Blackhawk (serial)

Infobox Film
name = Blackhawk


image_size =
caption =
director = Spencer Gordon Bennet
Fred F. Sears
producer = Sam Katzman
writer = Royal K. Cole
Sherman L. Lowe
George H. Plympton
Will Eisner "(characters)"
narrator =
starring = Kirk Alyn
Carol Forman
John Crawford
Michael Fox
Don C. Harvey
Rick Vallin
Larry Stewart
music = Mischa Bakaleinikoff
cinematography = William Whitley
editing = Earl Turner
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = Flagicon|USA 1 July 1952
runtime = 15 chapters (242 min) B&W
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "King of the Congo"
followed_by = "Son of Geronimo"
website =
amg_id = 1:146200
imdb_id = 0044427

"Blackhawk" (1947) is a Columbia movie serial based on the comic book "Blackhawk" now owned by DC Comics. The serial's subtitle was "Fearless Champion of Freedom". It was the studio's 49th serial.

It stars Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk and Carol Forman as the foreign spy whom the Blackhawks must prevent from stealing the experimental super-fuel "Element-X". Alyn and Forman were also the hero and villain, respectively, of Columbia's earlier "Superman". This serial was produced by the famously cheap Sam Katzman and directed by the team of Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred F. Sears. It is considered a relatively cheap and lacklustre serial, produced in the waning years of the serial medium.

Plot

The Blackhawks must prevent the villainous Leader's plots to steal technology.

Cast

*Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk, the "Fearless Champion of Freedom"
*Carol Forman as Laska, foreign spy working for The Leader
*John Crawford as Chuck
*Michael Fox as Mr Case/The Leader
*Don Harvey as Olaf
*Rick Vallin as Stan (a Blackhawk) and his twin Boris (an agent of The Leader)
*Larry Stewart as Andre
*Weaver Levy as Chop
*Zon Murray as Bork
*Nick Stuart as Cress
*Marshall Reed as Aller
*Pierce Lyden as D

Production

Writer George Plympton described a production staff meeting where they listened to a recording of the short lived Blackhawk radio series. Everyone at the meeting was "aghast at the confusing babble of accents." In the serial, all of the Blackhawks speak with standard American accents.cite book
last = Harmon
first = Jim
coauthors= Donald F. Glut
authorlink = Jim Harmon
title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury
origyear = 1973
publisher = Routledge
isbn = 9780713000979
pages = pp. 161-163
chapter = 7. The Aviators "Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool" ]

tunts

In chapter 3, Kirk Alyn performs a potentially dangerous stunt without the use of a stunt double. In order to save the life of Stan, tided to a stake in the path of a taxiing plane, Blackhawk (Alyn) runs up to the vehicle and turns it aside by grabbing the wing. A hidden pilot inside the plane steered it to simulate the movement. The scriptwriters were thinking of a lighter wood and canvas plane, not a heavy metal one, which could have killed Alyn if something had gone wrong.

Critical reception

Cline describes the serial as a "pretty good airplane adventure."cite book
last = Cline
first = William C.
title = In the Nick of Time
origyear = 1984
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
isbn = 078640471X
pages = pp. 27
chapter = 2. In Search of Ammunition ] Despite this "Blackhawk" was the last aviation serial. Aviators were becoming less impressive in popular culture and science fiction was taking its place.

As a serial of the 1950s, this was produced after the medium's heyday. The serials of this time were generally inferior to those that had been made in the previous decade. [ [http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus/introduction5.htm
] - The Decline of the Serial]

Chapter titles

# Distress Call from Space
# Blackhawk Traps a Traitor
# In the Enemy's Hideout
# The Iron Monster
# Human Targets
# Blackhawk's Leap for Life
# Mystery Fuel
# Blasted from the Sky
# Blackhawk Tempts Fate
# Chase for Element X
# Forced Down
# Drums of Doom
# Blackhawk's Daring Plan
# Blackhawk's Wild Ride
# The Leader Unmasked_Source: [cite book
last = Cline
first = William C.
title = In the Nick of Time
origyear = 1984
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
isbn = 078640471X
pages = pp. 253-254
chapter = Filmography ]

References

ee also

*List of film serials by year
*List of film serials by studio

External links

*imdb title|id=0044427|title=Blackhawk
*amg title|id=1:146200|title=Blackhawk

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Columbia Serial
before=King of the Congo (1952)
years=Blackhawk (1952)
after=Son of Geronimo (1952)