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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 11, 2005 16:25:53 GMT -8
starring Victor Jory and Iris Meredith, based on the novel by Edgar Wallace. Alpha DVD, 15 chapters. nice sound and print looks decent. #1 Prison Bars Beckonthe screen crawl fills us in- Michael, the Garr castle's owner is convicted of a crime he didn't commit. the castle is a replica of one from England and has always had tales of a ghostly Green Archer. the castle now belongs to the oldest brother Abel Bellamy.
Abel's attorney can't believe he will through away the lucrative showings, Abel hates the place (due to the dishonor Michael has brought to it). he also has some nefarious plans.
Elaine Bellamy plans on going to the castle. she has nowhere else to go since Michael is going to prison.
Abel has his men gather, unknowing he is being watched. they plan on doing something to Michael's train. Spike Holland, investigator for the Insurance Company gives Mike some advice. Elaine says they will work together, but doesn't tell Spike she's going to Abel's to try to find evidence.
the train runs off the track and into the water. Abel gets word the plan went off without a hitch, and believes Michael died in the crash.
Abel smoozes Elaine when she arrives. he shows her around the castle, and she sees the Green Archer's shadow. she doesn't frighten easily, then tells Abel her plans. she's not very bright. Abel tells her Michael is dead, and she will be kept in the castle.
Spike then hit by Abel's men, but is OK (same gag as done in Batman, actually) and flags down some cops to help out. they give chase to the thugs who release teat gas to escape. Spike is upset at Brent, who seems to be trying to keep some extra jewels. he fires the thug, but guess what... bad for Brent! the Green Archer shoots him in the back!
Spike finds out that Bellamy Castle may be the hideout, and that Elaine isn't where she said he was. they rent a place near the Castle- Spike and the Howard's (Elaine's folks). Abel has the key to the castle delivered to the Howards by the Green Archer. suddenly, another Green Archer shows up! he subdues the first one and sends another arrow saying he protects the innocent! Spike is unconvinced and goes after him.
Spike goes to save Valerie and a fistfight breaks out! he's a one man tornado! he runs into the castle and they release the hounds!#2- The Face at the Windo
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Post by Zone Fighter on Aug 11, 2005 20:36:08 GMT -8
I wonder who the Green Archer is
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 12, 2005 15:36:58 GMT -8
yeah, it's hard to guess! the Green Archer rescues Spike and throws Abel into a tizzy.
Abel then calls the police and has the Captain shown around the castle and the various death traps, to prove he can't let the public in the castle. the Captain is convinced and goes home.
Abel is upset that Savini, his top aide/butler, let Spike get his gun. they plan on taking care of Blinky, who sold the gun to Savini.
Spike and Val's father shoot some arrows, both are really good. he plans on checking out the ownership of the gun he found. there is no record of the gun though. the Green Archer calls Spike and tells him to visit Blinky's Gun Club and make him talk.
the gang tries to trick Spike and naturally a fight breaks out. two thugs get away and Spike takes off after them. they plan on driving Spike off the road as he comes by- and they do!#3- The Devil's Dictograph
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 12, 2005 17:08:17 GMT -8
the director of this serial, James W. Horne worked with comedians a lot- like Laurel and Hardy. this could account for the humor in some episodes.
Spike leaps out just in time. he later takes the Inspector to the mechanic's, who lies to them about his worker. Spike tells the Inspector to trail the guy.
Abel plans to use the two yellow thugs to his advantage. he plans on having his Archer take care of them after they do their job.
GA sends Spike and Val a warning arrow. they use Sherlock's old gag of cutouts in the window. it sure works! the fake Archer then takes them out and plans some evidence, then the thugs kidnap Val. Spike goes to the rescue, and a fistfight breaks out. also a fire! the four thugs leave Spike and Val to burn down with the building.
#4- Vanishing Jewels
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 14, 2005 23:17:17 GMT -8
Spike and Val drive a car out just as the place explodes. however, the car runs out of gas and the thugs come across them. a fight breaks out! they knock out Spike but the cops interrupt them from kidnapping Val.
the Captain wants an explanation. so does Abel. he plans on using the NEW GA for his own purposes.
Spike plans on getting into the castle to find Elaine. the bad Archer sends an arrow at Spike. Abel wants his Archer to scare Elaine. meanwhile the GA sneaks in and a fight breaks out. he escapes, and Abel's Archer gets caught and beaten! the GA steals the jewels from the gang.
Spike sneaks in and promptly runs into a fistfight. he beats three thugs, then three more, then all six knock him out. they put Spike in a chamber where the spikes come down on him! will Spike get spiked?
i like the implication that evil men are far weaker than the righteous ones- it takes six thugs to beat up Spike, but the fake Archer goes down in about two shots.
#5- the Fatal Spark
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 15, 2005 15:33:56 GMT -8
the Green Archer shoots an arrow that stops the descent of the spikes, thus saving Spike. as Spike escapes he runs into three thugs and a fist fight breaks out. he does get away though.
Val's butler, Henderson, is not the good guy he portrays. he lets Abel's thug Pinky (or Dinky, or something) in to "fix" the window. Spike talks to him but doesn't recognize him. the Archer returns the stolen jewels to Spike.
Dinky returns to tell Abel about the jewels. Spike and Val have no ID for the jewels though. the Inspector sends them out to look around for more evidence. Abel's men take care of the car guy Landon, and then Spike shows up and a fist fight breaks out. Landon wings one of the thugs, and has time to tell them a little info.
meanwhile, the armored car gets robbed by the rest of Abel's men and Val and Spike give chase. they catch up and a fist fight breaks out. the thugs throw Spike into the back of the car and send it into an electral tower!
man, with the dialoge and mannerisms, all this is missing are the Three Stooges- Curly would have made a great Green Archer...
#6 The Necklace of Treachery
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 15, 2005 23:04:05 GMT -8
Spike rolls out of the car before it explodes, and Val unties him. "only a miracle saved him". Abel's man plan to pass off fake jewels to Abel- and the two thieves don't even trust each other. Spike and the Inspector show up after Cardoni's killed the Tinder.
Abel's not happy about it! he takes care of the double crosser. later Spike sees Henderson practicing archery. Spike plans on going back to the castle.
Abel sends his Archer with the fake jewels on a mission. Henderson sees the Archer, but which one is it? the police show up, looking for the stolen necklace. naturally, they find the paste one and Spike skedaddles out. lots of comedy bits here with Henderson and the Captain- we even get the Curly "hmmm!" and "wiseguy, huh?" bit.
Spike climbs up to Tinder's office just in time to see the thugs break open the safe. naturally a fistfight breaks out and Spike gets thrown out the window!
#7- the Secret Passage
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 16, 2005 15:07:19 GMT -8
Spike falls into the awning and the Inspector shows up. they catch one of the gang but the rest get away. the Green Archer shows up and finds the stolen jewels.
Abel yells at his incompetent men again. he gives his Archer a fake radio to put into Spikes place- kaboom when it's turned on! however, the real Archer knows of the plot. however, Spike figures out the radio plot and pitches the device out of the window. the Captain is just hysterical. who knew- a comedy serial!
guess who's upset again? yep, Abel. Spike leads a detail over to the castle. Val pops out of the trunk. and here we thought Spridle invented that gag! Spike lets her come along since he doesn't have time to take her back. the gang shows up and Spike follows them. the gang uses the ol' vanishing car trick and Spike and Val turn back.
Abel is happy for a change, and wants to make Spike's plot backfire. Spike climbs the fence/hedge and sees one of the thugs crawl into a manhole. naturally he smugly thinks he's on to something and follows him down. it's the old water drowing him trick! meanwhile, thugs are sneaking up on Val!
#8- Garr Castle is Robbed
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 16, 2005 23:06:58 GMT -8
the Green Archer rescues Spike. some of the gang sees him and a fight breaks out.Spike joins in to help the Archer out. he gets out and rescues Val, and the Archer shoots one of the gang, who is about to plug Val as she heads to get the police.
Spike tries to convince the Captain he has a case against Abel. Abel plans his own "robbery" so Spike will be sent to the castle to investigate. so far, it's working.
Spike is sure Captain Thompson is fooled by Abel. he's sure Abel robbed himself for the insurance money. Henderson catches Jake spying and Spike "talks" to him (with his gun). naturally he spills the plan. Spike heads over to Sampson's Warehouse to find the stolen goods. naturally a fist fight breaks out. Spike takes on five guys at once, but finally goes down.
they tie Spike up to an anchor and toss him into the drink!
next weeks taunting chapter, #9- The Mirror of Treachery
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 17, 2005 18:07:43 GMT -8
the Green Archer save Spike. Spike has the police stop the van and recovers all the loot. he enjoys taking it back to Abel.
Abel makes him sign a paper after he captures Val. then another fight breaks out. Spike and Val escape. Abel sends his plane to bomb our heroes! they run into an old shack and naturally a bomb hits it square on!
the next exciting chapter- The Dagger that Failed
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 17, 2005 23:13:23 GMT -8
Spike and Val leap out the back window and escape. Spike has to get the confession back before the police see it. he runs in to the hideout and a fistfight breaks out. the crooks run out back and the police want some 'splainin' from Spike. yet they still trust him!
Abel holds onto the confession. meanwhile, Elaine tie up her captor and gets out of her room. she calls her sister but gets cut off before se can tell Val where she's being held.
Spike plants a fake story in the paper to scare Abel. Abel's Archer is sent on a job to finish Spike off! fortunately Spike has a fake body there and he follows the fake Archer back to the baddies lair.
Spike sneaks in and starts to crack the safe, unaware that it is boobytrapped and it goes off!
next week's shivering chapter- The Flaming Arrow
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 18, 2005 18:34:11 GMT -8
somehow the shotgun blast doesn't kill Spike and a fist fight breaks out between him, Savini and Abel. Captain Thompson arrives and wants to see the confession, but the Green Archer shoots the flaming arrow and destroys it. Spike runs out the window before Thompson can arrest him.
Abel plans to have Holland impersonated to get a formula for synthetic uranium- a crook named Madison. with a wig and a little nose putty he looks and sounds just like Spike!
Dinky gets slugged by the Archer again. Abel's men pretend to be police so they can search Spike's room- but Spike is on to them. he hides in their trunk. i'm starting to suspect Henderson is not a crook, but perhaps a policeman... they still Spike's ID for Madison.
the Green Archer phones Thompson and tells him where "Spike" and his gang are. boy, there are a lot of explosives in the Prof's lab. Spike goes around back and runs into his double. he fights himself! how existential can you get?
the gang rescues a Spike, but which one? the other Spike gives chase, but the gang uses their gas and the car crashes!
next fantastic chapter- The Devil Dogs
(i'm using the narrator's choice of words now, it's fun!)
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 18, 2005 23:08:18 GMT -8
we don't see Spike escape from the burning car. the crawl calls Madison "Martel" and makes a few other mistakes. Thompson finds "Spike's" car. they find out it was an imposter. Savini doesn't know, though, and Spike gives him the "formula".
unfortunately the car has a flat tire and they hear that Madison is dead! naturally a fight breaks out. but even Spike isn't man enough to handle four guys. Abel has his men take Spike in.
Dinky searches Spike thoroughly, but they can't find the formula. Dinky takes Spike's pen, where he hid the formula. Abel sends his Archer to trick Spike, but Spike is on to him. he takes Brad's place and retrives his pen from Dinky. Spike shoots his pen into the place for safe keeping, but then Henderson forces him to make an appearance.
Thompson finds Spike though. Val searches for the dropped pen. Abel's men show up and a so does the real Archer. Spike heads back toward the castle and Abel shoots him in the face and releases the hounds!
next gripping chapter- the Deceiving Microphone
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 19, 2005 23:17:36 GMT -8
this is funny enough as it is, but now i keep thinking "a microphony!" and "a phoney at the mic"!
the Archer appears and "kills" two dogs- the others run off. Val is put in the room with Elaine, and the Archer rescues Spike. Spike's wound is only a scratch- so much for Abel's marksmanship. then Abel releases Val to avoid a police raid.
Spike makes a plan to get the girls back, and Henderson watches carefully. Abel's gang shows up and a fight breaks out. they grab the fake formula and skedaddle. ABel is happy he has the "formula". then he finds out it's a fake. toady Savini tries to get Abel to be more cautious, but he won't hear of it.
the men go to Lady's Manor to search it, and they grab Val as well. Spike returns the formula to the Prof. he's glad to see the real Spike for sure. Pete the guard tattles on Spike to Thompson, and the thugs go there as well.
guess what happens? then the prof gets shot and Spike gets knocked out and the thugs let poison gas loose as they leave!
next revealing chapter- End of Hope
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 20, 2005 12:05:06 GMT -8
Spike wakes up and breaks a window to get outside. Prof. Rackerby is dead, but the formula was burnt to a crisp. Spike escapes Thompson's men and drives off.
Savini goes to Val and starts spilling the beans to her. he sets her free with the promise of safety from Spike. he fakes Abel out with a Green Archer story.
Val and Spike tell each other what's going on. unexpectedly, the Green Archer gets captured by Thompson in Spike's place. turns out it's Henderson in the suit! Spike sends an arrow message to Thompson, which steams the Captain's clams good!
Dinky sees Savini taking some papers from the safe. a fight breaks out between them. while battling, the Archer takes the envelope away. Dinky phones Abel about Savini, and Elaine knocks out Mrs. Patton but immediately runs into the gang.
Savini shows up at Spike's and starts talking. he takes an arrow in the chest for real this time. Abel's men start a poison gas fire in the house, then hold them in there with gunfire. naturally, a fist fight breaks out, and Spike is knocked out with fire raging all around him!
it's hard to want to see Dinky get hurt, he's such a funny little guy who tries hard- he's the one you know would turn good if he had the chance.
the concluding chapter- The Green Archer Exposed
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 20, 2005 15:24:08 GMT -8
the Archer rescues Spike. Spike wakes up to find the house burning and a note from the Archer. Abel tells Dinky he can go if he wants, but Dinky is loyal to the skunk.
Spike goes to the castle and a fight breaks out. he gets clobbered. Abel lets Elaine see her father and Val. he plans on finishing all of them. the Archer shows up as well.
Spike bargains with Abel about the Howett family. Spike and Abel then engage in a fistfight, naturally. Spike drops into a room, and Abel wants them killed. Dinky doesn't want him to do it, but goes ahead with it.
suddenly, an arrow narrowly misses Abel, and we find out the Archer is Michael (big surprise). another fist fight breaks out between the brothers (odd the evil brother is named Abel). Dinky throws the switch and the room heats up- the floor collapses into the fiery pit timber by timber.
Michael beats the stuffing out of Abel and tells Michael where they are. Abel sends his six goons after them, but the police show up as well! the Inspector and the Captain go with Michael and Spike- Abel gets shot, and the rest of the gang gets arrested.
then we find out Thompson was in on the whole thing, as was Henderson, who's real name is O'Reilly! Spike and Val start getting very cozy, and everyone is happy now!
The End
this was quite fun- an action packed humorous serial. i'd heard some bad things about it, but then some people love it. i really enjoyed it, and would love to see more with this amount of humor. Dinky and the Captain are very close to Curly. for the $10 i spent, it's well worth it! i'm surprised there was never a sequel.
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Post by Lunkhead on Nov 8, 2006 13:09:13 GMT -8
I've watched the first 3 episodes so far and it really is fun. Lots of action! Plus some pretty cool stuff like the archer himself[selves]. I love how the bad guys' car comes and goes with the lawn lift! Good fun.
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Post by Lunkhead on Nov 10, 2006 17:47:31 GMT -8
I saw in episode 4 how the stooges could have easily worked in this. Accidently beating up the wrong guy, etc. What a great, cliff-hanging ending with the spikes decending.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 14, 2006 22:22:04 GMT -8
yeah, one more missed oppurtunity for the boys- to do a feature film and a serial. there is a lot of comedy associated with Horne's serials, it seems, and i like it. most of the die-hard serial fans don't seem to appreciate it much.
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Post by Torgaman on Nov 15, 2006 10:55:17 GMT -8
In what episode does the Green Archer go to Smallville and make friends with Clark Kent and shack up with Lois Lane?
Oh wait that's another guy!
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jun 9, 2018 7:50:27 GMT -8
I had forgotten how funny this serial actually is. It's great.
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