Don't Dare Miss the Next Thrilling Chapter

For more than a quarter of a century, Hollywood produced "chapterplays," adventures told in 10 to 15 installments. Each episode (but the last) built to a whirlwind finish, sometimes literally. At the peak of peril, the installment always ended with the command -- DON'T DARE MISS THE NEXT THRILLING CHAPTER! -- or words to that effect. This all-but forgotten genre gave us the word "cliffhanger," countless thrills and a special reason for Saturday matinees, as well as new exploits of such cultural heroes as Tarzan, Superman, Flash Gordon, The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, Zorro, The Green Hornet, Buck Rogers, Batman, The Phantom and Tailspin Tommy, just to name a bunch. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear as we examine with admiration, astonishment and unfailing good humor approximately half the surviving sound serials, in six breathtaking categories: Jungle Tales; Science-Fiction serials: Masked Heroes; Soldiers at War; Costumed Comic Book Heroes and Aerial Adventures.