For me, this was a really long trip down memory lane. I last saw this serial at a children's matinee in 1956 or '57 - when I was eight or nine years old.
In the circumstances, it has stood the test of time remarkably well, holding my interest all the way through even as the old codger that I now am. There are minor grumbles of course. - giving Saturn a solid surface and a breathable atmosphere was unscientific even in 1939 - but I enjoyed it enough that I was willing to suspend disbelief.
The theme is nice and simple. Buck and his teenage pal Buddy are trapped in a crashed dirigible, and their lives saved only by use of a "suspended animation" gas. They wake up 500 years later to find that the world is now a dictatorship ruled by one "Killer Kane" with a hard core of resisters holding out in a secret underground city. Buck and Buddy of course join the Good Guys.
In fairness to Kane, his nickname is perhaps a bit harsh. As far as I recall, the only people he kills are ones who are fighting to overthrow him - something virtually all governments claim the right to do. But he is quite nasty enough, putting those who annoy him to slave labour as "robots", controlled by special helmets which suppress their memories and will power. Even one of his advisors suffers this fate for daring to talk back to him.
From there, it's essentially to-ing and fro-ing between Earth and Saturn, with both sides trying to secure the support of the native Saturnians. In due course the Good Guys win.
One thing struck me. The synopses at the beginning of each episode were rolled out "horizontally" in the same way that the "Long, long ago in a galaxy far,far away" introduction was rolled out at the beginning of Star Wars. I wonder if the latter's makers acknowledged this.
In short, if you can tolerate what passed for special effects in 1939, and aren't too fussed about scientific inaccuracies, it's a surprisingly good view. Enjoy. I just wish I could say the same for the 1970s remake.
In the circumstances, it has stood the test of time remarkably well, holding my interest all the way through even as the old codger that I now am. There are minor grumbles of course. - giving Saturn a solid surface and a breathable atmosphere was unscientific even in 1939 - but I enjoyed it enough that I was willing to suspend disbelief.
The theme is nice and simple. Buck and his teenage pal Buddy are trapped in a crashed dirigible, and their lives saved only by use of a "suspended animation" gas. They wake up 500 years later to find that the world is now a dictatorship ruled by one "Killer Kane" with a hard core of resisters holding out in a secret underground city. Buck and Buddy of course join the Good Guys.
In fairness to Kane, his nickname is perhaps a bit harsh. As far as I recall, the only people he kills are ones who are fighting to overthrow him - something virtually all governments claim the right to do. But he is quite nasty enough, putting those who annoy him to slave labour as "robots", controlled by special helmets which suppress their memories and will power. Even one of his advisors suffers this fate for daring to talk back to him.
From there, it's essentially to-ing and fro-ing between Earth and Saturn, with both sides trying to secure the support of the native Saturnians. In due course the Good Guys win.
One thing struck me. The synopses at the beginning of each episode were rolled out "horizontally" in the same way that the "Long, long ago in a galaxy far,far away" introduction was rolled out at the beginning of Star Wars. I wonder if the latter's makers acknowledged this.
In short, if you can tolerate what passed for special effects in 1939, and aren't too fussed about scientific inaccuracies, it's a surprisingly good view. Enjoy. I just wish I could say the same for the 1970s remake.