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Rating: 
Summary: GOOD, OLD-TIME MOVIE SERIAL
Review: Back in the mid 1970's when I was in middle school, they used to show us old movies in the cafeteria at lunch time. Whether it was due to low budget or a teacher's own fascination, one of the ones they showed us was this old movie serial from 1940, the Green Archer. I don't recall them showing all 15 chapters but years later a friend had them on VHS and I borrowed them to kind of re-live old times.(...)Directed by James W. Horne. Stars Victor Jory, Iris Meredith, James Craven, Robert Fiske, Dorothy Fay, Forrest Taylor, Herbert Evans. This 15-chapter Columbia chapterplay details the evil schemes of Abel Bellamy (Craven), who begins his reign of terror by framing his brother Michael for murder. After Michael is presumed killed in a train wreck on his way to prison, Bellamy, assisted by his secretary Savini (Fiske) and a loyal gang of thugs, masterminds a series of jewel thefts from inside the castle he "inherited" from his late brother, while keeping Michael's widow Elaine (Fay) prisoner within the castle's labyrinth of catacombs. Opposing Bellamy's plan is ace insurance investigator Spike Holland (Jory), who lives next door to the castle (!) with Elaine's sister Valerie (the fetching Meredith), her father Mr. Howett (Taylor) and the "veddy English" butler Henderson (Evans). Nearly all the action takes place in either the castle--decked out with a series of secret entrances, passages and prisons--or the Howett home. Also complicating Bellamy's plans is The Green Archer, a mysterious masked bowman in an emerald costume and cape who always seems to pop up in time to rescue the good guys from Bellamy's latest deathtrap. Adding to the confusion is a second Green Archer, a fake one hired by Bellamy to scare snoopers away from the castle.
The Green Archer's true identity will probably not come as any surprise to anyone who's ever seen more than a couple serials, but don't let THE GREEN ARCHER's lack of originality turn you off from a roaring good time. It's not one of the best serials ever made--or even one of Columbia's best--but action fans should eat up the flying fists and frequent fighting. Craven, whose serial experience includes turns in BATMAN AND ROBIN, FLYING DISC MAN FROM MARS and THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES, steals every scene in which he appears, broadly portraying Bellamy as a megalomaniac, while Jory, who played The Phantom in another serial the same year, is serviceable if a bit intense as the intrepid hero. This is old-time fun that will hopefully appeal to more than old-timers.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD, OLD-TIME MOVIE SERIAL
Review: Back in the mid 1970's when I was in middle school, they used to show us old movies in the cafeteria at lunch time. Whether it was due to low budget or a teacher's own fascination, one of the ones they showed us was this old movie serial from 1940, the Green Archer. I don't recall them showing all 15 chapters but years later a friend had them on VHS and I borrowed them to kind of re-live old times. (...)Directed by James W. Horne. Stars Victor Jory, Iris Meredith, James Craven, Robert Fiske, Dorothy Fay, Forrest Taylor, Herbert Evans. This 15-chapter Columbia chapterplay details the evil schemes of Abel Bellamy (Craven), who begins his reign of terror by framing his brother Michael for murder. After Michael is presumed killed in a train wreck on his way to prison, Bellamy, assisted by his secretary Savini (Fiske) and a loyal gang of thugs, masterminds a series of jewel thefts from inside the castle he "inherited" from his late brother, while keeping Michael's widow Elaine (Fay) prisoner within the castle's labyrinth of catacombs. Opposing Bellamy's plan is ace insurance investigator Spike Holland (Jory), who lives next door to the castle (!) with Elaine's sister Valerie (the fetching Meredith), her father Mr. Howett (Taylor) and the "veddy English" butler Henderson (Evans). Nearly all the action takes place in either the castle--decked out with a series of secret entrances, passages and prisons--or the Howett home. Also complicating Bellamy's plans is The Green Archer, a mysterious masked bowman in an emerald costume and cape who always seems to pop up in time to rescue the good guys from Bellamy's latest deathtrap. Adding to the confusion is a second Green Archer, a fake one hired by Bellamy to scare snoopers away from the castle.
The Green Archer's true identity will probably not come as any surprise to anyone who's ever seen more than a couple serials, but don't let THE GREEN ARCHER's lack of originality turn you off from a roaring good time. It's not one of the best serials ever made--or even one of Columbia's best--but action fans should eat up the flying fists and frequent fighting. Craven, whose serial experience includes turns in BATMAN AND ROBIN, FLYING DISC MAN FROM MARS and THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES, steals every scene in which he appears, broadly portraying Bellamy as a megalomaniac, while Jory, who played The Phantom in another serial the same year, is serviceable if a bit intense as the intrepid hero. This is old-time fun that will hopefully appeal to more than old-timers.
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