The Green Hornet (1940)

In time-honored fashion, a couple of supporting players -- George Dolenz and Bill Kennedy -- found themselves elevated to starring roles in this minor Universal serial. They played Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers investigating the murder of a miner. The story, of course, was less important than speed and action, which directors Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins delivered in typical slap-dash Universal style. Starlet Daun Kennedy did not make much of an impression as the imperiled leading lady, and former star Robert Armstrong (of King Kong fame) was wasted in a subordinate role. Rondo Hatton, a non-actor whose grotesque appearance (caused by acromegaly, the so-called "Elephant Man" disease) was tastelessly exploited by Universal in the '40s, appeared as one of the outlaws.

Tarzan's son Jack is kidnapped from England by his old enemy Paulovich. Jack escapes into the African jungle where he meets Meriem, a European girl held captive. Freeing her, he falls in love but she's sought by Paulovich. Then Tarzan arrives with Jane to save the day!

Elaine Dodge is the beautiful young daughter of Taylor Dodge, president of the Consolidated Insurance Company. When Mr Dodge is murdered by a mysterious cloaked figure known only as the Clutching Hand, Elaine enlists the aid of Craig Kennedy to unmask the killer

A sea captain about to be hanged for a murder he didn't commit is rescued from the gallows by two of his crewmen. They head for the island of Pulinan, where they believe the real murderer--the captain's former partner--is hiding so the captain can clear his name. As it turns out, their troubles are only beginning

This 13 chapter serial is based on the comic strip character Ace Drummond created by Eddie Rickenbacker. Ace is a 'G-Man of the sky' working out of Washington D.C. He is sent to Mongolia to find out why a mysterious villain known only as 'The Dragon' is trying to prevent the newly formed International Airways from setting up an airport there. Ace meets Peggy Trainor (Jean Rogers) who is searching for her archaeologist father who has disappeared. Together they search for answers to the puzzles.

Jean Evans of an international wildlife foundation, who is known to Africa as 'the Panther Girl' because of her bravery in jungle living, stumbles on a plot by a mad scientist to frighten the natives out of a diamond-laden district by chemically growing crayfish to giant size, and enlists the aid of a game hunter friend to prevent a monster rampage and bring the culprits to justice.

Tarzan spurns the love of La, Queen of Opar. When he isn't trying to keep the Bolshevik Rokoff and Clayton (pretender to the Greystoke estate) from reaching Opar, he is attacked simultaneously by two lions, dropped into a pit when a volcano splits the ground, nearly sacrificed by sun worshipers, and so on.

Sir Galahad, a knight of the Round Table, searches for the legendary sword of Excalibur.

A secret agent goes after the gang that stole the crown jewels of a European monarchy.

In 1930s Texas, following the murder of his father, Tom Morgan joins the Texas Rangers to avenge his father's death and to follow in his path as a proponent of Indian rights. His task as a Ranger is to stop the evil Zaroff and his gang, who are smuggling the elements for a powerful explosive from a mine on Indian land.

A 12 episode serial starring Rex, the King of the Wild Horses and Rin-Tin-Tin, Jr. Rex is brought from the island of Sujan, where he is worshiped as a God-Horse, to the U.S. to be trained as a polo pony. He escapes, meets Rinty and with the help of Frank Bradley is returned to Sujan. The natives have been persuaded to turn against their God-Horse, however he is rescued just in time before he is burned as a sacrifice.

A 15-episode serial in which Beatty goes to darkest Africa to rescue the Goddess of Joba, who is being held by the high priest.

Columbia's 12th serial of 57 total (following 1940's "Deadwood Dick" and ahead of 1941's "White Eagle") is another of director's James Horne's "classics" where he evidently figured that the same reactions that served him well in Laurel and Hardy films would work well in action serials where he has all hands, heroes and villains alike, doing some kind of over-the top "take", no matter the situation. This loose adaptation of an Edgar Wallace story finds Michael Bellamy (Kenne Duncan in his Kenneth Duncan period) inheriting Garr Castle, but his brother, Abel Bellamy (James Craven, as usual making Oil-Can Harry look smooth), has him imprisoned unjustly and moves into the castle himself. When Michael's wife, Elaine Bellamy (Dorothy Fay), fails to return after visiting Abel, her sister Valerie Howett (Iris Meredith), accompanied by their father,

After Tarzan's estate is destroyed by Arabs Jane is sold into slavery by a man posing as a friendly scientist. Tarzan develops amnesia after a blow to the head. When he recovers his memory (from a later blow) he defeats the villain, recovers the fabulous jewels of Opar, and rescues Jane.

A famous scientist and his beautiful daughter travel to Indochina to find an ivory disc that has the formula for a deadly gas engraved on it. An evil doctor and his gang are also looking for it.

A desert guerilla, with flashing scimitar, opposes a tyrannical prince and marries the caliph's daughter.

Corporal Larry Grant and Sergeant "Mac" McGowan, of the United States Marine Corps, are rival for the love of Frances Schiller, but team up to hunt down "The Tiger Shark," a mad, scientific wizard who is holding Sergeant William Schiller, Frances' brother, a prisoner on a wild, jungle island in the Pacific.

A scientist invents a poison gas; the villain and his gang will do anything to get the formula; our hero, "Lightning Hutch", is sent to save the scientist, the scientist's beautiful daughter, and the formula.

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show.

A 12-chapter serial built around stock footage from a 1922 silent serial, "The Jungle Goddess",young David Worth and Joan Lawrence are children with a group of explorers that are seeking African radium deposits. They are playing in the basket of the party's air balloon when the bag takes off with Joan aboard, last seen sailing over the back-lot jungle. This puts a chill on the expedition and all hands return to whence they came. The end of chapter 1, "Lost in the Clouds", finds Marilyn's balloon being shot down by the flaming arrows of a native tribe. Chapter 2,"Radium Rays", reveals that Joan survived her descent and the tribe named "the child from the sky" as their queen and priestess.A flash forward of about 18 years finds that the now-adult David has returned to Africa to search for his long-lost childhood friend.He hits the trail and is quickly captured by the tribesmen and is brought to their sadistic ruler,who turns out to be a now-grown Joan. Unaware of his or her own true ...