The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd | |
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Directed by | Derwin Abrahams Charles S. Gould |
Written by | George H. Plympton Arthur Hoerl (story and screenplay) |
Produced by | Sam Katzman |
Starring | Richard Crane David Bruce John Crawford George Wallace |
Cinematography | William P. Whitley |
Edited by | Earl Turner |
Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
Color process | Black and white |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 Episodes, 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953) was the 52nd serial released by Columbia Pictures. It is based in the historical figure of Captain William Kidd.
In 1697, agents Richard Dale and Alan Duncan are sent on an undercover mission by the British Fleet to find and gather information on the notorious pirate, Captain William Kidd. Dale and Duncan soon join Kidd's crew and discover, to their surprise, that the Captain is quite different from what they had expected.
This was the last costume serial and possibly the most faithful of the rare serial entries in the swashbuckling genre since Pirate Treasure. [2]
The plot was based on the possibility that the real Captain Kidd was misjudged in an unfair trial. [1]
Stock footage from feature films allowed the inclusion of seafaring scenes, which would have been too expensive to film on a serial budget. This resulted in, according to Cline, "a unique flavour for which it is fondly remembered." [2]
Source: [3]
Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 1941 American 12-chapter black-and-white movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Hiram S. Brown, Jr., directed by John English and William Witney, that stars Tom Tyler in the title role of Captain Marvel and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as his alter ego, Billy Batson. The serial was adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character, then appearing in the Fawcett Comics publications Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. The character is now owned by DC Comics and is known as Shazam.
Danger Island (1931) is a Universal pre-Code film serial. It is considered to be a lost film. Kenneth Harlan played Captain Drake, and Lucile Brown played heroine Bonnie Adams. The film also co-starred Andy Devine.
Ace Drummond is a Universal Pictures 1936 film serial based on the comic strip "Ace Drummond" written by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and drawn by Clayton Knight. The serial's cast features John King, Jean Rogers, Noah Beery Jr. and Jackie Morrow, with Lon Chaney Jr. in a supporting role.
The Great Alaskan Mystery is a 1944 Universal film serial about government agents trying to stop Nazi spies from getting their hands on futuristic weapons.
Darkest Africa (1936) is a Republic movie serial. This was the first serial produced by Republic Pictures and was a loose sequel to a Mascot Pictures serial called The Lost Jungle, also starring Clyde Beatty. Mascot, and other companies, had been taken over in 1935 by Consolidated Film Laboratories and merged to become Republic. Producer Nat Levine was formerly the owner of Mascot Pictures.
Haunted Harbor (1944) is a Republic serial, based on the novel by Ewart Adamson.
The James Brothers of Missouri is a 1949 American Republic Western film serial.
The Invisible Monster is a 1950 Republic film serial, starring Richard Webb and Aline Towne.
Trader Tom of the China Seas is a 1954 Republic film serial directed by Franklin Adreon and starring Harry Lauter, Aline Towne, Lyle Talbot, Robert Shayne, Fred Graham, and Richard Reeves. In 1966 the serial was edited into Century 66 100-minute television film with the new title Target: Sea of China.
The Airmail Mystery is a 1932 Universal pre-Code movie serial directed by Ray Taylor, written by Ella O'Neill, starring James Flavin and Wheeler Oakman, and featuring Al Wilson doing the aerial stunts. The Airmail Mystery was Universal's first aviation serial that set the pattern for the aviation serials and feature films to follow. The film also marks the film debut of James Flavin. The Airmail Mystery is considered a lost film.
Pirate Treasure is a 1934 Universal film serial. It was the twenty-first sound serial released by Universal, of the sixty-nine they released in total. It was a rare example of the swashbuckling genre in the film serial medium.
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943) is a Universal movie serial based on the popular comic strip The Adventures of Smilin' Jack by Zack Mosley. It was directed by Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor.
Adventures of the Flying Cadets is a 13-episode 1943 Universal film serial directed by Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins.
The Green Archer is the 12th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on Edgar Wallace's 1923 novel The Green Archer, which had previously been adapted into the silent serial of the same name in 1925 by Pathé Exchange.
The Monster and the Ape was the 26th serial released by Columbia Pictures and was released in 1945.
Son of the Guardsman is an American film serial released in 1946 by Columbia Pictures. It was the 31st of the 57 serials produced by that studio.
Pirates of the High Seas is a 1950 American adventure serial film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr and starring Buster Crabbe, Lois Hall and Tommy Farrell.
Mysterious Island is a 1951 American 15-chapter movie serial from Columbia Pictures, the studio's 46th, that stars Richard Crane, Marshall Reed, Karen Randle, and Ralph Hodges. It is an adaptation of Jules Verne's 1874 novel, The Mysterious Island. As in the original story, which was Verne's follow-up to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, this serial is set in 1865. However, Columbia's screenwriters added alien Mercurians as an additional set of villains. The serial has been labeled a space opera version of Verne's novel.
Derwin Abrahams (1903–1974) was an American film director. He directed four serials in the 1940s for Columbia Pictures, including Hop Harrigan, Chick Carter, Detective, Tex Granger, and Son of the Guardsman, followed by The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd in 1953. He also directed around two dozen western features, as well as episodes of the TV series The Adventures of Kit Carson, Hopalong Cassidy and The Cisco Kid.