Video - DICK TRACY'S G-MEN (1939)

Having enjoyed the first Dick Tracy serial I have moved on to the second! So far I'm liking the story for this one a little better even if the villainous menace of Charles (Ming the Merciless) Middleton is missed. 

Classic Serial Poster Art

 

Video - DICK TRACY (1937) Serial

I watched this decades ago from a friend's VHS but I have very little memory of the details. I do remember enjoying the usual thrills present in a Republic serial and my recent rewatch of the feature films about Tracy made in the 1940's has made me itch to see how this version plays in 2026. There were some odd choices made in transplanting the character from comic strip to screen for the first time. Here he is an FBI agent stationed in San Francisco rather than a police detective in a nameless midwestern city. They also dropped Tess Trueheart and Dick's cop partner Pat Patton adding substitute characters for reasons that defy all explanation. Dammit! It's Dick Tracy - keep the supporting characters that add value to the mythology of the story. Still, I'm looking forward to doing a slow watch of this 15 chapter serial for dozens of reasons and if you're curious you can do the same. 

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

 

FLASH GORDON (1936) Lobby Cards and Poster Art

 

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (1948) Serial - Lobby Cards and Poster Art

Cooler weather is here and my thoughts immediately turn to Canada and tales of their Mounted Police. I realize I am the only person that has this bizarre fascination but I don't care. Bring it on! Somehow I have never watched this serial and it is just sitting there on YouTube waiting. I'm off! (In many ways.) 

The Bloody Pit #219 - NYOKA AND THE TIGERMAN (1942)

Chris Herzog returns to the show to discuss one of the best of Republic Pictures’ serials. NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN (1942) is a fantastic example of the chapterplay form but gets forgotten when people talk about the best the studio produced. Revisiting this action-packed adventure proves that it deserves to be mentioned as one of the finest serials ever made. Where is the Blu-Ray?

We discuss the cast in some detail and relate a few behind the scenes anecdotes. Since this is one of only eight serials lead by a female character, we spend some time on how Nyoka both conforms to and breaks from the usual conventions of the format. It’s nice to have an action hero woman mixing it up in the fights and killing bad guys rather than finding new ways to be knocked unconscious! The lead villain is a woman as well giving us a driven Queen Vultura bent on destroying all who stand in her way. Dangerous females indeed! We also get the future Lone Ranger as one of the good guys ably assisted by the excellent stunt team that Republic always used. They will make you believe in leaping over tables and from great heights. And I can’t stop myself from pointing out how many members of the cast show up in various Poverty Row horror films with Bela Lugosi. Sorry about my fixations but you really should see the trainwreck that is BLACK DRAGONS (1942). And did we mention the gorilla named Satan?

If you have any comments or suggestions about the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We love hearing from you and hope you enjoy the podcast. 

JUNGLE GIRL (1941) Poster Art and Lobby Card

 

Poster Art and Lobby Cards for NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN (1942) a.k.a. Perils of Nyoka

Podcast on the horizon!