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Captain Celluloid vs. the Film Pirates
USA 1966
produced by Louis McMahon, Robert Miller (associate) for Adventure Pictures
directed by Louis McMahon
starring Robert Clayton (= Robert Miller), Doris Burnell, Alan G.Barbour, Barney noto, John Cullen, Jean Barbour, Al Kilgore, Grant Willis, William K.Everson, George Labes, John Kirk, Bill Barr
screenplay by Louis McMahon, Robert Miller, based on an idea by William K.Everson
serial
review by Mike Haberfelner
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A masked master villain called the Super Duper - who of course also has
a disintegrator ray and an invisibility belt at his disposal - is
repeatedly holding up the trucks of the National Film Association and borrowing
their classic movies to copy them - which puts Captain Cellulloid, the
masked hero, on the map.
Captain Celluloid is of course actually a mild mannered
member ofthe board of the Film Association, Larry Steele (Robert Clayton),
but when he has donned his hero-outfit, he fights for justice in the world
of movie restauration, and so in a number of chases, fistfights,shoot-outs
and near death experiences he thwarts each and every plan of the Super
Duper until he is sure the villain is actually one of the board of the
Film Association, and he lays the Super Duper a trap - which the Super
Duper really falls for, and after a fight he can be unmasked and
identified as Paul Michael (Barney Noto), a member of the board, who is
ultimately killed by his own disintegration ray.
CAptain Celluloid meanwhile quits his hero-sidejob and
decides to find happiness with the Film Association's lovely secretary
(Doris Burnell) ...
Made at a time when movie serials were definitely a thing
of the past, this four part chapterplay - produced not by professionals
(in the narrower term of the word) but by a bunch of movie and serial
buffs - nevertheless perfectly captures the look and feel of the serials
of old, featuring many genre mainstays like masked heroes and villains,
all sorts of fancy gadgets and of course an abundance of action. Captain
Celluloid vs the Film Pirates (shot silent with a musical score, by the
way) succeeds in staying true to the spirit of the chapterplay by not
ridiculing the more outrageous genre elements, never trying to go for the
cheap joke, and, just like every good serial, remeaining focused on action
and entertainment.
Simply put: If you (like me) like serials, you'll love
this.
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