One of my favorite Republic serials, along with Zorro's Fighting Legion and Spy Smasher. Adventures of Captain Marvel is slick, fast-paced and action packed. Of course, it has the usual failings of most serials -- low budget, short shooting schedule, a few bumps and wrinkles along the way -- but if that bothers you, you are probably one of those viewers who complain about the plots of Jackie Chan films. Frank Coughlan, Jr., does creditable work as Billy Batson, while Tom Tyler (Stagecoach, Red River) makes a robust Captain Marvel. Fans of Indiana Jones will love this, especially the sets in Chapter One. The best part about Capt. Marvel is his occasional shortage of a sense of fair play. (When was the last time you saw Superman machine gun three guys in the back as they ran away?) This is one super hero who doesn't play around. I also love Tyler's evil grin as bullets bounce off his chest and his propensity for pimp-slapping the bad guys when they don't answer his questions quickly enough. Also, look for Reed Hadley (Zorro) as one of the bad guys; unmistakable due to his superb voice. Hadley narrated A-bomb training films for the US government and had high level security clearance for the job. The other big plus of Capt. Marvel is the ground-breaking flying effects by the Lydeckers, using wires, dummies, reversed film and the leaping skills of stuntman Dave Sharpe. If you love adventure serials, you'll love The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Highly recommended is the DVD release from Artisan.

This is a 12-chapter serial from Republic Pictures and directors William Witney and John English. An American archaeological expedition in a remote region discovers a long-hidden temple that contains an ancient weapon of incredible power, a scorpion shaped statue that can fire a deadly laser beam. Not long after arriving back in the U. S., a mysterious masked figure calling himself the Scorpion sends his minions out to claim the weapon. However, while at that temple, one of the expedition members, a young man named Billy Batson (Frank Coghlan Jr.) encounters a wizard who imbues Batson with the powers of Captain Marvel (Tom Tyler). Billy has only to say the name "SHAZAM!" and he's transformed into the larger, older, costumed hero with powers of flight, super strength, and nearly invulnerability.

This marks the first comic book superhero movie, and it came after Republic spent quite a bit of time and money trying to get a Superman movie made, only to have that character's rights owners refuse it. So instead, Republic went with the similar Captain Marvel, turning out one of the best serials of the era. It's corny, very silly, and often unintentionally amusing. It's also well-made, with groundbreaking effects and stunt work. Tyler makes a great looking superhero, although the more he keeps his mouth shut, the better. Coghlan's voice, as the young Batson, is high and wheedling and often funny.

Watching Captain Marvel toss the bad guys around like dummies (which they obviously are) is a highlight, as is when he unintentionally causes more than one of them to die. Tyler sometimes looks like he enjoys punching a little too much. The character of Captain Marvel/Shazam was at one time a bigger seller than Superman, although he's become fairly obscure to modern audiences.

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.