Hop Harrigan (serial)

{{Infobox film

| name = Hop Harrigan

| image = Hop Harrigan serial.jpg

| writer = Jon L. Blummer (adapted from the comic strip by)
Ande Lamb (original screenplay)
George H. Plympton (original screenplay)

| based_on = {{based on|Hop Harrigan comic strip||Jon L. Blummer}}

| narrator =

| starring = William Bakewell
Jennifer Holt
Robert 'Buzz' Henry
Sumner Getchell

| music = Lee Zahler

| cinematography = Ira H. Morgan

| editing = Earl Turner

| studio = Sam Katzman Productions

| distributor = Columbia Pictures

| released = {{film date|1946|03|28}}

| runtime = 15 chapter serial

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Hop Harrigan (aka Hop Harrigan America's Ace of the Airways) (1946) is a Columbia film serial, based on the Hop Harrigan comic books by DC Comics.Farmer 1984, p. 315. The serial comprised 15 two-reel chapters with Derwin Abrahams as the director, and Sam Katzman, the producer.Rainey [https://books.google.com/books?id=vL_eCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Hop+Harrigan%22&pg=PA114 2010, p. 114.] Retrieved: April 26, 2018. Columbia Pictures was one of the last Hollywood studios to continue in postwar years with the serial format. By 1947, Universal Pictures discontinued their serials, with only Republic Pictures and Columbia continuing with serials. The last serial was Columbia's Blazing the Overland Trail (1956).Weiss and Gooddold 1973, p. III.

Plot

Hop Harrigan (William Bakewell), a top Air Corps pilot, leaves the military and he and his mechanic, "Tank" Tinker (Sumner Getchell), open up a small charter air service. They are hired by J. Westly Arnold (Emmett Vogan) to fly an inventor, Dr. Tobor (John Merton), to his secret laboratory, where he is working on a new and powerful energy machine.

A mysterious villain named "The Chief Pilot" (Wheeler Oakman), however, is also determined to have the new energy machine for his own purposes. He uses a destructive raygun to cripple Hop's aircraft and kidnaps Dr. Tobor. Hop and Tank, aided by Gail Nolan (Jennifer Holt) and her younger brother, Jackie (Robert "Buzz" Henry), finally overcome the criminals only find a bigger threat to them all within their group.

Dr. Tobor is insane and has a hideous plan to destroy the earth. Only Hop can stop him.

=Chapter titles=

A Mad Mission
The Secret Ray
The Mystery Plane
Plunging Peril
Betrayed by a Madman
A Flaming Trap
One Chance for Life
White Fumes of Fate
Dr. Tobor's Revenge
Juggernaut of Fate
Flying to Oblivion
Lost in the Skies
No Escape
The Chute that Failed
The Fate of the WorldCline 1984, p. 243.

Cast

William Bakewell as Hop Harrigan{{#tag:ref|Bakewell is older than the character he is playing, but a "convincing" enough hero.Cline 1984, p. 31.|group=N}}
Jennifer Holt as Gail Nolan
Robert 'Buzz' Henry as Jackie Nolan
Sumner Getchell as "Tank" Tinker
Emmett Vogan as J. Westly Arnold
Claire James as Gwen Arnold
John Merton as Dr. Tobor
Wheeler Oakman as Alex Ballard/The Chief Pilot
Ernie Adams as Retner
Peter Michael as Mark Craven
Terry Frost as Barry
Anthony Warde as Edwards
Jackie Moran as Fraser
Bobby Stone as Gray
Jack Buchanon as Deputy Sheriff

Production

Hop Harrigan was based on Jon l. Blummer's All-American Comics and associated radio series. The serial featured location shooting at an airport, but relied heavily on studio sets.Weiss and Gooddold 1973, p. 257. The aircraft in Hop Harrigan included a Boeing-Stearman Kaydet, Bellanca Cruisair and a Stinson Junior.[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3a19at "Hop Harrigan Chapter 01: A Mad Mission -- ComicWeb Serial Cliffhanger Theater"], dailymotion.com, 2019. Retrieved: July 7, 2019.

Reception

Author and film critic, Andrew C. Cline wrote in In the Nick of Time (1984) that Hop Harrigan is fairly action-filled serial, with well paced action.

References

=Notes=

=Citations=

=Bibliography=

Cline, William C. "Chapter 3. The Six Faces of Adventure", In the Nick of Time. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984, {{ISBN|978-0-89950-101-7}}.
Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. {{ISBN| 978-0-83062-374-7}}.
Rainey, Buck. Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912–1956. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-47660-448-0}}.
Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. {{ISBN|0-517-166259}}.