Cliffhanger! by Christopher Irving (book review).

Christopher Irving’s book, ‘Cliffhanger!’, subtitled ‘Cinematic Superheroes Of The Serials: 1941-1952,’ primarily focuses on superhero series in cinema, although the opening chapter provides an overview of the entire history.

I had previously believed that ‘The Perils Of Pauline’ (1922) was one of the first, but it was actually Thomas Edison’s ‘What Happened To Mary’ in 1912. Releasing episodes weekly ensured that children would return to see what happened next, although Irving reports that stretching the series to 12 weeks, or 3 months, was a challenge.

In my youth during the 1960s, British Saturday Morning cinema would often show at least two episodes a week. Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon were particularly popular and represented the science fiction genre. I appreciate the fact that Bill Witney drew inspiration from Busby Berkeley’s dancers to improve safety measures for stunt performers. The first superhero film serial was Captain Marvel (1941), as Republic Studios failed to secure the rights to Superman after two years of negotiations with National.

I would love to learn more about the details of that situation—whether it was related to money or characters. It seems that the later Columbia release was a result of a dispute over control of the character on screen. Having watched and reviewed ‘The Adventures Of Captain Marvel,’ I noticed that his primary role was to rescue Billy Batson or his friends and then return to the background. In many ways, this mirrors his role in the comic books, albeit with more dialogue.

Despite the constraints of tight budgets, valuable lessons were learned from these productions. I was disappointed to see that the Phantom was only briefly mentioned in this book, as actor Tom Tyler portrayed both characters and his serial was quite impressive.

‘Superman’ was the first cartoon series from Fleisher Studios, relying heavily on rotoscoping in 1941. I have reviewed the series, which is still available on DVD. It becomes quite apparent that the aim was to create realistic-looking characters.

The next Republic series featured Fawcett’s Spysmasher. The costume department found it easier to work with, and the actor, Kane Richmond, later played The Shadow. It’s interesting how Richmond, Kirk Alyn, and Buster Crabb frequently appeared in these series.

Each chapter follows a format that explores the comic book origins before delving into the film adaptation. If I were to offer a critique, it would be interesting to learn more about the fan reaction at the time, as such records must exist. Irving provides a fair assessment within the context of the release period, and there is a decent selection of black and white as well as color photos where possible.

In this review, I will make some generalizations to avoid providing too many specifics that readers can discover for themselves. Upon examining the superhero costumes, it becomes evident that the choice of materials was limited, and the tights constantly needed adjustment to avoid wrinkled knees. Although not covered in this book, it is worth considering the actor’s physique and the level of protection the costumes could provide. Modern superhero films face similar challenges, as the choice of leather can restrict mobility.

With the Captain America series, I now understand why they changed the character from Steve Rogers, who went AWOL every time he swung into action, to a district attorney. One can only presume that Rogers’ absences were ignored by higher-ups, or he must have left the guardhouse frequently.

Oddly enough, I have yet to watch any of the live-action ‘Superman’ serials, and the photographs in this book are my first glimpse of Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent. Although viewers in the UK will need a region-free DVD player/recorder to watch them, both of Alyn’s series are available. Alyn holds the distinction of also playing Blackhawk, where he was identified, but not as Superman, as National wanted kids to believe he was a separate character.

What ultimately led to the demise of film serials was the advent of television, which was free compared to cinema. However, the 1966 TV series ‘Batman’ embraced many aspects of the serial format. In the UK, our Saturday morning cinema club remained strong, showcasing a mix of content, although we did not have many superhero serials. I suspect readers will learn a great deal from this book and perhaps be motivated to seek out some of these serials, as they still exist. Considering how many TV series from the early days of television have been lost, it is fortunate that this aspect of history has been preserved.

GF Willmetts

June 2023

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 159 page illustrated hardback. Price: $39.95. (US). ISBN: 978-1-60549-119-6. Direct from them, you can get it for $39.95 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=95_96&products_id=1706