Motion Pictures Please help me find 1940s movie serial

My old man was born in 40, told me all about serials and listening to howdy doody on the radio... drag racing in the mid 50s, his first car was his favorite, 36 5 window. He's the reason I love cars like I do

 

19Eddie30 and borntoloze, you're welcome for the explanation of movie serials. I had the same experience as Z06-LITE. 15 cents for the movie and 10 cents for popcorn. Joe Blow, I wondered the same thing as patsurf. How did he do that?! Thank you again, Sir.
The radio serials had special offers. IIRC it was humorist Jean Shephard (often appeared in Playboy magazine) wrote about sending $ to Ovaltine for a secret decoder ring, then listening for the secret message on the radio show. When he input the message, it came out "Drink More Ovaltine." He was justifiably pissed at being ripped off.
At the university (Florida State - Go Seminoles!) had a friend in graduate school who was researching vultures and how they were not subject to botulism poisoning when all they ate was carrion (dead animal carcasses). I sent half a buck to a cereal company and got a Charter Member package enrolling him in the Dick Dastardly Vulture Squadron. We held a surprise initiation on pub beer night and he was literally in tears at our gesture.
Thanks again, all. The HAMB rules. Lucas

 

I’d never trust anyone who uses “O” in place of Zero in numbers!

 

When XM radio came out, I got one for my semi truck so I could listen to music without having to find a new station ever 50-75 miles. They have a channel, Radio Classics, that is dedicated to the old radio programs from the 1930’s to 1962, the end of the “ golden” age of radio. I became familiar with programs that I heard referenced to over the years, but had never heard. Programs like The Shadow, Fibber McGee and Molly, Charlie McCarthy, Lux Radio Theater, Phillip Marlowe, The Whistler, and many others. One of my old man’s favorite sayings when the phone rang was,”Jottem down store, Abner Peabody speaking”. I had heard that for years, never knowing where it came from, finally getting to hear Lum and Abner and understanding then. My folks grew up poor, never had a TV until after they got married, radio was their entertainment. So it was natural to latch onto a saying from a radio program and use it to be cool. I passed many hours and miles away on the road listening to programs my parents and grandparents heard broadcast live years before. It helped me understand how things were back then. Nothing like hearing an ad for a sweptline Dodge or the new 50 Ford! Or Johnson’s CarNu or Autolite StaFul batteries!

I may just have to renew my subscription and hook up one here in the shop. Be cool listening to the Shadow or The Green Hornet while working on my car!

 

I liked that XM station too, but too often I couldn't catch "the exciting conclusion of..." and I wrote it off as their producers not having a full grip of how it worked. Thanks for the reminder, have a phone app and a Wonderboom in the shop. Might try again.

 

A lot of the time they didn't have complete episodes, so they played what they had. It was frustrating to get into a series then find out they didn't have the ending program. It's amazing any of them got saved over the years, who would want to listen to an old radio program from years ago? Lots of us! Truly a window in time.

It's funny what was risky at the time is nothing today, and some programs like Amos and Andy never get played today because they are taboo now.

 

XM channel 148

 

Ordered a DVD on Ebay. Series is available on Youtube (all 12 episodes). What is the make, model and year of the big open touring car with sidemounts the three daredevils use frequently? And the granddaughters convertible is maybe a 39 Oldsmobile?

 

Just a FYI.....there are several 40's Dick Tracy serials on TCM tonight starting at 6:00 MST.

 

They were shown at the Saturday Movie Theater Mattenees before the features. Flash Gordon, Hopalong Cassidy,Tarzan, etc. Most made it to be rebroadcast on tv later.

 

LOOK!... UP IN THE SKY!... IT'S A BIRD, IT'S... no, wait...

 

Charles Middleton played Empor Ming in Flash Gordon.

 

Thanks again to everyone who contributed. I know it sounds a bit obsessive but it was like an itch you can't scratch. Mystery solved. I can now move on to other other obsessions.