| Blackhawk | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet Fred F. Sears |
| Produced by | Sam Katzman |
| Written by | Royal K. Cole Sherman L. Lowe George H. Plympton Will Eisner (characters) |
| Starring | Kirk Alyn Carol Forman John Crawford Michael Fox Don C. Harvey Rick Vallin Larry Stewart |
| Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
| Cinematography | William Whitley |
| Editing by | Earl Turner |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  1 July 1952 |
| Running time | 15 chapters (242 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Blackhawk (1947) is a Columbia movie serial based on the comic book Blackhawk now owned by DC Comics. The serial's subtitle was "Fearless Champion of Freedom". It was the studio's 49th serial. It stars Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk and Carol Forman as the foreign spy whom the Blackhawks must prevent from stealing the experimental super-fuel "Element-X". Alyn and Forman were also the hero and villain, respectively, of Columbia's earlier Superman. This serial was produced by the famously cheap Sam Katzman and directed by the team of Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred F. Sears. It is considered a relatively cheap and lacklustre serial, produced in the waning years of the serial medium.
Contents |
Plot
The Blackhawks must prevent the villainous Leader's plots to steal technology.
Cast
- Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk, the "Fearless Champion of Freedom"
- Carol Forman as Laska, foreign spy working for The Leader
- John Crawford as Chuck
- Michael Fox as Mr Case/The Leader
- Don Harvey as Olaf
- Rick Vallin as Stan (a Blackhawk) and his twin Boris (an agent of The Leader)
- Larry Stewart as Andre
- Weaver Levy as Chop
- Zon Murray as Bork
- Nick Stuart as Cress
- Marshall Reed as Aller
- Pierce Lyden as D
Reception
As a serial of the 1950s, this was produced after the medium's heyday. The serials of this time were generally inferior to those that had been made in the previous decade.[1] Opinion on Blackhawk is somewhat mixed. It "wasn't so awful as to be obviously worth jettisoning, it was just lukewarm and mediocre."[2] according to one review. Another, however, noted that while "most serials fans are usually in agreement that with very few exceptions, the serials made during the Katzman era at Columbia were, if not outright bad, were at the very least disappointing. Blackhawk (1952) is one of those happy exceptions."[3]
Chapter titles
- Distress Call From Space
- Blackhawk Traps a Traitor
- In The Enemy's Hideout
- The Iron Monster
- Human Targets
- Blackhawk's Leap For Life
- Mystery Fuel
- Blasted From The Sky
- Blackhawk Tempts Fate
- Chase For Element X
- Forced Down
- Drums of Doom
- Blackhawk's Daring Plan
- Blackhawk's Wild Ride
- The Leader Unmasked
References
- ^ Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture - The Decline of the Serial
- ^ Dr Hermes review of Blackhawk
- ^ Blackhawk at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience
See also
External links
- Blackhawk at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by King of the Congo (1952) |
Columbia Serial Blackhawk (1952) |
Succeeded by Son of Geronimo (1952) |
 American films of the 1950s |
|---|
| 1950 •1951 •1952 •1953 •1954 •1955 •1956 •1957 •1958 •1959 |
