From Zombos Closet

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King of the Forest Rangers (1946) Pressbook

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Jack Mathis (Valley of the Cliffhangers) made a reprint of this pressbook available in the 1970s, when fandom was rediscovering the serial action format (especially with the more comic book and comic strip-sourced heroes on the silver screen). I would love to find the "circus" herald, mentioned on the Exploitation page. I'm not sure what denotes a circus herald, but the 5×17 inches size may be a clue. And not many movies would suggest a Special Timber or Logging District Stunt fo promotion, I'm sure.

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King of the Forest Rangers Pressbook 01

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Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom
(1952 ) Pressbook

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Made in the final years of the serial format, Blackhawk didn’t have the budget power to fully realize the popular comic book character. Still worth a watch, though, as Kirk Alyn was always super in his roles. Here’s the exciting pressbook used to promote the movie to theaters. The title change (The Miraculous Blackhawk: Freedom’s Champion to Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom) happened when home video kicked in, according to the wiki article. Miraculous is a bit presumptuous, when you think about it.

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Red Barry (1938) Movie Herald

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Here's the movie herald for Red Barry, a 13-chapter serial put out by Universal. The blank space on the last page was left for movie theaters to add their location, play dates, and whatever marketing hype they deemed relevant. The herald's purchasing cost was usually priced per thousand. Ordering information, and a sample herald, could be found in the campaign or pressbook sent out by distributors. Heralds were usually smaller than 8 x 11 inches and printed on one sheet, although both were often used, and larger heralds with multiple pages can be found. Many heralds were even fashioned to look like tabloid newspapers, while others, like this one, used a neat poster ad that conveyed all the thrills and chills to be found in the movie (hopefully).

Red Barry 2
Red Barry 2

Adventures of Captain Africa (1955) Pressbook

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One of the last few serials produced by Columbia, the Adventures of Captain Africa: Mighty Jungle Avenger!, were born when Columbia lost the rights to the Phantom, of which this movie was going to be the sequel. A lot of coffee and rewrites later, the costume was altered and the plot revamped, along with the character, to hit the jungle trails once more. Unfortunately, a lot of stock footage was used, along with a few cheater chapters, rendering these adventures not so thrilling. Wikipedia and The Files of Jerry Blake give good rundowns on this serial entry.

Comic book reader version: Download Adventures of Captain Africa

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New Adventures of Batman
and Robin, the Boy Wonder (1949)
Pressbook

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Here's another rare pressbook that recently went for over a thousand dollars at auction (crazy over-bidders!). Columbia's promotion for Batman and Robin is pretty smashing in these 16 pages. Of note is the single, but still important, promotion, Attract the Girls! on page 6. Looking back on those costumes, we can snicker a bit now, given all the high-tech stuff done today for the Batman movies, but audiences must have been just as thrilled back then as we are today.  As for me, I've not seen this serial yet, and look forward to doing so. The poster art is exciting. This one's for Will Meugniot on Facebook, who posts lots of wonderful animation, movie, and comic book stuff you shouldn't miss.

Comic reader version: Download New Adventures of Batman and Robin Pressbook

New Adventures of Batman and Robin Pressbook 01

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and Robin, the Boy Wonder (1949)
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Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (1951)
Pressbook

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First, I'd like to confirm that I want the Capt. Video wallet and hosiery. The two-way radio and basque shirt with day-glow are also high on my list. Of particular note in the series is the Mu-ray camera, which allowed viewing of imagery of past events. This ability, in scientific or magical variations, appears in later genre movies and television series. A highly successful serial for Columbia, it is the only one built around a television series. The Honeymooners TV or Not TV episode (my favorite one) has Norton and Ralph pooling their money to buy a television set. Much mayhem ensues as both try to share it but disagree on what to watch, with Captain Video being a major sticking point as Norton, wearing a space helmet, puts up a fight. To infinity and beyond! Here's the rare Captain Video pressbook for your galactic pleasure.

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Buck Rogers (1939) Pressbook

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The Buck Rogers serial launched a million imaginations, along with Flash Gordon. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and his sidekick Buddy (Jackie Moran) awake 500 years in the future. They soon find the world of the future is not a happy place and jump into action fighting Killer Kane (Anthony Warde). All this will be familiar to fans of the 1979 television series starring Gil Gerard (well, except for Buddy, who was replaced by Twiki (Felix Silla), the diminutive robot). But Buster Crabbe, who played Flash Gordon, was the first Buck, and this serial is a lot of retro fun. 

Comic reader version: Download Buck Rogers Pressbook

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Chick Carter, Detective (1946) Pressbook

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I posted the movie herald and now here’s the pressbook for Chick Carter, Detective: son of Nick Carter, detective. Dailymotion has episodes of the movie online. Julie Gibson (who played Sherry Marvin) also appeared with the Bowery Boys and the Three Stooges. Wikipedia states she’s the oldest living performer from Hollywood’s Golden Age. 

Comic reader version:  Download Chick Carter Detective Pressbook

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