Shazaam... Haha... I feel like 9 years again sitting at the cinema Sat. matinee and can still remember his saying that word and a mountain side opening to his secret cave. Wish there were more of these here.
I remember the episode where The Scorpion got the final lens and slowly lined them up to make molten lava. At the end of the episode Captain Marvel was trapped at the end of the tunnel with lava heading towards him. As a joke the projectrionist ran the movie backwards so that the lava went backwards and Captain Marvel followed it out. I never did see the following episode for some reason.
Andy Griffith Show fans will recall Gomer Pyle's favorite exclamation was "Shazam." Now you know where he got it. This was the famous word that Billy Batson used to change into Captain Marvel. It is an acronym of different Greek Gods. "S" for Solomon "H" for Hercules "A" for Atlas "M" for Mercury "Z" for Zeus, "A" for Atlas again and M for Mercury. It is probably the best known magic word next to "Open, Sesame."
My granddad had this on VHS, I use to watch it with him. Even though I'm only 24, I loved watching all the old serials he had with him. Good memories.
One of my favorite serials. If I was around in 1941 I'd have been in the theater every week for the next chapter, no matter what the feature film was.
I said I wish they showed off his physique more, like with a more form fitting costume around his upper body instead of the bagginess. Would have made him look more impressive in my opinion.
Form fitting was hard to pull off back then. Look how baggy and awful Lewis Wilson's Batman suit looked. This "tailored" look was exactly what Cap was wearing in the comics of the time, but it is too bad you can't tell how ripped Tom Tyler was. Of course at :35 when he effortlessly dead-lifts a grown man over his head, you can tell that the guy was no slouch.
we used to think this was awesome in the early 70s when they showed it in my local abc cinema on saturday mornings and trying to avoid the local hard kids spitting on everyone
Definitely one of the best serials. I always wished they had shown off Tylers physique more though, as he was an Olympic weightlifter and considered by many to be one of the strongest men in the world, or one of the "worlds mightiest mortals" so to speak.
There's just something about those good ol' flicks...the clean hair cuts, propriety, the straight forwardness, and simplicity. -Simply good against evil on a fantastic 'super-human' level. And evil was evil enough...a man with a crazy ray gun, in a trying to get rich fast scheme. After watching movies with bloody deviates cutting people up with knives and making them beg for mercy...I could just sink into one of these classics and never watch a new movie again. THANKS!
I don't like the fact that the villain on almost all these serials is usually some lame guy in a robe and a mask who turns out to be a garden variety gangster or spy or something. They never used actual villains from the original stories. It doesn't matter if you talking Superman or Batman or whoever, the same lame villains always show up.
This was actually the first superhero serial produced. Republic originally approached DC Comics to produce a Superman serial. But this script WAS NOT a modification of the Superman story. In this version of Captain Marvel, Billy Batson was portrayed as "young", but he drives a car, flies airplanes, and even packs heat occasionally. And like many serial charcters, he can shrug off multiple concussions with no long-term effects! (Which is probably a superpower itself if you think about it...)
Wait minet did this guy really lift that bad guy over his head???? or was it special effects??? It sure looked like he really lifted that guy over his head. Dude,if that's real he makes superman,look like a boy scout!!!
Why don't they do stuff like the serials anymore? Seriously, a million bucks, a computer and some creative folk, and you have yourself an extra feature to attract people to the theater. It'd be a dang site better than 8-10 freeking minutes of commercials!
Oh, not just commercials - TV COMMERCIALS! Do they think we went through all the hassle of going to the movies just to watch TV commercials? What's the matter with ad execs these days?!
Back in 1854, when Facett gave up on most everything , they were facing a great falling off of readership of super heroes, the lawsuit from dc, and most of all,the war against comics that had become extremly intense.IF they had just held firm, they would have weathered the storm, and cap would have become much more then the shadow he is today.the books would be published as capt. marvel, and not shazam.When dc brought him back, they should have went with Weis/Cochrum art,with the first issue.
By the looks of things, Billy Batson is the PERFECT age in this. He looks like a teenager, which is great. I hate the way he's a ten-year old in the comics.
A real ground breaker for Republic. The flying effects, using both the wired dummy and support system/ process screen for Tom Tyler, were way ahead of their time. As mentioned, Gerald Mohr was a perfect choice for the voice-over of The Scorpion.
If you get a cahnce, check out our retro sci-fi serial, "Thirty Second Doom".
Yeah. Half the reason he's now a DC character is because "The Big Red Cheese" was frequently outselling the Man of Steel and DC weren't happy about it!
It was a pretty cool serial. Watching it made me a Captain Marvel fan. Too bad the Character never regained his popularity after being put out of comission for so long.
I am actually thinking of making a Captain Marvel costume.
This is actually better than superman (George Reeves) How did they do those flying effects back then? I didn't know they could make it look that convincing.
The Lydecker Brothers did the FX for Republic. A larger than life size dummy, on guy wires was used. The used the same technique for the Rocketman serials, aka Commando Cody.
You are dead right about Mohr voicing the Scorpion. Besides the credits you mention, Mohr voiced Reed Richards in the 1968 Fantastic Four cartoon, and in the 1951 film 'Invasion USA' starred with Noel Niell and Phyllis Coates, who both played Lois Lane on TV's Superman.
Captain Marvel , Mary Marvel were great heroes. Like us they were ordinary like us. But with the special the special powers bestowed on them by the word Shazam they became superheroes. However my favourite was Freedy Freeman. it was a pity that Captain Marvel junior serials were never made. I liked the comics
I must have said "Shazam!" hundreds of times as a kid but it never worked. I even tied my old "Gaberdine Mac" (raincoat)round my neck but still couldn't fly.
oh my god ,not seen this since i was a kid.use to see it every saturday at the odeon as part of the saturday show . great memories. thanks for posting this.
Shazaam... Haha... I feel like 9 years again sitting at the cinema Sat. matinee and can still remember his saying that word and a mountain side opening to his secret cave. Wish there were more of these here.
globalman 4 months ago
I remember the episode where The Scorpion got the final lens and slowly lined them up to make molten lava. At the end of the episode Captain Marvel was trapped at the end of the tunnel with lava heading towards him. As a joke the projectrionist ran the movie backwards so that the lava went backwards and Captain Marvel followed it out. I never did see the following episode for some reason.
ha63 4 months ago
Andy Griffith Show fans will recall Gomer Pyle's favorite exclamation was "Shazam." Now you know where he got it. This was the famous word that Billy Batson used to change into Captain Marvel. It is an acronym of different Greek Gods. "S" for Solomon "H" for Hercules "A" for Atlas "M" for Mercury "Z" for Zeus, "A" for Atlas again and M for Mercury. It is probably the best known magic word next to "Open, Sesame."
MrFrontrowkid 4 months ago
My granddad had this on VHS, I use to watch it with him. Even though I'm only 24, I loved watching all the old serials he had with him. Good memories.
TheTglimp2 5 months ago
loved it when i was young.. seems like yesterday...
fairhillnorrie 6 months ago
the flying sequences are pretty realistic for these times...!!!!
hjerry69 9 months ago
One of my favorite serials. If I was around in 1941 I'd have been in the theater every week for the next chapter, no matter what the feature film was.
mandog917 10 months ago
This took me back to my childhood. I used to go to Saturday morning cinema just to see Captain Marval. Great.blast from the past.
MrTeejeehook 1 year ago
This stuff is better than the crap they make today,,LOL
lcolby11 1 year ago 2
Captain marvel as in captain America from marvel comics?
abiel998 1 year ago
@abiel998 no this was way before Marvel
curefreak 6 months ago
@ronmathews
I said I wish they showed off his physique more, like with a more form fitting costume around his upper body instead of the bagginess. Would have made him look more impressive in my opinion.
ToddRJones 1 year ago
Form fitting was hard to pull off back then. Look how baggy and awful Lewis Wilson's Batman suit looked. This "tailored" look was exactly what Cap was wearing in the comics of the time, but it is too bad you can't tell how ripped Tom Tyler was. Of course at :35 when he effortlessly dead-lifts a grown man over his head, you can tell that the guy was no slouch.
tdelamont 1 year ago
This Captain Marvel appears to be more powerful than the one on the tv show.
tabbypappy 1 year ago
Captain Marvel is forgotten amongst the other heroes...
TheJonnyRogers 1 year ago
Fookin great, pure nostalgia wish I could find more
ratpackhol 1 year ago
we used to think this was awesome in the early 70s when they showed it in my local abc cinema on saturday mornings and trying to avoid the local hard kids spitting on everyone
blade0954 1 year ago
Definitely one of the best serials. I always wished they had shown off Tylers physique more though, as he was an Olympic weightlifter and considered by many to be one of the strongest men in the world, or one of the "worlds mightiest mortals" so to speak.
ToddRJones 1 year ago
@ToddRJones you wish he took off his shirt more? Why?
ronmatthews 1 year ago
THE BIG RED CHEESE!
OtakuLove 1 year ago
This is a heck of a lot better than 'Heroes' or 'Smallville.'
flapdoodle64 2 years ago
they don't make them like they did before - only the fan made serials are being made now !!
TheStephen2009 2 years ago 2
On Sept 7th 2009. Frank Coghlan jr passed away in his sleep at age 93. He played Billy Batson in the serial.
nhoJzenithraM 2 years ago
Rest in Peace.... :-(
grimbragreen 2 years ago
Man this makes me wish I was alive during the time these were coming out...such a golden age for movies and the cinema and everything!
Cinemaniac7 2 years ago
Thanks CommandoCody!
There's just something about those good ol' flicks...the clean hair cuts, propriety, the straight forwardness, and simplicity. -Simply good against evil on a fantastic 'super-human' level. And evil was evil enough...a man with a crazy ray gun, in a trying to get rich fast scheme. After watching movies with bloody deviates cutting people up with knives and making them beg for mercy...I could just sink into one of these classics and never watch a new movie again. THANKS!
cannedlou 2 years ago
ShAAzAm!!!!!!!!
Nasoukikos 2 years ago
Where I can download or find these serials?
Herr12 2 years ago
I don't like the fact that the villain on almost all these serials is usually some lame guy in a robe and a mask who turns out to be a garden variety gangster or spy or something. They never used actual villains from the original stories. It doesn't matter if you talking Superman or Batman or whoever, the same lame villains always show up.
archer1949 3 years ago
Villains are overrated.
Herr12 2 years ago
Villains make the heroes . Without supervillains in a superhero story, all you have is some overpowered lunkhead in tights beating up muggers.
archer1949 2 years ago
Without Heroes, these stories would be mere True Crime Stories. I am tired of the "dark" and serious tone of today comics, very tired.
Herr12 2 years ago
They're all the same villain: The Lightning Bug! See "J-Men Forever" for more info on that!
ericinwisconsin 2 years ago
This was actually the first superhero serial produced. Republic originally approached DC Comics to produce a Superman serial. But this script WAS NOT a modification of the Superman story. In this version of Captain Marvel, Billy Batson was portrayed as "young", but he drives a car, flies airplanes, and even packs heat occasionally. And like many serial charcters, he can shrug off multiple concussions with no long-term effects! (Which is probably a superpower itself if you think about it...)
JeffIrok 3 years ago
cool!!!! in philippines there so called captain barbel ^^,
shadowkiller02 3 years ago
haha, awsome, I never knew this even exsisted XD
He's like superman but good.
Ace1effect 3 years ago 2
Wait minet did this guy really lift that bad guy over his head???? or was it special effects??? It sure looked like he really lifted that guy over his head. Dude,if that's real he makes superman,look like a boy scout!!!
thecooldude111 3 years ago
This is generally considered one of the best serials ever filmed.
bruiser 3 years ago 8
@bruiser it looks it!
SUPERMEDIABROTHERS6 1 year ago
Cool, they had Captain Marvel actually flying, while the Superman serials just had a cartoon of him flying. I would love to get this on DVD.
comicbookfanboy 3 years ago 3
Why don't they do stuff like the serials anymore? Seriously, a million bucks, a computer and some creative folk, and you have yourself an extra feature to attract people to the theater. It'd be a dang site better than 8-10 freeking minutes of commercials!
albee1000 3 years ago 13
8 or 10 minutes of commercials would be a blessing. It's 20 minutes for me every damn time.
Moth366 3 years ago
Oh, not just commercials - TV COMMERCIALS! Do they think we went through all the hassle of going to the movies just to watch TV commercials? What's the matter with ad execs these days?!
albee1000 3 years ago
Back in 1854, when Facett gave up on most everything , they were facing a great falling off of readership of super heroes, the lawsuit from dc, and most of all,the war against comics that had become extremly intense.IF they had just held firm, they would have weathered the storm, and cap would have become much more then the shadow he is today.the books would be published as capt. marvel, and not shazam.When dc brought him back, they should have went with Weis/Cochrum art,with the first issue.
jmen4ever 3 years ago
@jmen4ever You mean 1954, although Fawcett settled the lawsuit a year earlier.
disneyfan81 1 year ago
Capt. Marvel was a REAL hero, not like those Nancy-boys in modern superhero movies, like 'Superman Returns' and 'Batman Begins."
flapdoodle64 3 years ago
If you like movie serials, then you'll enjoy my own version of the 1940's movie serial:
"Crash Corben: Last Of the Rocketmen" coming soon to a film festival near you! Check out the trailer on YouTube.
fishwithpants 3 years ago
By the looks of things, Billy Batson is the PERFECT age in this. He looks like a teenager, which is great. I hate the way he's a ten-year old in the comics.
Nuclearman2 3 years ago
A real ground breaker for Republic. The flying effects, using both the wired dummy and support system/ process screen for Tom Tyler, were way ahead of their time. As mentioned, Gerald Mohr was a perfect choice for the voice-over of The Scorpion.
If you get a cahnce, check out our retro sci-fi serial, "Thirty Second Doom".
rocketguy2 3 years ago
capt marvel was, back then, more popular than superman!
sakara18235 3 years ago
Yeah. Half the reason he's now a DC character is because "The Big Red Cheese" was frequently outselling the Man of Steel and DC weren't happy about it!
Nuclearman2 3 years ago
It was a pretty cool serial. Watching it made me a Captain Marvel fan. Too bad the Character never regained his popularity after being put out of comission for so long.
I am actually thinking of making a Captain Marvel costume.
poolboyinla 4 years ago 2
visual effects of this captain marvel flying are better than 70's captain marvel.
isrj01 4 years ago
This is SO MUCH BETTER than 'Superman Returns.' Seriously, I mean it.
flapdoodle64 4 years ago
This is actually better than superman (George Reeves) How did they do those flying effects back then? I didn't know they could make it look that convincing.
mazaradiflash 4 years ago
The Lydecker Brothers did the FX for Republic. A larger than life size dummy, on guy wires was used. The used the same technique for the Rocketman serials, aka Commando Cody.
bruiser 4 years ago 2
A dummy on wires? Interesting.
mazaradiflash 4 years ago
Awesome flying FX here! way ahead of its time, and I only seen similar effects on Chris Reeve's Superman movie.
Perktube1 4 years ago
I wonder if the voice of the Scorpion is that of Gerald Mohr (the Lone Wolf) and Lone Ranger intro? does anybody out there know.???
MysteryTrainParker 4 years ago
You are dead right about Mohr voicing the Scorpion. Besides the credits you mention, Mohr voiced Reed Richards in the 1968 Fantastic Four cartoon, and in the 1951 film 'Invasion USA' starred with Noel Niell and Phyllis Coates, who both played Lois Lane on TV's Superman.
flapdoodle64 3 years ago
Thanks on Gerald Mohr
MysteryTrainParker 3 years ago
He was also Green Lantern on the 1967 Filmation cartoons.
NewGremlin 3 years ago
awesome!
IvoryRed 4 years ago
Captain Marvel , Mary Marvel were great heroes. Like us they were ordinary like us. But with the special the special powers bestowed on them by the word Shazam they became superheroes. However my favourite was Freedy Freeman. it was a pity that Captain Marvel junior serials were never made. I liked the comics
Marveljunior 4 years ago
Some of the flying effects were pretty amazing for their time.
UncleFeedle 4 years ago
I must have said "Shazam!" hundreds of times as a kid but it never worked. I even tied my old "Gaberdine Mac" (raincoat)round my neck but still couldn't fly.
leoseries 4 years ago
I have seen the whole serial and recommend it highly. Easily found on ebay and amazon. Much better than 'Superman Returns.'
flapdoodle64 4 years ago
blooming fantastic why not do a remake
pinchusdacosta 5 years ago
oh my god ,not seen this since i was a kid.use to see it every saturday at the odeon as part of the saturday show . great memories. thanks for posting this.
warrilad 5 years ago