Everyone has lists of their favorites, but what about the real duds.... we all know that serials declined rapidly as costs escalated... but looking back which of them really stunk? You can separate your choices by acting, directing, studio, scripts, cheater cliffhangers and use of recyled material.........so the door is wide open.

The Mystery Trooper and Last of the Mohicans (tie). Most serials from the early 30's wear out their welcome early on my TV. They cry out for music, the fights are terrible and acting likewise. The Mala serial is far the worst Republic I have seen. It has help but Mala joins Richard Bailey as sorriest leads I have seen. Most disappointing but not the worse is The Spider Returns, a shameful sequel to a classic.

I have a list of several serials that I would have a hard time of calling the worst. But perhaps more than any others, I would consider the following the top 3 of the WORST serials I have ever seen:
HOP HARRIGAN
ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN AFRICA (OUCH!)
YOUNG EAGLES (The best part of this one is THE END......)
There are others, and usually I try to find something good in all of them, but the 3 above fail to move me in any direction except away from them. Now, I feel it fair to say I've made this judgment about ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN AFRICA after having seen only the first 2 chapters! I'm considering "shelving" it and not bothering with the others at all.

My favorite serial is THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL which I first saw in college around thirty years ago. It's flying scenes still thrill me after three decades.It aways left me wondering "Why does Captain Marvel feel the need to become the extremely mortal Billy Batson?" Wouldn't life be a lot simpler if he just stayed Captain Marvel?
On the other hand, my wife's favorite serial is HOLT OF THE SECRET SERVICE which we both regard as hysterically funny. Every so often, when we are in a mood for some dopey fun we put "HOLT" on and watch Jack Holt wale into at least five or six henchmen knocking them all on their cans... and yet, when facing a solitary opponent, even if they look like they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, Holt is unable to defeat that lone opponent.

Although I really enjoy serials I have not watched that many. I just got re-interested in them about three years after a fifty year lay-off. Currently my least favorite is CANADIAN MOUNTIES VS ATOMIC INVADERS. I dislike Arthur Space. He makes the most (IMO) wimpy villian I have ever seen. I know about logic and serials but , again, IMO, this is the one of the silliest serials made. And, I am a Republic serial fan. So, for now, CANADIAN MOUNTIES is my least favorite at least until I watch the dreaded CLUTCHING HAND. Smiley

Phillip, we now know your favorites........but what serials do you think are absolute stinkers and why? TM

Well, I HAVE watched every chapter of CAPTAIN AFRICA, and I found it quite terrible. You are correct, Dr., to avoid that one. Up to that time, my least favorite serial was THE SCARLET HORSEMAN. "Toot-a toot" in silk pajamas yet??? C'mon.

This is a tie between "Last of The Mohicans" and the 1934 sound version of "The Perils of Pauline". You know you have a bad serial when you dread watching the next chapter and make excuses with yourself to avoid watching the next chapter. Both of these dogs had that impact on me. I would rather have a root canal than sit through either of these two again.

WHITE EAGLE
Hands down. A mockery, a travesty. Poor Buck Jones looks totally lost. Raymond Hatton goes ballistic in a completely unrestained performance.
Most nights I start off the evening with three chapters of a serial. This is the only one I reduced to two and I had to force myself to let Chapter #15 run on the last night
bruce

I have two favorites for "silliest serials"... of course "The Scarlet Horseman with his little toot toot horn was a riot, but the one that stretched the imagination was "Lost Planet".... people travel from planet to planet in all sorts of flying devices and when two ships pull up alongside each other in airless space, the actors slide open the cockpit canopies and converse like they are in a drive-in , it had me on the floor. That serial ignored most every natural law of science...unbelievable.

Tom: If you notice in STAR WARS all the noise of the battles in outer space. And the little starfighters that can turn on a dime. The last time I checked rudders and stabilizers needed air (atmosphere) to be able to work. Oh well I guess we shouldn't be too picky. Smiley

Oh, yes, I had almost totally forgotten the "golden turkey" serial THE LOST PLANET. But that one was so stupid with some of its ridiculous and atrocious situations, it was funny! Like Tom Mason, I just rolled with laughter at this thing. You have to see it to believe it.
Thanks jadm about warning me of CAPTAIN AFRICA; but ever since I finished chapter 2 3 days ago, it's still sitting where I left it. On the floor beside my chair. I can't bring myself to do it.

my all time favorite is captain marvel and the least favorite is the chandu serial.

If you see the movie Chandu, where Lugosi is the villain, it really works. Then turning him into the hero in the serial was just too much of a stretch for me....a classic case of miscasting.

In my opinion, there is only a handful of "Classic" serials (and we all know which they are), followed by maybe 20 or so "entertaining - fun" efforts. And the rest, disappointing "no budget" efforts. The great days of the sound serials started in 1936, and peaked in 1942.
The sad part being that favorite characters like Superman and Batman never appeared in "Classic" serials(meaning those with decent budgets, production values, and scripting). At least we have Capt. Marvel, Spy Smasher, The Spider and Flash Gordon.

The "put-me-to-sleep" serial I found it very difficult to watch the Black Coin serial, it hops all around and uses footage from so many different sources.....everytime I attempt to watch it, I fall soundly asleep.

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