Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

John English
William Witney

Writers:

Ronald Davidson (original screenplay) &
Norman S. Hall (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 March 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN CARTOONLAND BECOMES THE STRONGEST MAN ON THE SCREEN! All others pale in the light of this human fortress who finds no barrier too great in his amazing fight for justice.

Plot:

To protect a magic talisman from being used for evil, a boy is given the power to become an adult superhero with a single magic word.

Plot Keywords:

Idol | Scorpion | Shazam | Superhero | Based On Comic

Cast

Tom Tyler	...	Captain Marvel
Frank Coghlan Jr.	...	Billy Batson (as Frank Coghlan, Jr.)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Whitey Murphy (as William Benedict)
Louise Currie	...	Betty Wallace
Robert Strange	...	John Malcolm
Harry Worth	...	Prof. Luther Bentley
Bryant Washburn	...	Harry Carlyle [Ch. 1-3]
John Davidson	...	Tal Chotali
George Pembroke	...	Dr. Stephen Lang [Ch. 1-9]
George Lynn	...	Prof. Dwight Fisher [Ch. 1-6] (as Peter George Lynn)
Reed Hadley	...	Rahman Bar [Ch. 1,11-12]
Jack Mulhall	...	Howell [Ch. 1]
Kenne Duncan	...	Barnett (chief henchman) [Ch. 2-10] (as Kenneth Duncan)
Nigel De Brulier	...	Shazam [Ch. 1]
John Bagni	...	Henchman Cowan [Ch. 2-10]

Also Known As:

Captain Marvel
Return of Captain Marvel (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

216 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6920) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

The Golden Scorpion weapon featured in this serial would be reintroduced in Captain Marvel's 1990 series, "The Power of Shazam!"

Goofs:

Continuity: In chapter 11, "Valley of Death" one of the tribesmen uses a signal mirror to communicate with another. He flicks it up and down, but the reflection hits the other in a side-to-side motion.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[sound of a huge gong omninously echoes down the valley]
Billy Batson: What's that, Mr. Howell?
Howell [Ch. 1]: I don't know, Billy - let's find out. What do you make of that cymbal, Malcolm?
John Malcolm: I don't know, Howell. Does it mean anything to you, Tal Chotali?
Tal Chotali: The men of the hills are gathering. The cymbal says that the white men are to be driven from the Valley of Tombs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Action Heroes of the Cliffhanger Serials (1992) (V)

Serials Definitely Can Be Additive!

This is my first full-length serial, and, I must confess surprisingly, that I truly enjoyed each and every minute of it. The story tells of a young man named Billy Batson and how he, having refused to enter the tomb of an ancient people with a curse while being part of an archaeological/treasure hunting team, is bestowed great powers by Shazaam. Batson turns into Captain Marvel when he utters the word Shazaam. This serial is a lot better crafted than I initially thought it would be. The sets used in this Rebublic Pictures production are very good and believable. The acting is very adequate with Frank Coghlan Jr. giving a very honest and sincere performance as Billy albeit somewhat corny perhaps. Tom Tyler plays his alter ego Captain Marvel - and while looking somewhat haggard is acceptable. All the other performers are good with John Davidson standing out as Tal Chotali - a native guide for the group. The 12 chapters of this serial tell of how each investor in the team was given a special lens of a gold scorpion found in the ancient tomb. When all the lenses are placed properly on the scorpion, it can make gold out of anything. Well, a villain named the Scorpion comes into the mix. He is covered from head to foot in a mask and costume so as not to reveal his identity because he is one of the men in the team. Each episode tells of various plots the scorpion invents to secure the lenses and thwart Captain Marvel. In true serial fashion, each chapter ends with a thrilling and exciting cliffhanger of sorts. Originally these were shown weekly with pictures and made to be exciting and suspenseful so as to entice movie-goers to return each week. Directors William Witney and John English succeed in making the viewer want to see what happens. Each chapter was packed with action and mystery. Plenty of red herrings are thrown at you so as to confuse you to who could or would be the real identity of the Scorpion. It was so refreshing to see Captain Marvel be a real super hero. He doles out real justice to real crooks. No feminization of Captain Marvel here. Sure, some of the story is pretty hokey, and, yes, some plot twists totally unrealistic(how about the scene where Betty Wallace,Batson's pseudo-love interest, is careening around one bend after another in a garage while knocked out), but the product as a whole was very compelling. I had to watch all 12 chapters in one sitting just to find out who the script chose to be the Scorpion. This serial made me a believer and makes me want to check out some of these rather forgotten films of the past.