He traveled the world - from steaming Amazon jungles to frigid mountain peaks - experiencing dozens of exciting and perilous adventures.
Spies, Nazi agents and gangsters often were victimized by his sharp mind and physical prowess.Indiana Jones, maybe?
No, this man of action was known as Jack Armstrong, "the All American Boy." During the 1930s and 1940s, "Jack" was one of the most popular shows on radio.
In those days, whenever a radio or comic strip feature became a big success, Hollywood producers came calling in hopes of buying the rights for a screen version. Considering the popularity of Jack Armstrong, it's amazing that it took nearly 15 years for him to arrive in the movies.
It finally happened in 1947 when Columbia Pictures released the 15-chapter serial "Jack Armstrong" starring John Hart in the title role. (A few years later, Hart played "The Lone Ranger" on television when Clayton Moore walked away from the role for a season.)
Except for scratchy "underground" prints, "Jack Armstrong" had been out of circulation for years until now. VCI Home Video has just released the serial on two cassettes.
It's just one of many Columbia and Universal serials available from the Tulsa, Okla.-based company. And for those who don't know, the serial was a key attraction of any movie theater program each Saturday from the 1920s to the mid-1950s.
The good news for collectors is that VCI is now recording all of its serials in the standard play (SP) mode. Previously, the company had duplicated most of its releases in the inferior extended play (EP) mode. Each serial is priced at $29.95.
Among VCI's other chapter-play offerings are:
- "The Phantom Empire" (1935): Gene Autry, in his first starring role, battles inhabitants of a "scientific" underground city. 12 chapters.
- "The Miracle Rider" (1935): Legendary cowboy star Tom Mix makes his final screen appearance in this sci-fi Western. 15 chapters.
- "The Green Hornet" (1940): Gordon Jones is crusading newspaper man Bret Reid, who gets plenty of help from his sidekick Kato. 12 chapters.
- "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940): Buster Crabbe is the golden-hair space hero who again faces Ming the Merciless. 12 chapters.
- "Riders of Death Valley" (1941): A star-studded Western with Buck Jones, Dick Foran, Charles Bickford and Big Boy Williams. 15 chapters.
- "Don Winslow of the Navy" (1942): Winslow (Don Terry) and his pal Red Pennington battle their arch enemy the Scorpion. 12 chapters.
There are many more available from VCI, including the four 15-chapter "Dick Tracy" serials starring Ralph Byrd from Republic.
For more information you can call 1-800-331-4077 or write VCI Home Video, 6535 E. Skelly Drive, Tulsa, OK 74145.
VIDEO QUESTION
Question: I know about the importance of keeping dust out of my VCR, but now I hear that even cigarette smoke can be a hazard. Is this true?
Answer: The main risk to a VCR from foreign particles is that they can clog the sensitive video heads, preventing proper recording and playback. This can happen even if the dirt speck is very small, and yes, that includes smoke particles, so it's a good idea of have a head cleaner around for emergencies. Usually, though, just the action of playing a tape helps to keep particles off the heads.
- Andy Wickstrom
(Knight-Ridder)
- Do you have a question you'd like answered? Send your queries to Andy Wickstrom, The Philadelphia Inquirer, P.O. Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA 19101.
NEW VIDEOS
CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST - That friendly ghost Casper gets the big-movie treatment next week, not to be confused with "The Friendly Ghost," the 1946 cartoon that introduced Casper to filmgoers. To remind baby-booming video viewers how much Casper has meant to them over the years, 16 new video titles are being released from Casper's TV days in the '50s and '60s, ranging from "Casper's Animal Friends" to "Casper's Travels, each about 25 minutes in length. Unrated, MCA/Universal, $9.98 each.
- Max McQueen
(Cox News Service)
UP TO A CERTAIN POINT - Oscar is a well-meaning filmmaker who wants to expose the macho attitudes of Cuban men in his new movie; but he gets distracted when he falls hopelessly in love with a female dockworker he's interviewing for research. This sly and serious comedy was directed by legendary Cuban filmmaker Tomas Gutierrez Alea in 1985, a decade before his "Strawberry & Chocolate" earned an Academy Award nomination. Not rated, New Yorker Video.
- David Sterritt
(Christian Science Monitor)