Even today, movie serials (aka "cliffhangers") continue to enchant fans. Their innocence, energy and undeniable skill is a tribute to these pioneer filmmakers working in a pre-digital era. The best serials ("Flash Gordon"; "Dick Tracy") are classic examples of American low-budget film making. The bad ones ("The Lost City") are silly and stilted, but always charming and sometimes bizarre. At the very least, they offer a window into another time and place. And with the state the world is in today, it's a very welcome place where the good guys always win, the kid saves the day and the hero gets the girl. Volume 2 picks up the story in 1941 and continues until the final serial was produced in 1955, a time when cliffhanger film making could no longer compete with the emergence of TV.
"This book is unique. It is wonderfully entertaining and offers much valuable research." - Adrian Booth, star of Perils of Nyoka, Captain America, and other cliffhangers.
"A loving recollection of a more innocent yesteryear. Brimming with humor and intelligence." - Len Brown, KOOP-FM, Austin TX
