Hop Harrigan (serial)
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. The serial comprised 15 two-reel chapters with Derwin Abrahams as the director, and Sam Katzman, the producer. 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). 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. 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. The aircraft in "Hop Harrigan" included a Boeing-Stearman Kaydet, Bellanca Cruisair and a Stinson Junior. Reception. Author and film critic, Andrew C. Cline wrote in "In the  Nick of Time" (1984) that "Hop Harrigan" is "... a fairly action-filled cliffhanger...[and the] action was well paced, making this chapterplay as convincing and successful as it was meant to be."