Category Archives: E. R. Torre Art

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 77

There have been many films that, unfortunately, were lost over time.  Perhaps the most famous of these is the horror/mystery film London After Midnight (1927).  Directed by Todd Browning (Dracula, Freaks), the film starred Lon Chaney (the “man of a thousand faces” is probably best known today for his starring roles in the original 1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dam and 1925 The Phantom of the Opera).

Unfortunately, the last known copy of London After Midnight was lost in a fire at the MGM studios’ vault fire in 1965.  Though there still exist stills from the film, a copy has yet to be found, though there are plenty of people looking for one.  In 2002 Turner Classic Movies aired a “reconstruction” of the film using stills and dialogue from the script.  Frankly, the film’s story is really creaky by today’s standards, but there’s little doubt Lon Chaney’s makeup was top notch, at least based on those same stills!

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 76

In a six year period from 1942 to 1948 actors Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake would team up in four films, three of which are considered classics and the fourth… well, not so much.

The first movie they made together was one of their very best, 1942’s This Gun For Hire.  A terrific noir where Veronica Lake took top billing and Alan Ladd would be a featured -but very important- player in the film.  A great work and one you should catch.  By the way, the other three films they made together are The Glass Key (1942), The Blue Dahlia (1946), and Saigon (1948).

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 74

I’d already made a picture based on the 1941 Tom Tyler starring Captain Marvel serial but, given I’m currently doing some serial favorites, figured I’d give it another go.

If there’s one serial modern audiences may want to see it’s this one, which features a hero that is more in line with Dirty Harry than the more quippy/humorous heroes so popular today.  Hard to believe this serial debuted only three years following the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 (1938) and a mere year after Captain Marvel’s first appearance in Whiz Comics #2 (1940).

Even more incredible are the serial’s special effects which, though not all that great by today’s standards, are remarkably good given the year it was released.  Recommended… though I wouldn’t encourage anyone to sit through the whole thing at one go!

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 73

Released in 1942, Spy Smasher is a serial based on a then very popular comic book series by the same name.  Which goes to show, some of the comic book characters so popular today in film might one day be, for the most part, forgotten.

I personally loved this serial and watched all three and a half hours of it a number of years ago.  It was remarkably brisk, full of adventure/fistfights/car chases and seemed to never let up, even if the story’s logic wasn’t… er… very logical.

One of the more amusing things about watching it in one sitting was that after a while I realized the film’s makers were using the same city blocks for much of their outdoor action, and because the serial was as long as it was, I began to get an understanding of the layout of these city blocks.

So much so that in a later episode, our heroes are filmed from street level rushing out of a building, running down the steps and to a waiting car, then driving away at full speed.  Then they come to a screeching halt before another building and rush out…

Only by that point I knew the building they just arrived at lay directly across the street from the building they emerged from!

Fun times…! 😉

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 69, 70, and 71

Been away for a few days and…

…I’m back!

And I bring you a trio of serial adventure goodies!

First up, my interpretation of Batman and Robin, from the 1949 Serial!

But wait, there’s more!

In 1944, the Captain America serial was released.  15 cliffhanging episodes, to boot!

Finally, while on this adventure serial tangent, one has to pay tribute to the man who was THE biggest star of the serials: Buster Crabbe, and the character he was most associated with: Flash Gordon.  While I’ve already made a Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon piece, it wasn’t in color so, here goes:

Flash Gordon, from Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, featuring Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon and Carol Hughes as Dale Arden.