One has to put things into context. Compared to today's movies and animations, many may have a hard time sitting through this 12-episode serial. For the young folks reading this, back in the day, before TV and the early days of Film, there would be news reels form the wars, animated shorts form Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, and Super Hero serials like this one.
If you have seen a lot of these, you might recognize this one being better than most. And some how this feels more like what became the 1950s TV Superman style. In this version Billy is a little older than most, working as a reporter.
Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 1941 twelve-chapter film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures, adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character then appearing in Fawcett Comics publications such as Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. It starred Tom Tyler in the title role of Captain Marvel and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as his alter ego, Billy Batson.
This serial was the twenty-first of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic and their first comic book adaptation, not counting comic strips. The serial featured an adaptation of the Fawcett Comics superhero, placed within an original story. He fights a masked criminal mastermind called The Scorpion who is determined to gain control of a powerful weapon disguised as a scorpion figurine.
- Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel
- Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy Batson, radio operator with the Malcolm Expedition and secret identity of Captain Marvel.
- William Benedict as Whitey Murphy, a friend of Billy Batson.
- Louise Currie as Betty Wallace, a friend of Billy Batson and secretary to John Malcolm.
- Robert Strange as John Malcolm, leader of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Harry Worth as Prof Luther Bentley, a member of the Malcolm Expedition and the mystery villain The Scorpion.
- Bryant Washburn as Harry Carlyle
- John Davidson as Tal Chotali, the Malcolm Expedition's guide.
- George Pembroke as Dr. Stephen Lang, a member of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Peter George Lynn as Prof Dwight Fisher, a member of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Reed Hadley as Rahman Bar, the native chief in the Valley of the Tombs.
- Jack Mulhall as Howell
- Kenneth Duncan as Barnett
- Nigel De Brulier as Shazam, the wizard who gives Billy the power to become Captain Marvel.
- Tetsu Komai as Chan Lai
- Stanley Price as Owens
- Gerald Mohr as the voice of The Scorpion (uncredited)
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