Random discoveries, oddities, recommendations:
I spent a portion of the first day of 2013, getting acquainted with a serial from 70+ years earlier. namely 1942s 12 part serial SPY SMASHER.
Don’t let the cheesy poster art dissuade you. Generally regarded as one of the best of that since mothballed type of film, SPY SMASHER is filled with great action, superb stunts and fight scenes, wild and imaginative plots, and Sci-fi tinged weaponry, gadgets and of course… cliffhangers.
Indeed its first cliffhanger is regarded as one of the best, complete with a solution that does not disappoint. Though later cliffhangers did suffer from the bait and switch effect. That aside, a genuinely exciting and despite a plot that goes all over the map (from gold theft, to ships being mined, to pre-helicopter batplanes, and pre-EMP death rays, to name a few) enthralling and smart serial with a crackerjack ending!
Unfortunately this historic serial is not available on any studio pressed DVD. Only a VHS was released, and that currently goes for relatively high prices. But thankfully you can get an excellent print of this serial pressed to DVD on the collector market. People who for the love preserve and share these joys from yesteryear.
However be aware not every collector mom and pop shop is the same, nor is the quality of the DVDs they produce. Finding a good one can be a bit of trial and error. Thankfully for you when it comes to the SPY SMASHER serial I found a great one.
If you’re a subscriber to this blog, hit me up with a request for details in the comments section (they come right to me, and won’t be posted) and I’ll get that info to you. And you too can be enjoying a great DVD copy of SPY SMASHER complete with DVD art, Box Art, and chapter stops.
Okay that’s my first quirky item mention of 2013! 🙂
Heroic Times 