first three chapters of the 1937 "X-9" serial. The DVD transfer is very good, although the dialog sound track is a bit muddy. The story and script on this serial is disappointingly weak (hope the 1945 remake has a better script.), usually the first three chapters of a serial contains the best material, if so, l'm not thrilled with this one, unless it improves as it goes along. Jean Rogers, still looking like "Dale Arden", with her blonde curly hair, is good to look at, and of course, the presence of Henry Brandon, with Lon Chaney Jr. in a small part as a bad guy. I found "Jungle Jim" a much more enjoyable serial.

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