Terry and the Pirates

Description

Of all the early radio shows adopted from the classic newspaper comic pages in the '30s and '40s, none was more intriguing or exciting than the action-packed tales of Terry and the Pirates. Columbia Pictures brought Terry and the Pirates to the screen in fifteen thrill-packed episodes in 1940 featuring an excellent cast of screen favorites. Directed in a style that combined action and considerable comedy, director James W. Horne led the cast in an adventure that centered around the discovery of a vast hidden treasure. Along the treacherous 15-episode route we have contacts with mysterious "Tiger Men," a savage gorilla, exploding ammunition sheds and countless other thrills that totally captivated Saturday matinee audiences week after week. Bonus Features: Chapter Selection Menu| VCI Serial Promo| Actor Bios|Bonus Episode # 1 from the 1952 TV Series TERRY AND THE PIRATES, starring John Baer and guest star Keye Luke. Specs: DVD9 + DVD5; 270 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1940; SRP - $19.99.

Customer Reviews:

Serial Killers.......2007-03-08

One of many newspaper comic strips to be serialized for the big screen, Terry and the Pirates brings Milt Caniff's characters to blazing B movie life. As with most releases from VCI (The Phantom, The Green Archer, et al) no effort has been made to improve the quality of obviously ancient prints; these DVDs offer you a chance to see classic material at about the quality you'd get from you local terrestrial TV station. A trip down (faded) memory lane, these are worth the money, but keep your expectations, like the price, low.

what might of been.......2005-10-04

there was potential...republic could have done things with this one...the lack of a credible villain, Terry's whininess, the cheesy tiger men, and I am afraid this was typical of the studio...cliffhangers were decent...but, not good enough...

"Milton Caniff's creation comes to the serial world ~ Terry & the Pirates".......2005-09-06

VCI Entertainment and Columbia Pictures present "Terry and the Pirates" (1940), featuring a 15 thrilling chapter serial based upon the famous Milton Caniff cartoon strip...15 Chapters of the favorite newspaper feature satisfying several million fans comes to the DVD world...jungle action mixed with hair breadth escapes ending each episode.

Under director James W. Horne with a fine cast which include William Tracy as Terry Lee, Granville Owen (aka Jeff York) as Pat Ryan, Joyce Bryant as Normandie Drake, Allen Jung as Connie, Victor DeCamp as Big Stoop, Sheila Darcy as The Dragon Lady, Dick Curtis (great Columbia Picture stock player of 100 films) as Master Fang, J. Paul Jones as Dr. Herbert Lee, Forrest Taylor as Mr. Drake and Jack Ingram (a favorite in the bad guys department) as Stanton the thug leader...writing credits include Milton Caniff and Mark Layton.

Tracy who plays a young Terry along with Ryan go up river in a infested jungle with plenty of dangers...searching for a treasure that has been hidden from the civilized world...plenty of adventure turns up with Dick Curtis as Fang as the mysterious and evil Oriental villain...less we forget Dragon Lady, the Tiger Men and a mad gorilla at large...the Saturday Matinee crowd would most certainly be sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the next chapter...Charlie King (we called him "Blackie" in the B-Western) appears with other Columbia Picture extras that you've seen in many serials and B-Westerns...this is sort of an early "Indiana Jones", complete with campy humor that will keep you in stitches along with dangerous and thrilling Milton Caniff characters that you enjoyed decades from the comic strip.

Chapter Titles:
1. Into the Great Unknown
2. The Fang Strikes
3. The Mountain of Death
4. The Dragon Queen Threatens
5. At the Mercy of a Mob
6. The Scroll of Wealth
7. Angry Waters
8. The Tomb of Peril
9. Jungle Hurricane
10.Too Many Enemies
11.Walls of Doom
12.No Escape
13.The Fatal Mistake
14.Pyre of Death
15.The Secret of the Temple

Special Features:

Bios
WILLIAM TRACY
GRANVILLE OWEN (Jeff York)
JOYCE BRYANT
JAMES W. HORNE

Trailers:
GREEN ARCHER
KING OF THE CONGO

VCI Cliffhanger Promos
SECRET AGENT X-9
ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS
FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (Buster Crabbe)
BUCK ROGERS (Buster Crabbe)
JUNGLE GIRL (Edgar Rice Burroughs)
ZORRO RIDES AGAIN
JUNGLE JIM (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN
THE PHANTOM (Tom Tyler)
DICK TRACY & G Men (Ralph Byrd)
ZANE GREYS 'KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED" (Allan Rocky Lane)
THE MIRACLE RIDER (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION (Reed Hadley)

Plus a television episode from the 1952 "Terry and the Pirates" featuring John Baer as Terry Lee, William Tracy as Hotshot Charlies, Jack Reitzen as Chopstick Joe, Gloria Saunders as Dragon Lady, Sandra Spence as Burma, Keye Luke as Okura & Lt. Leong, Ted Hecht as Yat Chang Hoy and Weaver Levy as the leader...from director Richard Irving and Lew Landers with writers Milton Caniff and Irvin Ashkenazy...loaded with Saturday Morning drama, action and adventure...try a sample, you just might like it.

Outstanding job by VCI Entertainment on this digitally remastered release with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, climb aboard and be ready to explore the jungle and adventure with a top notch serial from VCI...gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-DVD-Set ~ VCI Entertainment 8322 ~ (6/29/2004)

Directed by James Horne, so serial fans know what to expect!.......2004-11-05

This adaptation of Milton Caniff's comic strip is a jungle serial produced by Columbia in 1940. William Tracy plays teenage Terry like radio's hapless Henry Aldrich, complete with brash confidence and adolescent voice. Granville Owen is one of the better serial heroes, playing Terry's adult protector with firm jaw and resolute manner.

Director James Horne, best known for his Laurel & Hardy comedies, throws in some noteworthy touches, most of them on the silly side. Horne instructs Sheila Darcy, playing a tribal queen, to over-emphasize her lines like a third-grader in a class play (thankfully she drops the stilted delivery later on). John Ince also chews some scenery as the queen's high priest. Most of the cast members are invited by Horne to slice a little ham here and there, and they respond with enthusiasm: listen for Tracy's ludicrously high-pitched shriek of terror, and for cowboy-villain Dick Curtis (of all people) and his incredible dialect as an Oriental warlord named Fang! Horne even adds comic business to some of the fight scenes (Tracy subdues a combatant by robbing him of his pants; Owen slugs someone and hurts his fist). And it's fun to watch a serial hero actually being ANNOYED by his sidekick for once. When Tracy says something dumb, the disgusted Owen repeats the remark in true Oliver Hardy style!

To Horne's credit, he stages the cliffhanging perils nicely and employs some very effective silent-serial technique (like a memorable shot of a hand reaching up from the floor, desperately groping for the switch that will stop a death trap). Also, some serials have the characters walking away from calamity wihout batting an eye, but Horne allows the heroes to be visibly shaken and unsteady after surviving the more serious perils. This may not be one of the best adventure serials of all time, but between the thrill scenes and the dopey scenes there's plenty to hold the attention.

VCI transferred this film to video just in the nick of time; there are scattered instances of blemishes and slight decomposition. The decay totally ruined the soundtrack of one episode, so VCI recreated the Chapter 5 track with appropriate music and re-enacted dialogue (the actors imitating William Tracy and William Irving are right on the money!). Overall, the picture and sound are very good, especially considering the rarity of the subject.

As a bonus, the DVD contains episode #1 of the "Terry and the Pirates" TV series from 1952. The emphasis on adventure and international intrigue reminded this viewer of a first-season "Superman" show (some of the music here was actually used in the "Superman" series). William Tracy appears in this, too -- now he's Terry's co-pilot and sidekick.

Like 'em or leave 'em, it's good to see these Columbia serials on DVD.

WELL I THINK YOU'RE WRONG, R.B. MERHAR.......2004-08-18

IN THIS 15-CHAPTER SERIAL, TERRY AND HIS FRIENDS ARRIVE IN THE FAR EAST ON A MISSION FOR SOME HIDDEN GOLD. ALONG THE WAY, THEY MUST FACE THE DRAGON LADY AND THE FANG. ALL 15 CHAPTERS OF THIS SERIAL WERE ENTERTAINING AND ACTION-PACKED. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS SERIAL. GET THIS ONE NOW. DON'T LISTEN TO THE OTHER REVIEW.

Average customer rating:

cute period movie
Most definatly not a interesting or lively movie
For the ten year old Muskeeter.
TRUTH, HONOR, COURAGE AND CHIVALRY
Fun, Clean Movie

The King's Guard
Starring: Eric Roberts , Ron Perlman , Lesley-Anne Down , Monty Jordan , and Khrystyne Haje
Director: Jonathan Tydor
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005LMAO
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Customer Reviews:

cute period movie.......2006-08-28

this movie,although it is lacking in sets and background, it's story is sweet about a member of the king's guard who secretly loves princess gwendolen who is on her way to be married to a king to save her father's throne.
it's cute and nice to watch.
a very rare movie and i was suprised amazon had this and especially on dvd!
i am glad i got 1 of the last 2 they had in stock.
i never thought i'd see this movie again.

Most definatly not a interesting or lively movie.......2005-08-09

To put in plain and simple, this movie really has nothing to do with anything in particular besides the unromantic romance between a kings guard and a princess. Our movie begins one fine day when the Queen approaches the Kings guard with the proposition of his help to ensure the safety of their daughter as she travels with her dowry to wed the Sicilian King. Things go awry when a very dumb group of bandits attack them, and force the group into a broken down house, that just happens to sit in the very middle of a huge field. Now the fact that the placing of this house is very convenient, for the band of desperate, dirty ruffians led by Ron Perlman must rush into the open glade to attack.

If this wasn't bad enough, we find that the good guys have a certain adventage, possessing a feat known as the "Tigers Claw" Which is supposed to be a deadly weapon. What it really is is sending three people rushing wildly out into the field and slaying as many people as possible. They only manage to achieve this successfully for the 'bad guys' happen to be insanely stupid. The sword play is also the worst I've ever seen. Stances are sloppy, there's virtually no talent displayed, and the fighting reminds me of the battles I used to fight against my brothers. Really bad and totally lacking in realistic proffesionalism.

Oh, back to the story. Well, the 'bad guys' die without managing to kill even one of the opposing party. If this wasn't enough to make us convinced this was definatly a scripted movie, the way the guard and princess fall in love is even dumber. A few yells, proffesions of hate, and five minutes later they are in love. I shake my head in unseen disgust.

Also don't be fooled, some have said this is a movie that gamers will love, they are wrong. We gamers are not so totally dumb that a movie such as this will have us jumping for joy. Arrgh......There still has to be a level of intelligence there for us to enjoy it.

On the whole, this is a movie that has bad acting, bad camera work and equally bad music. Besides which the costumes where a few centuries short of being truly Renaissance. From hooped skirts, to the men's almost 1700th century styles, this definatly cannot be considered influenced by the century they where trying to portray.

In conclusion, don't rent, and most definatly don't buy. See if some unlucky friend of your's happens to have it first.

For the ten year old Muskeeter........2005-01-19

Treachery, villainy, swordplay, noble secret love and a princess in peril: what more could the average ten year old would-be Musketeer ask for?

Set in the days of chivalry at sword point, "The King's Guard" is the tale of the "last stand" of a princess (Ashley Jones) being taken to a marriage that will save her father's throne and the young noble Guard (Trevor St. John) who secretly loves her, against the traitorous ex-Guard (Eric Roberts) who wants her and the greedy Lord (Ron Perlman) who wants her dowry.

This movie has nice costumes and I think that's where most of the money went. Ninety-nine percent of it takes place in one setting. There are no horses although the DVD cover shows a cavalry. The acting runs the spectrum from almost-painful-to-watch (Jones) to oh-good-someone-knows-what-they're-doing (Perlman, Roberts). The swordplay, although decently choreographed, is done too hesitantly by most of the actors to be truly exciting.

People who are into the Renaissance Fair, SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and LARP (Live Action Role Playing) scenes may be able to glean some inspiration from the costumes and sword play.

Although there is much fighting there is no blood or gore so this would be an excellent family movie for anyone with young children going through a swashbuckling phase.

There are some funny bloopers after the end credits.

Worth a rent for gamers, worth a rent/buy used for youngsters.

TRUTH, HONOR, COURAGE AND CHIVALRY.......2004-10-18

This fine Medieval tale of a proud king will fill your heart with a longing for the noble days of knights and castles.

Fun, Clean Movie.......2003-09-23

I honestly cannot understand why some of the other reviewers have given this movie poor reviews. This is such a fun movie. It's a storybook tale charged with sword fighting, clean romance and good humor. I'm glad I was able to order one of these before you ran out of stock.

Average customer rating:

"the King of Serials on DVD...VCI Entertainment ~ SOS Coast Guard (1937)"

SOS Coast Guard
Starring: Ralph Byrd , Bela Lugosi , Maxine Doyle , Richard Alexander , and Lee Ford
Director: Alan James , and William Witney
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0001OGV1M
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Description

Exciting Republic Serial starring hero Ralph Byrd with Bela Lugosi as the evil scientist with a formula for disintegrating everything. Will our hero be able to stop this mad man from selling his formula to foreign powers? Bonus Features: Chapter Selection Menu, Bios, Bonus Serial Trailers Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 230 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1937; SRP - $14.99.

Customer Reviews:

"the King of Serials on DVD...VCI Entertainment ~ SOS Coast Guard (1937)".......2005-10-05

VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present "SOS Coast Guard" (1937) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes loaded with action sequences...story line involves integrating gas that a mad scientist is putting on the market to sell to the highest bidder even foreign powers...can Lt. Terry Kent stop this evil scheme that Boroff is cooking up...will the bone crusher Thorg do battle with our hero Kent leaving them both at the bottom of the ocean while the heroine Jean Norman struggles to stay alive from drowning on a sinking ship...watch for "The Deadly Circle", the final chapter in this double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense serial...sail the ocean with excitement and adventure at every turn...don't miss a single spine-thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's William Witney and Alan James, associate producer Sol. C Siegel, original story by Morgan B. Cox and Ronald Davidson, screenplay by Barry Shipman and Franklyn Adreon, original music score by Alberto Colombo...the cast include Ralph Byrd (Lt. Terry Kent), Bela Lugosi (Boroff, alias M.A. Anderson), Maxine Doyle (Jean Norman), Richard Alexander (Thorg), Lee Ford (Snapper McGee), Herbert Rawlinson (Cmdr. Boyle), John Picorri (G.A. Rackerby), Thomas Carr (Ens. Jim Kent), Carleton Young (Dodds-henchman), Allen Connor (Dick Norman), Lawrence Grant (Rabinisi - Boroff's spokesman at screening), George Chesebro (L.H. DeGado-henchman), Roy Barcroft (Goebel-henchman), Earle D. Bunn (Kelp Plant heavy), Ed Cassidy (Patrol Boat Capt. Johnson), Jack Ingram (Seaman), Rex Lease ( Coast Guard orderly) ....with some of the best stuntmen in the business from Republic starting with Yakima Canutt, Earle D. Bunn, Loren Riebe and Duke Taylor...special behind the scenes note that actor Ralph Byrd starred in a number of comic strip films playing detective "Dick Tracy" during the '30s, '40s & '50s off and on, did some great serial work in "Dick Tracy's G-Men" (1939), "SOS Coast Guard" (1942) and "The Vigilante" (1947), was given character roles later in his career and after an auto accident returned to a TV series for another run at his "Dick Tracy" character....now back to the feature as Repubic Pictures is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Disaster at Sea
2. Barrage of Death
3. Tje Gas Cja,ner
4. The Fatal Shaft
5. The Mystery Ship
6. Deadly Cargo
7. Undersea Terror
8. The Crash
9. Wolves at Bay
10.The Acid Trail
11.The Sea Battle
12.The Deadly Circle

BIOS:
1. Ralph Byrd
Birth Date: 4/22/1909 - Dayton, Ohio
Died: 8/18/1952 - Tarzana, CA
2. Bela Lugosi
Birth Date: 10/20/1882 - Austria-Hungary
Died: 8/16/1956 - Los Angeles, CA
3. Maxine Doyle
Birth Date: 1/01/1915 - San Francisco, CA
Died: 3/08/1973
4. William Witney (Director)
Birth Date: 5/15/1910
Died: 3/17/2002 - Pioneer, CA
5. Alan James (aka Alvin J. Neitz) (Director)
Birth Date: 3/23/1890 - Washington
Died: 12/30/1952 - Los Angeles, CA

SPECIAL FEATURES:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures with J. Laurence Wickland's "The Painted Stallion" (1937) (Dolby digitally remastered), 12 thundering chapters of harding riding scouts and Indians attacking the wagon trains with great action sequences featuring Crash Corrigan a American Federal Agent and Hoot Gibson the wagonmaster as the good guys and Duncan Renaldo if you can believe it as the bad guy...don't take my word for it, get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "SOS Coast Guard" (1937), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 302 mins on 2 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8317 ~ (4/27/2004)

Average customer rating:

I had too much to dream last night...too much to dream...
It's All Just A Dream! UGH...

The Man with Two Lives
Starring: Edward Norris , Marlo Dwyer , Eleanor Lawson , Frederick Burton , and Addison Richards
Director: Phil Rosen
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001DMXJW
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Customer Reviews:

I had too much to dream last night...too much to dream..........2006-07-10

The Electric Prunes were great, weren't they? Y'know, David Axelrod produced a bunch of their stuff. None of the above have anything to do with this film, being school children at best when it was made, but the song makes for an interesting juxtiposition. Edward Norris stars as an engaged socialite who is fatally wounded in a car wreck. His family is good friends with one Doctor Clark, who specializes in returning the dead to life...in theory. Well, Doc, here's your shot, don't blow it. He doesn't, but something unusual happens as Phillip (Norris) awakens and resumes his daily affairs. Seems at the very same time he was revived, a notorious gangster named Panino is executed, and his soul winds up in Phillip's body. Phil proceeds to hook up with Panino's old flame, take over his gang, and finally gets set up by one of them after he kills his brother. The police chase him back to the family mansion for the great unmasking. But a greater unmasking awaits, a cop out ending (no pun intended) to send the crowd home happy. I kind of liked TMWTL, finale notwithstanding, and Norris plays the gangster bit well. It's nothing to break your back to see, but worth a shot if you find it in a dollar bin or on one of those classic movie channels.

It's All Just A Dream! UGH..........2006-07-06

Phillip (Edward Norris) is a young, well-to-do banker's son who gets killed in an auto accident. At the exact time of his death, a nefarious killer is zapped in the electric chair. Prest-o! The two switch places, due to a transmigration of souls, and you can guess the result. Phillip becomes the leader of a notorious gang of robbers (after gunning down the old leader), and starts a crime wave of massive proportions. I loved this movie all the way to the end, when the whole thing was ruined by the "it's all been a bad dream" twist, which I consider to be a cheap trick on the viewer! I took away one star for this tiresome gimmick...

Medieval Mayhem: The King's Guard/Amazons and Gladiators

Average customer rating:

Medieval Mayhem: The King's Guard/Amazons and Gladiators

Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

cute period movie
Most definatly not a interesting or lively movie
For the ten year old Muskeeter.
TRUTH, HONOR, COURAGE AND CHIVALRY
Fun, Clean Movie

The King's Guard
Starring: Eric Roberts , Ron Perlman , Lesley-Anne Down , Monty Jordan , and Khrystyne Haje
Director: Jonathan Tydor
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00008G840
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Customer Reviews:

cute period movie.......2006-08-28

Most definatly not a interesting or lively movie.......2005-08-09

For the ten year old Muskeeter........2005-01-19

TRUTH, HONOR, COURAGE AND CHIVALRY.......2004-10-18

This fine Medieval tale of a proud king will fill your heart with a longing for the noble days of knights and castles.

Fun, Clean Movie.......2003-09-23

DVD:

DVD

DVD