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The Beautiful
Anarchy Of The Saturday Morning Regal Chums Club
That word, first heard in the 1940's
Republic serial 'The Adventures of Captain Marvel' made the hair on the necks of
four hundred pre-teens stand on end as they followed their hero through twelve
cliff-hanging instalments. The seven-year-old author never experienced so
exciting a time in his young life.
Picture the scene: mild-mannered young
adventurer Billy Batson is tied up, helpless in the clutches of evil
arch-villain, the Scorpion, who is demanding under pain of death that Billy tell
him the secret of the mighty Captain Marvel's power. Billy glares at him and
replies "I'll not only tell you how. I'll SHOW you how - SHAZAM!'
There is a flash of lightning, a
thunderclap and Billy changes into the crime busting super-hero, possessed of
the powers of (S)amson, (H)ercules, (A)tlas, (Z)eus,
(A)pollo and (M)ercury.
The Scorpion's evil grin changes to one of
terror as he realises that he is now in the deepest of deep shit...
Read about how manager Ernie
Highland weaved his magic to re-brand the whole
institution of the Saturday matinee in which
Captain Marvel, Flash Gordon, Gene Autry et al
shared top billing with local rock 'n roll
groups, twisting competitions and other
hi-jinks...
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