Serial Acting, Not As Bad As You Think
I’ve been noticing over on the message boards that some fans are thinking about getting awards together for serial acting. One critic of the idea talked of how bad the acting was due to a lack of time to film good performances and lack of talent over all in the acting department. I think that is rather harsh. Sure some acting in the serials is pretty amateurish, especially some of the leads in Republic’s mid to late forties productions, but if you take a look at the genre throughout the sound era you see an incredible list of talented and famous actors who worked in serials.
A quick glance at cast lists shows such talents as Clayton Moore and Milburn Stone, who would both go on to lasting fame on TV. Talented stars like Boris Karloff and John Wayne played in serials before becoming house hold names. As for established stars you had Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Edward Cianelli, Robert Armstrong and Charles Bickford all played in serials while at the peak of their acting skills. Lon Chaney, Jr. played in serials both when he was starting out and after achieving stardom.
But by far the biggest name to star in a serial was Harry Carey, Sr. who made two for Mascot. Even the harshest critic would be hard pressed to accuse an actor of Carey’s caliber of giving a hackneyed performance. Don’t even get me started on Mantan Moreland, one of the most talented comedians ever, who enlivened and stole every scene he had in his only serial appearance.
So whether or not you think awarding acting honors to people for work they did over sixty years ago to be worthwhile, you can’t say that it is unworthy of consideration due to having no good performances.
