Rating: - "Cliffhanger Collection ... Science Fiction ... Passport/Koch (2006)"
Passport Video and Koch Entertainment Distribution presents "THE SCIENCE FICTION CLIFFHANGER COLLECTION" (2006) --- Some lesser-known sci-fi themed TV shows have a chance to shine on this collection --- "THE PHANTOM EMPIRE" (1935) -- "UNDERSEA KINGDOM" (1936) -- and "RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON" (1952) are all represented, with 12 episodes from each show presenting viewers with the chance to relive some delightfully action sequences via the serial stunt people.

Nat Levine's "THE PHANTOM EMPIRE" (1935) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres --- This was Gene Autry's first starring role, playing himself as a singing cowboy --- Gene Autry plays a singing cowboy named Gene Autry, who runs Radio Ranch, a dude ranch from which he makes a daily live radio broadcast. Gene has two kid sidekicks, Frankie Darro and Betsy King Ross, who lead a club, the "Junior Thunder Riders," in which the kids play at being armored knights of an unknown civilization, the mysterious Thunder Riders. The kids, dressing up in capes and water-bucket helmets, play at riding "to the rescue!" --- A chance to be real heroes occurs when Betsy, Frankie and Gene are kidnapped by the real Thunder Riders, from the super-scientific underground empire of Murania, complete with towering skyscrapers, robots, rayguns, elevators that extend miles from the surface, and an icy, evil blonde Queen, Tika. On the surface, a group of crooks plan to invade Murania and seize its mineral wealth, while in Murania, a group of revolutionaries plot to overthrow Queen Tika.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The Singing Cowboy
2. The Thunder Riders
3. The Lightning Chamber
4. Phantom Broadcast
5. Beneath the Earth
6. Disaster From the Skies
7. From Death to Life
8. Jaws of Jeopardy
9. Prisoners of the Ray
10.The Rebellion
11.A Queen in Chains
12.The End of Murania

Nat Levine's "UNDERSEA KINGDOM" (1936) (Dolby digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences featuring Crash Corrigan who can do just about everything that each episode requires...Corrigan graduated from Annapolis only to be recruited by Professor Norton to venture beneath the ocean depths with Diana a go getting reporter, Norton's son Billy and Briny Deep as the take a ride in a rocket submarine...will they locate the "Lost City of Atlantis"...can Naval Lieutenant Crash Corrigan escape the war monging Atlanteans and save Professor Norton from the spell that Unga Khan has cast upon the Professor...there is a war between Khan's Black Robe Guards and the White Robed followers of Sharad...which side will Crash choose and can he use his exceptional skills and power to defeat the evil villains in every chapter...the White Robe's need a leader, will Crash be chosen for that high office and become commander...Professor Norton is working on his priming powder that will be used to propel Unga Khan's tower to the upper world and conquer all who stand in his way...what threatening calamity awaits Crash during these 12 Republic Serial chapers or can he device a plan to turn the tables and good triumph over evil...some interesting special effects by John T. Coyle, Howard Lydecker and Theodore Lydecker, not to mention the production team of Barney A. Sarecky and Sol C. Siegel...the outlandish costumes that Crash and other cast members were wearing is by Robert Ramsey (costume designer)...the exciting original musical score by Arthur Kay, Leon Rosebrook and none other than the "Music Man" himself Meredith Wilson......don't miss any of the 12 exciting chapters.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Beneath the Ocean Floor
2. The Undersea City
3. Arena of Death
4. Revenge of the Volkites
5. Prisoners of Atlantis
6. The Juggernaut Strikes
7. The Submarine Trap
8. Into the Metal Tower
9. Death in the Air
10.Atlantis Destroyed
11.Flaming Death
12.Ascent to the Upperworld

"RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON" (1952) --- A Republic Serial was the first Commando Cody serial, in 12 chapters, starring newcomer George Wallace (1917-2005) as Cody and Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert, with serial veteran Roy Barcroft as the evil Retik, the Ruler of the Moon --- The director was Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson and special effects by the Lydecker brothers --- Commando Cody has available for his use the rocket-powered flying suit (described in dialog as an "atomic-powered rocket suit" in the previous but unrelated serial in which it was used, King of the Rocket Men) and a rocket ship capable of reaching the moon. Suddenly the U.S. finds itself under attack as a mysterious something wipes out military bases and industrial complexes --- Cody deduces somehow that the earth faces a menace from our own moon, and rockets there to discover and confront the moon's dictator Retik, who boldly announces plans to conquer our planet and move his subjects there --- However, there is a singular lack of science-fictional derring-do in the episodes. --- Many of the cars are old enough to have completely vertical uncurved windshields, and Cody spends most of his time fist-fighting on Earth with an elusive lunar native, Krog, and the gang of crooks he has hired to steal and stockpile supplies for the invasion, and to continue to create strategic damage with a truck-mounted raygun --- Watch for Clayton Moore as Krog's chief earthling assistant --- Stock footage from earlier Republic Studios serials, all the way from The Purple Monster Strikes (1945) to King of the Rocket Men, is used extensively --- Virtually nothing really happens until the final confrontation with Retik in Chapter 12, and anyone who remembered The Purple Monster Strikes from seven years before had already seen all of that confrontation!

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Moon Rocket
2. Molten Terror
3. Bridge of Death
4. Flight of Destruction
5. Murder Car
6. Hills of Death
7. Camouflaged Destruction
8. The Enemy Planet
9. Battle in the Stratosphere
10.Mass Execution
11.Planned Pursuit
12.Death of the Moon Man

Special footnote, Republic reused the rocket-powered flying suit in Zombies of the Stratosphere (also from 1952), in which the hero was called Larry Martin, and played by the serial Captain Video, Judd Holdren, but who had available Aline Towne and all the other pseudoscientific equipment and facilities previously used by Cody --- Holdren went on to star as Cody in Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953).
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Great job by Passport Video --- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections --- order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 682 mins on 5 DVD's ~ Passport Video ~ (4/04/2006)

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