Known as Hollywood's "Thrill Factory," Republic Pictures produced some of the most exciting serials to hit the big screen. The studio's chapterplays were one of the most popular Saturday matinee genres. Covering nearly 70 serials, the filmographies include full production credits; release dates; chapter titles; running times; sound systems (when applicable); a note on reissues, condensations and sequels; and an extensive cast list showing roles played. Included are an essay on the general development of the American serial and a history of Republic studio to the present.

Republic Pictures Corporation, began as a motion picture laboratory in 1915. By 1935, Republic had become a studio and released its first movie, Westward Ho! starring a young John Wayne, who would stay with Republic for the next 17 years. Republic would go on to produce highly successful Westerns starring singing cowboys Gene Autry and Roy Rogers as well as serial adventure series. The studio cranked out so many exciting (not to mention money-making) serials that it became known as "The Thrill Factory." Occasionally, Republic would produce and distribute "A" features, such as Macbeth and The Quiet Man, but it was the "B" Westerns and adventure serials that they knew best how to produce and market. Until its demise in 1959, Republic fed hungry moviegoers with a steady diet of "B" Westerns, serials, dramas, series pictures and musicals. The Republic Pictures Checklist provides a full listing of Republic releases, with plot synopses, release dates, alternate titles, chapter titles and awards. All of Republic's output, including documentaries and training films, is included.

Long before Batman, Flash Gordon, or the Lone Ranger were the stars of their own TV shows, they had dedicated audiences watching their adventures each week. The difference was that this action took place on the big screen, in short adventure serials whose exciting cliffhangers compelled the young audience to return to the theater every seven days. Matinee Melodrama is the first book about the adventure serial as a distinct artform, one that uniquely encouraged audience participation and imaginative play. Media scholar Scott Higgins proposes that the serial’s incoherent plotting and reliance on formula, far from being faults, should be understood as some of its most appealing attributes, helping to spawn an active fan culture. Further, he suggests these serials laid the groundwork not only for modern-day cinematic blockbusters like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also for all kinds of interactive media that combine spectacle, storytelling, and play. As it identifies key elements of the serial form—from stock characters to cliffhangers—Matinee Melodrama delves deeply into questions about the nature of suspense, the aesthetics of action, and the potentials of formulaic narrative. Yet it also provides readers with a loving look at everything from Zorro’s Fighting Legion to Daredevils of the Red Circle, conveying exactly why these films continue to thrill and enthrall their fans.

First published in 1973. Movie Serials Their Sound and Fury, invites you to take a nostalgic trip back to Saturday afternoon and remember your local cinema anytime from 1030 to the 1950s. Thrill once again to the spine-tingling adventures of Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates, Tarzan, Flash Gordon, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Perils of Pauline, and all the other super-heroes and arch-villians of by-gone days.

Known as Hollywood's "Thrill Factory," Republic Pictures produced some of the most exciting serials to hit the big screen. The studio's chapterplays were one of the most popular Saturday matinee genres. Covering nearly 70 serials, the filmographies include full production credits; release dates; chapter titles; running times; sound systems (when applicable); a note on reissues, condensations and sequels; and an extensive cast list showing roles played. Included are an essay on the general development of the American serial and a history of Republic studio to the present.

This collection of essays (first published in Big Reel) lovingly recalls the glory days of the movie serial. The primary focus is on the fans of the serials--what they thought of them in their heyday, what they think of them now, and why these episodic tales are still so popular. Preceding each article is a brief commentary about the essay explaining why the topic was chosen and the reader response it evoked when first published.

Popular cinema is saturated with images and narratives of empire. With "Projecting Empire", Chapman and Cull have written the first major study of imperialism and cinema for over thirty years. This welcome text maps the history of empire cinema in both Hollywood and Britain through a serious of case studies of popular films including biopics, adventures, literary adaptations, melodramas, comedies and documentaries, from the 1930s and "The Four Feathers" to the present, with "Indiana Jones" and "Three Kings". The authors consider industry-wide trends and place the films in their wider cultural and historical contexts. Using primary sources that include private papers, they look at the presence of particular auteurs in the cinema of Imperialism, including Korda, Lean, Huston and Attenborough, as well as the actors who brought the stories to life, such as Elizabeth Taylor and George Clooney. At a time when imperialism has a new significance in the world, this book will fulfil the needs of students and interested filmgoers alike.

From their heyday in the 1910s to their lingering demise in the 1950s, American film serials delivered excitement in weekly installments for millions of moviegoers, despite minuscule budgets, nearly impossible shooting schedules and the disdain of critics. Early heroines like Pearl White, Helen Holmes and Ruth Roland broke gender barriers and ruled the screen. Through both world wars, such serials as Spy Smasher and Batman were vehicles for propaganda. Smash hits like Flash Gordon and The Lone Ranger demonstrated the enduring mass appeal of the genre. Providing insight into early 20th century American culture, this book analyzes four decades of productions from Pathe, Universal, Mascot and Columbia, and all 66 Republic serials.

The Hollywood studios of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s were rarely concerned with film as an art form; this was especially true of those specializing in the B film. Of these, Republic Pictures Corporation was the finest. Their quality B action pictures and serials influenced the industry and the moviegoing public, resulting in greater public acceptance. The Republic's roster of talent included John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry, and the serials it produced featured such iconic figures as Dick Tracy, Captain America, Zorro, and The Lone Ranger. In Republic Studios: Between Poverty Row and the Majors, author Richard Hurst documents the influence and significance of this major B studio. Originally published in 1979, this book provides a brief overview of the studio's economic structure and charts its output. Hurst examines the various genres represented by the studio, including the comedies of Judy Canova and westerns featuring Autry, Rogers, and The Three Mesquiteers. The book addresses the non-series B films Republic produced, as well as rare A films such as Wake of the Red Witch, Sands of Iwo Jima, and John Ford's The Quiet Man, all of which starred John Wayne. This new edition of Republic Studios, with two additional expanded chapters on serials, a new introduction, and an epilogue, brings the Republic story up to date. This fascinating look at Republic chronicles the impact the studio had on American cultural history from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s and examines the studio's role in Hollywood history and its demise in the late '50s.

Destination Moon; George Pal's 1950 Technicolor epic, is generally cited as the first noteworthy science fiction film. Usually ignored or casually dismissed in genre histories are the serials, the low-budget chapterplays exhibited as Saturday matinee fare and targeted almost exclusively at children. Lacking stars and top-notch writers or directors, the serials went largely unnoticed and unacknowledged by either critics or by the film industry. Yet serials were financially important to the Hollywood studios, and were often free to exploit risky or outlandish subjects that producers of "distinguished" movies would not touch. Influential serials such as The Phantom Empire (1935) and Flash Gordon (1936) finally brought science fiction themes to the big screen. Those serials and 29 others are exhaustively covered in this work, which provides complete cast and credit information along with plot descriptions and historical commentary for each serial. Video distributors (if available) are also listed.