BLACKHAWK: FEARLESS CHAMPION OF FREEDOM (1952)
Serial
Article 2886 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 4-2-2009
Posting Date: 7-8-2009
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred F. Sears
Featuring Kirk Alyn, Carol Forman, John Crawford
Country: USA

Blackhawk leads a military flying unit that eschews firearms and employs wits and fists to defeat their enemies. They must contend with an organization of saboteurs intent on stealing many of the country’s secrets and destroying their team.

I would have to say that this is the best serial from the fifties I’ve seen yet; it’s energetic, fun, and doesn’t seem to rely on endless stock footage. Yes, it’s cheaply made, but it even has a bit of fun with its cheapness; the fact that all of the hideouts of the saboteurs look identical becomes a bit of a running joke. There’s the requisite Gizmo Maguffins to keep the plot moving, with a ray gun and a super fuel the items the saboteurs are after. It generally avoids the bailout cliffhangers, and there’s a great episode in the middle of the serial that takes place at an oil field; every once in a while you’ll see an episode of a serial that actually delivers what serials always promise, and this episode is one of them. This one was quite enjoyable.