Big Red Cheese

 
In the 70s, the BBC relied heavily upon black and white films and serials to make up much of its programming. The dark winter months in particular often hosted the pulpy movie serials of the Thirties and Forties. Sometimes, these antique adventures would be broadcast in the mornings or, sometimes, in the late afternoon. Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe- the most talkative and tamest of the trilogy- went out in December 1977 and again in January 1980 while King of the Rocket Men ran throughout February and March 1981. Those of us who saw Star Wars and The Empire Strikes on release recognised the opening title crawl from the text recaps of Universe.

Tarzan and ERB's Africa

 I also associate the serials with tv screenings of Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller: Tarzan's New York Adventure; Tarzan's Desert Mystery (giant spider!) and the rather silly Tarzan and the Mermaids.
The first Tarzan I knew was the athletic and rather civilized Ron Ely; then the brawny, Bondian Mike Henry. Weissmuller was prettier, lived in a fantastic treehouse with the captivating Maureen O' Sullivan  and, of course, appeared to deliver the legendary yodelling yell.

 Olympian Weissmuller was a swimming star, like Larry "Buster" Crabbe, who played both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Crabbe's upright, earnest hero was more articulate than Weissmuller's Lord of the Jungle and battled Mongo's Shark Men, Hawk Men and Clay People on Mars ( with unforgettable music cues lifted from Bride of Frankenstein.)

All this preamble brings us to The Adventures of Captain Marvel, which I watched on dvd over the Xmas and New Year period, in the spirit of those late 70s festive seasons.
This serial was the first comic book adaptation on film. It was, of course, going to be a Superman vehicle, until National gave the rights for the Man of Steel to the Fleisher studios.
A scientific expedition to Siam ( which looks more like a Hollywood hills version of Afghanistan) leads to the discovery of a super-weapon in the Tomb of the Scorpion. Young broadcaster Billy Batson is given the powers of Captain Marvel by the mystic Shazam in order to retrieve the device. The identity of the hooded criminal mastermind, who also styles himself The Scorpion, is the subplot of the serial.

Captain Marvel himself is played with vigour and grit by Tom Tyler. I was surprised to see the Big Red Cheese intimidate and occasionally kill the Scorpion's henchmen.Frank Coghlan Jr plays an older Batson than I'm used to and is a little wooden with a nasal voice. On the other hand, sidekick Whitey Murphy ( a genuine comics character) is played by former child star Billy Benedict. With a wry humour, the undernourished-looking Benedict provides energy and charm. In fact, with heroine Betty Wallace ( Louise Currie), the trio of young leads react to the many perils of the storyline with pluck and vivacity.

It's best to watch the serials the way their creators intended- as individual episodes- as extended viewing tends to magnify their flaws: the recycled props and sets, the cliffhanger cheats. However, Captain Marvel is a faithful adaptation of the Whiz Comics star and the true identity of the Scorpion kept me guessing to the final chapter.

 Meanwhile, in the back-up strip in the modern-day Justice League, Billy and Freddy Freeman misuse the Power of Shazam while Black Adam and Dr. Sivana unleash the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. Although I didn't much enjoy Johns and Frank's Batman Earth One- too grim, sadistic and predictable (particularly the tough love of Alfred)- their update of Captain Marvel has a freshness and vitality that deserves a graphic novel outing.
The titular strip, meanwhile, finally-finally!- begins to achieve its potential with issue 15's epic crossover with Aquaman, of all things!

Coming soon: Doctor at Large

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