Blackhawk (serial)
Encyclopedia
Blackhawk is a Columbia
movie serial
based on the comic book
Blackhawk
published by Quality Comics
at the time. The serial's subtitle was "Fearless Champion of Freedom". It was the studio's 49th serial.
It stars Kirk Alyn
as Blackhawk and Carol Forman as the foreign spy whom the Blackhawks must prevent from stealing the experimental super-fuel "Element-X". Alyn and Forman were also the hero and villain, respectively, of Columbia's earlier Superman
. This serial was produced by the famously cheap Sam Katzman
and directed by the team of Spencer Gordon Bennet
and Fred F. Sears
. It is considered a relatively cheap and lacklustre serial, produced in the waning years of the serial medium.
ous Leader's plots to steal technology.
As a serial of the 1950s, this was produced after the medium's heyday. The serials of this time were generally inferior to those that had been made in the previous decade.
Source:
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
based on the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Blackhawk
Blackhawk (comics)
Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
published by Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
at the time. The serial's subtitle was "Fearless Champion of Freedom". It was the studio's 49th serial.
It stars Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
-External links:...
as Blackhawk and Carol Forman as the foreign spy whom the Blackhawks must prevent from stealing the experimental super-fuel "Element-X". Alyn and Forman were also the hero and villain, respectively, of Columbia's earlier Superman
Superman (serial)
Superman is a 15-part black-and-white Columbia film serial based on the comic book character Superman. It stars an uncredited Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. It is notable as the first live-action appearance of Superman on film and for the longevity of its distribution...
. This serial was produced by the famously cheap Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...
and directed by the team of Spencer Gordon Bennet
Spencer Gordon Bennet
Spencer Gordon Bennet was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director.-Biography:...
and Fred F. Sears
Fred F. Sears
Frederick Francis Sears was an American film actor and director. Though a marginalized figure in 1950s cinema, he created 52 feature films in a number of genres for Columbia Pictures from 1949 to 1957, before his death at the age of 44....
. It is considered a relatively cheap and lacklustre serial, produced in the waning years of the serial medium.
Plot
The Blackhawks must prevent the villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous Leader's plots to steal technology.
Cast
- Kirk AlynKirk Alyn-External links:...
as BlackhawkBlackhawk (comics)Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
, the "Fearless Champion of Freedom" - Carol Forman as Laska, foreign spy working for The Leader
- John CrawfordJohn Crawford (actor)John Crawford was an American actor.Crawford was born Cleve Allen Richardson in Colfax, Washington. In films from the 1940s, Crawford appeared in bit parts for many years before playing leads in several films in the UK in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
as Chuck - Michael FoxMichael Fox (American actor)Michael Fox was an American character actor who was in numerous movies and television roles. Some of his most famous recurring roles were as various autopsy physicians in Perry Mason, as Coroner George McLeod in Burke's Law, as Amos Fedders in Falcon Crest and as Saul Feinberg in The Bold and the...
as Mr Case/The Leader - Don Harvey as Olaf
- Rick VallinRick VallinRick Vallin was an actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1938 and 1966.Born Eric Efron in Russia, Vallin came to America while still young. He started his Hollywood career with an uncredited part in the film Freshman Year...
as Stan (a Blackhawk) and his twin Boris (an agent of The Leader) - Larry Stewart as Andre
- Weaver Levy as Chop
- Zon Murray as Bork
- Nick Stuart as Cress
- Marshall ReedMarshall Reed----Marshall Reed was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.-Career:...
as Aller - Pierce LydenPierce LydenPierce Lyden was an American actor best known for his work in television and film Westerns.-Early life:Pierce Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near Hildreth in rural Franklin County, Nebraska, on January 8, 1908. Son of a horse buyer for the U.S...
as D
Production
Writer George Plympton described a production staff meeting where they listened to a recording of the short lived Blackhawk radio series. Everyone at the meeting was "aghast at the confusing babble of accents." In the serial, all of the Blackhawks speak with standard American accents.Stunts
In chapter 3, Kirk Alyn performs a potentially dangerous stunt without the use of a stunt double. In order to save the life of Stan, tied to a stake in the path of a taxiing plane, Blackhawk (Alyn) runs up to the vehicle and turns it aside by grabbing the wing. A hidden pilot inside the plane steered it to simulate the movement. The scriptwriters were thinking of a lighter wood and canvas plane, not a heavy metal one, which could have killed Alyn if something had gone wrong.Critical reception
Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure." Despite this Blackhawk was the last aviation serial. Aviators were becoming less impressive in popular culture and science fiction was taking its place.As a serial of the 1950s, this was produced after the medium's heyday. The serials of this time were generally inferior to those that had been made in the previous decade.
Chapter titles
- Distress Call from Space
- Blackhawk Traps a Traitor
- In the Enemy's Hideout
- The Iron Monster
- Human Targets
- Blackhawk's Leap for Life
- Mystery Fuel
- Blasted from the Sky
- Blackhawk Tempts Fate
- Chase for Element X
- Forced Down
- Drums of Doom
- Blackhawk's Daring Plan
- Blackhawk's Wild Ride
- The Leader Unmasked
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