After seeing my last serial in the theatres in 1948, there was no way that I would ever see another serial again. Or so I thought. Anyway. All I had were memories of what I had seen over the years. So, whenever I saw something that reminded me of those old Saturday Matinee serials, flashes of certain serials always came to mind. What surprised me the most was the serial that I saw in my mind's eye first.

Was it the famous tunnel scene from Dare Devils of the Red Circle as most would think of first? ~ Captain Marvel facing the melting mountain while trapped in a cave? ~ The Spider, shooting it out with guns blazing while standing on a ledge in the bus station? ~ The many times The Shadow was being felled by a falling ceiling? ~ Spy Smasher, after being shot and falling off a roof top, then seen hitting the pavement below? ~ The Pendulum of Doom in Drums of Fu Manchu? ~ The Masked Marvel falling (with his arm torn off) in chapter one?

None of the above. It was the sabotaged oil derricks falling in succession toward the shack where Sammy Baugh was inside in King of the Texas Rangers. Don't ask me why this one. It just pops in my head before any other serial. Maybe it's just because this is one of my favorite all time serals. I just dunno.
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I just watched my first serial in three years. Chapter one of Zorro's Fighting Legion. An old favorite. I was dumbfounded by that character who was a lookout posing as a guitar (?) player. Gadzooks. That discordant signal to his co-horts by his strumming his fingers over the strings almost drove me to take the tape out of my vcr and and throw it in a trash can. Boy. That actor must have been a good friend of somebody in Republic to have gotten a paycheck to "just stand there and pretend you know how to play the damn thing." Anyway. I outlasted his scenes and am now ready for chapter two! Roll 'em and lets ride!

The guy you are talking about was Eddie Cherkose. He was a musician. He wrote the lyrics for "We Ride", the Legion's fight song. He has many other writing credits for Republic as well.
Bruce

As much as I like certain song writers or composers, if that person wrote something that is irritating to my ears, I would say so. He may even have wrote the National Anthem, and I would have told the author, if asked, whether I liked it or not. And. I have heard there are a lot of diffrent opinions on it. The answer is, Yes. I do.

As far as your strumming goes, Eddie. It still stinks. Stick to writing words!

I have said many times I thought my little theatre here in eastern Kansas played only Republic serials. But, my lasting memory was a serial that the villian had a boat that could submerge like a submarine. Whenever the hero was about to overtake him he would go into a cove and by the time the hero got there the villian was gone. I have asked and asked if anyone had any recollection of any scenes like that. No one had any memory of the scene. And then about six months ago I was watching a Columbia Pictures serial with Buster Crabbe called PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS and there it was. The surface boat submerging to get away from the hero. That serial was made in 1950 right in the middle of the time I couldn't bear to miss the Saturday afternoon matinee. I saw many serials during that time but that one scene sticks in my memory like it was just yesterday. Smiley

I saw my first serial "Adventures of Captain Marvel" when I was six years old [194 [0]] .The thrill of seeing him "fly" was something! I tried the feat ,ending up with a chipped tooth! I still watch and enjoy the tape of this serial[along with many others} today.

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