'Serial Fest 2008' and William Witney's Autobiography

The 'little student film that could' is screening at this year's 'Serial Fest', the only all-serial film festival in the world.

Hi there, Avenger Fans!

Wow! This is quite an exciting week for me, as I'm gearing up to hop on a plane to Pennsylvania to attend 'Serial Fest 2008'. A few months ago I was invited to screen 'The Scarlet Avenger' short at the one-of-a-kind, all-serial film festival, put on by the fellows at serialsquadron.com. The event has been running for seven years, presenting newly restored serials. This year the main attraction is the western adventure, 'Daredevils of the West', not seen in its entirety for over 50 years! I'm very honored to have Avenger presented as a side attraction. I hear that this is the first year in the festival's history that serial-inspired movies, by modern filmmakers, are being screened.

As I've mentioned before, 'The Scarlet Avenger' student short never really saw the light of day at the time of its completion in 2000. It did make some pretty big waves when released on the Internet a little over a year ago, but it never really made the festival rounds. While Serial Fest is being held pretty far away, in Newtown, Pennsylvania (a small town near Philadelphia), I just had to attend. I bought my plane ticket last week.

What's really unique about the event is the way the films are presented, in serialized format. Each movie is screened chapter by chapter, and when the cliffhanger ending comes, you're treated to a few other chapters from other serials, before seeing the conclusion. It works to give you that old feeling the kids had at the Saturday matinee screenings, back in the golden age of serials, when they had to wait an entire week before seeing how the hero escaped certain death. I was a little nervous about presenting Avenger in serialized format at first, because it was originally meant to be seen as one short. However, most people who viewed the film on the Net saw it this way. As a result of You Tube’s 10-minute video length restriction, I had to break the short up into three chapters to screen it there. While the chapter stops weren't originally planned, there were enough cliffhanger-like moments in the film that I could get away with a simple "To Be Continued Next Week" slug at the end of each segment. So, it'll be really interesting to see how the picture plays when interspersed with chapters from other films.

A picture taken of the cast from the 'SerialFest 2002 Stunt Show'. Looks like soooooo much fun!

What's even more exciting than the screenings is the opportunity to meet other serial enthusiasts face to face. I've chatted with many of them on the Net over the past year, but all of us under one roof for three days will be something else!

Attendees of Serial Fest 2006, outside the Newtown Theatre, where this year's screenings are taking place.

Another thing I've been itching to talk about is a book I recently finished reading, titled 'In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door' by William Witney. For those of you who don't know, William Witney (who passed away in 2002) was the greatest serial director who ever lived. This book describes his pre-WW II service glory years, in which he was not only a master of the genre, but also, at 21 years old, the youngest director in the Hollywood studio system. I'd wanted to read this book for years to have a better understanding of the process of shooting action/adventure films on a shoestring budget.

Master serial director, William Witney's incredible autobiography. I'd been meaning to read this for years and am so glad I finally did!

What I found amazing about Witney's story was how he seemingly fell into the picture business. While visiting his sister and movie director brother-in-law, Colbert Clark, in Los Angeles, while preparing for his entrance exams for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, he took a random job offer as cowboy extra in a serial called 'Fighting with Kit Carson'. He quickly fell in love with the movie-making process and started working as an assistant behind-the-scenes, eventually becoming a highly skilled editor. All of this in his teens! Then, in 1937 he went on-location for the filming of Republic Pictures' 'The Painted Stallion' and became an emergency replacement for the film's failing director. And so began the career of William Witney, who went on to direct or co direct 23 Republic serials. The book ends just before the young visionary left for service in World War II. While Witney went on to direct serials, television and features after the war, it was his pre-war work that is his legacy. Some of his most fondly remembered serials include 'SOS Coast Guard', 'Zorro Rides Again', 'The Lone Ranger', 'The Fighting Devil Dogs', 'Daredevils of the Red Circle', 'Drums of Fu Manchu', 'Adventures of Captain Marvel', 'Jungle Girl', 'Spy Smasher', 'Perils of Nyoka', 'King of the Royal Mounted' and 'G-Men Vs. The Black Dragon'.

Witney, who was just 21 years old when he directed his first chapter play, still holds the record for being the youngest director ever to work on a Hollywood studio picture.

The book isn't just a history of the serial industry. It's a loving memoir, recounting not just Witney's professional successes, but also his personal ones. The story of the courtship of his wife, Maxine Doyle (his leading lady from 'SOS Coastguard') was especially touching. What impressed me the most was how good this man was at dealing with the people he worked with. He achieved superior results by not only being innovative, but also treating those around him with patience, fairness and respect. And he was loved by nearly all who worked with him as a result.

If I have any complaint about the book, it's Witney's intense focus on the films he made in the western genre. I consider myself a western fan, but am much more in love with the movies set in the serial era. I was rather shocked to learn that he wasn't as fond of his non-western output as I thought he would be, often making disparaging comments about such classics as 'Spy Smasher', 'King of the Royal Mounted' and 'G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon'. To me, these films are far more representative of the serial genre than westerns, which had a much larger life outside that format.

Witney directing Kay Aldridge in a deathtrap scene from 'Perils of Nyoka' (also known as 'Nyoka and The Tigermen').

William Witney with his loving wife, Maxine Doyle, his leading lady from 'SOS Coastguard'.

It was truly amazing hearing how Witney learned how to stage fight scenes, as his were some of the most exhilarating ever put on film. He is often credited as being the first director to 'choreograph' fights. In earlier days, directors would just let the stunt men 'go at it' and capture the proceedings. Not only did Witney stage dazzling fight scenes with some of the best stunt men in the business, but he also chose camera angles that heightened the energy immensely. I was also amazed to learn that he often filmed the actors fighting in slow motion, while he undercranked the camera at the same time, to make the scenes ferociously fast and dangerous-looking. He could have the actual actors appear to be punched smack dab in the face using this technique. I'd definitely like to try a variation of this for the Avenger feature.

Witney in action, directing 'The Lone Ranger'

I also loved reading about Witney's fantastic relationship with his long time co-director, John English. English, like Witney, started out as a film editor, but always had an itch to direct. He first teamed up with Witney on 'Zorro Rides Again' in 1937. It was a match made in heaven. Not only did the duo produce some of the most memorable serials ever made, but they were also very close friends. English would mainly focus on the story and character aspects of each picture and Witney would tackle the action. I'm very proud to know that English was Canadian too!:-)

John 'Jack' English, Witney's long-time collaborator, was his strongest ally. And he was Canadian too!:-)

There's no question Witney was the best of the serial directors, as evidenced by his consistently strong films. Many of my favorite serials were directed by this man. I'd like to briefly discuss my personal favorites: 'Spy Smasher', 'King of the Royal Mounted', 'Drums of Fu Manchu', 'Perils of Nyoka', 'Jungle Girl', 'G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon' and 'Adventures of Captain Marvel'.


SPY SMASHER (1942)

'Spy Smasher' was the first serial I ever bought, so it holds a special place in my heart. Witney thought of it as simply WW II propaganda, which of course it was, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Nazi Germany was just plain evil, and it's great to see the hero repeatedly smash the baddies. The storyline revolves around a plot by German saboteurs to flood the United States with counterfeit money. It's up to superhero, Spy Smasher, to stop them. What really stands out in this serial is the globe-trotting feel of the first few acts, beginning in occupied France and continuing on to the fictional exotic island of 'Martinidad'. This allowed for the inclusion of French Vichy sidekick, Captain Durand, who was a primary influence on the character of 'Captain Dupuis' in the Avenger short. If anyone were considering getting into the serials, I'd recommend this as the best possible starting point.

'Spysmasher', my favorite serial of all time. They certainly don't get much more action-packed than this!

KING of the ROYAL MOUNTED (1940)

Again, Witney thought of this WW II serial, about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police fighting Nazi saboteurs, as propaganda fluff. I was also disappointed to hear that the very charismatic lead Allan 'Rocky' Lane, who played Mountie Sergeant Dave King, was a pain in the ass to work with. Perhaps it's my Canadian bias, but I adored this serial. It was so refreshing to see such an epic adventure set in my home country. This serial, as I've mentioned in previous posts, has been an enormous influence on the development of the Avenger feature, which is largely set in Canada as well.

Maybe it's my Canadian bias, but this is my second favorite cliffhanger of all time. I was shocked to hear how little Witney liked it.

DRUMS of FU MANCHU (1940)

I had always been a little weary of seeing this serial, because of the racist overtones of the 'Fu Manchu' character, created by British pulp novelist Sax Rohmer. While the character is an example of the 'yellow menace' racism of the western world, this serial does its best to steer clear of that ugliness. In this film Fu Manchu appears simply to be a villain who happens to be Chinese. He is played with surprising respect by the very talented actor, Henry Brandon. This film was a huge hit with audiences. A sequel was planned, but scrapped at the request of the Chinese government, who had become allies with the U.S. in the fight against Japan at the outbreak of WW II. This serial is incredibly action-packed and filled with all sorts of inventive deathtrap cliffhangers. While politically incorrect by today's standards, it is an adventure masterpiece, when looked at in the proper historical context.

I was very relieved to see that what could have been a piece of racist filth was actually one of the best adventure films ever made. While politically incorrect by today's standards, this film made a huge impression on the movie-going public.

PERILS of NYOKA (1942)

'Perils of Nyoka', also known as 'Nyoka and the Tigermen', was an unofficial sequel to 'Jungle Girl'. This is fantastically campy fun, in which 'Jungle Girl', Nyoka Gordon, battles the incredibly sexy villainess, Vultura, 'Ruler of the Arabs', for the 'Golden Tablets of Hippocrates'. The action scenes are first rate. And remember the spike room deathtrap from 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'? Well, it was lifted directly from this movie. The little monkey spy from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'also had its origins in this picture.

Oh my, does 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' owe a huge debt to 'Perils of Nyoka'. This is where Temple's spike room sequence came from

JUNGLE GIRL (1941)

While I didn't enjoy 'Jungle Girl' quite as much as its sequel, 'Perils of Nyoka', it is still hugely entertaining. Again, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg lifted many set pieces from this for 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'. Remember the torrent of water that chases Indy, Willie and Short Round through the mineshaft? It was plucked directly from here, almost shot for shot. Also, this picture's main villain Shamba, the Witch Doctor of the Masamba tribe, was a clear influence on 'Temple of Doom''s Mola Ram.

Again, a huge Indiana Jones inspiration. George Lucas just loved 'Jungle Girl', plain as day!

G-MEN VS. THE BLACK DRAGON (1943)

This was Witney's last production before leaving to serve in World War II. It's American propaganda about Japanese saboteurs in America, but who cares? Again, not politically correct by today's standards, mainly due to the fact that all the Japanese agents are played by white actors. However, I was surprised to see Asian American actor, Roland Got play the hero's super cool sidekick, Chang Sing of the Chinese secret service. This film has some of the best-choreographed fight scenes ever put on film. The picture was a huge success and was followed by an even more action packed sequel, called 'Secret Service in Darkest Africa', directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet.

G-Men Vs. The Black Dragon had some of the best fist fights ever put on film.

ADVENTURES of CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941)

'Adventures of Captain Marvel' was a fantastic adaptation of the Fawcett Comics superhero, in which the title character fought a masked villain known as The Scorpion, who was determined to capture a magical gold scorpion, which had the power to destroy the world. This serial has an unusually good story, exotic locations and fantastic superhero flying effects. It's a little lacking in the 'smack around' fighting of Witney's other efforts, but what it lacks in that department, it makes up for in plot and atmosphere. Republic Pictures and William Witney lost the rights for 'Superman' a little while before making this picture, but this 'Man of Steel' rip-off was a huge hit for them. It is often cited as being the best chapter play ever made.

Republic Pictures lost the chance to make 'Superman', but William Witney did a bang up job with this 'Man of Steel' rip-off, 'Adventures of Captain Marvel', one of the most highly praised serials ever made.

The contributions of William Witney will never be forgotten. It amazes me how the two directors, who owe so much of their success to this man, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, have all but swept him under the rug. What's even more amazing is how underappreciated and underpaid Witney was. Reading this book made me understand the countless struggles that cliffhanger directors faced with budget, actor, story, and filming logistics. I feel this story has really helped prepare me better for my own future filmmaking endeavours.

An older Witney at the Houstoncon film festival in 1973.