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.

Chapter titles

 * 1) A Mad Mission
 * 2) The Secret Ray
 * 3) The Mystery Plane
 * 4) Plunging Peril
 * 5) Betrayed by a Madman
 * 6) A Flaming Trap
 * 7) One Chance for Life
 * 8) White Fumes of Fate
 * 9) Dr. Tobor's Revenge
 * 10) Juggernaut of Fate
 * 11) Flying to Oblivion
 * 12) Lost in the Skies
 * 13) No Escape
 * 14) The Chute that Failed
 * 15) The Fate of the World

Cast

 * William Bakewell as Hop Harrigan
 * 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. 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 fairly action-filled serial, with well paced action.