Serial Cliffhangers - Modern Society and the Chapter Play
Serial cliffhangers have all but disappeared from the familiar. At one time, they were the key that kept youngsters coming back to theaters week after week. These 15 to 20 minute shorts generally left the hero or heroine at the fate of a mad scientist, evil king, or henchman. Let's look at an example.
At the end of Chapter One in the Masked Marvel (1943), we find the hero of the same name, falling from a gasoline storage tower into the bed of a burning truck below. As he hits, the truck explodes, causing a chain reaction with the storage tank. No human could possibly walk away. The screen cuts to a still, "Next Week DEATH TAKES THE HELM." Next week, Chapter Two quickly recaps the previous week's story, and we see the Masked Marvel where we left off, but the action continues. We find that the Masked Marvel has a minute to pick himself up and head to safety before the fireball engulfs the area.
The above is a typical scenario for the chapter play. Republic Pictures transformed the cliffhanger into an art. Although low budget, directors William Witney and John English, refined the industry with masterful plots and cliffhanger endings like had never been seen before. Many of the early serials, The Adventures of Captain Marvel, The Mysterious Doctor Satan, Spy Smasher, The Perils of Nyoka, and Daredevils of the Red Circle were original. However, low budgets and the constant reuse of footage in later serials, started a decline in quality. In the 1950, the advent of television, sealed a death warrant of the cliffhanger. Blazing the Overland Trail (1956) was the last theatrical release. In the mid 1960s, Republic repackaged some of the serials as much shorter features for television.
Many of the television shows of the 1950s and 60s, Superman, Batman, The Green Hornet, and The Lone Ranger, among others, were inspired by the serial.
Today, serial cliffhangers are almost never seen. A few are available commercially on DVD. Others were released on VHS and Laser Disc, and are out of print. These have become increasing hard to find and can often be bought used.