Calcasieu Serial Fest: Chapter Four!

The 1940’s

I’ve been a fan of classic serials for pretty much my entire life.  I remember watching classic movies from the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s on Sunday afternoons after going to the Calcasieu River with my family.  We would get home in time to watch a series on our local PBS affiliate.  I believe that it was called The Afternoon Matinee or Sunday Matinee, but I am not sure.  All that I truly do remember is watching the adventures of characters like Tarzan and the Lone Ranger.  I was captivated by these classic black and white films.

Part of the program also included classic cartoons, news reels, and a few chapters from serials.  These serials featured superheroes, cowboys, and gangsters.  There was always a cliffhanger ending to each chapter in the serials to hook viewers into returning the next week to the local theater to find out what happens next.  The quality of the stories and the acting varied, and many of the episodes had deteriorated so badly that some of the chapters couldn’t be fully restored.  Still, I tuned in religiously to see these heroes in action.

On Saturday, July 22, Calcasieu Serial Fest: Chapter Four took place at the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA.  Last year the festival celebrated the work of Buster Crabbe, best known as Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Tarzan.  This year the festival’s focus was on the career of Tom Tyler, who was the first person to portray a comic book hero, Captain Marvel, on the big screen.

While Tyler is best known for his role as Captain Marvel, he portrayed numerous other heroes (both real and imagined) over his career.  One of my favorite characters was portrayed by him, The Phantom, as was Buffalo Bill Cody, Bob Raymond of The Phantom of the Air, Frank James in I Shot Jesse James, and numerous other lead and supporting roles.

The festival primarily focused on Tyler’s work, but also featured Superman cartoons from Max Fleischer, Gordon Jones as The Green Hornet, John Carroll in Zorro Rides Again, other classic serials, and two modern takes on the old cliffhanger style in Thirty Second Doom and festival coordinator Patrick Shawn Bennett’s own The Adventures of Gorilla Bob.

Cosplayer and serial lover Bill Necessary was also on hand for the event.  He introduced many of the serials and went in depth on the actors, the production, and some of the characters that inspired these classic works.

Admission to the event was free, as was popcorn to snack on while watching the serials.  Lunch was also provided free of charge!  Freebies were given to all in attendance.  These included an exclusive print of The Phantom for the event (artist unknown), a lanyard featuring Tyler as Captain Marvel, a magnet of Tyler as The Phantom, and a button of Tyler as well.  Reproductions of classic film stills and a Flash Gordon paper model kit were also given to all in attendance.  A few lucky folks (myself included) went home with door prizes!  I won DVDs of Tyler as Captain Marvel and The Phantom.

Calcasieu Serial Fest is an extremely unique and extremely fun event.  It’s family friendly, free to attend, and the festival crew works extra hard to make the event a wonderful thing.  Hopefully word will spread about this event and it will continue to grow.

Next year’s event will focus on the career of Kirk Alyn, the first man to portray the Big Blue Boy Scout, Superman, on the big screen.  If you find yourself in southwest Louisiana during the summer, be on the lookout for classic heroes, classic serials, and classic fun at the Calcasieu Serial Fest!  I can promise you that I’ll be there, and I hope to see many of you there as well.

As always, thanks for reading.  See you all again real soon!