Serials for breakfast

We've been getting into serials of late. Their age makes them curios, but they're a lot of fun, too.
The one that's been holding our interest of late is Holt of the Secret Service. It stars Jack Holt, a steel-jawed character actor with a long resume from Shirley Temple ("The Littlest Rebel") to Gable's "San Francisco" to Bogie (a bit part in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"). Here he plays a Secret Service agent who goes undercover to catch a group of counterfeiters. Evelyn Brent plays a fellow agent who poses as his hard-edged wife. The 15-part serial throws a bit of humor in, as well.
But the crown jewel of serials is Flash Gordon. And the set to get is Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD), a triple-DVD set that just dropped $20 to the price of a single DVD. All three Flash Gordon serials with Buster Crabbe are included here and they are an incredible kick. Charles Middleton is outstanding as Ming the Merciless, who you'll sneer at from your living room. This one's a no brainer to get and we highly recommend it.

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Here are highlights of upcoming interesting releases:

July 17 - "Gunsmoke - The First Season" (Paramount)
July 17 - "The Incredible Hulk - The Complete Second Season" (Universal)
July 24 - "That Girl: Season 3" (Shout Factory)
July 24 - "Woody Woodpecker and Friends (Universal)
July 24 - "Zodiac" (Paramount)
July 31 - "Game Shows Of The 50s: Beat The Clock / I've Got A Secret" (Alpha)
July 31 - "Hawaii Five-O: The Second Season" (Paramount)
July 31 - "Popeye the Sailor, 1933-1938 - Volume 1" (Fleischer cartoons set)
Aug 3 - "Blue Hawaii," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Fun in Acapulco," "G.I. Blues," "Girls Girls Girls," "King Creole," "Paradise Hawaiian Style," "Roustabout" (Paramount)
Aug. 7 - "This Is Elvis" (Warner Bros.)
Aug. 7 - "Flash Gordon: Saviour of the Universe Edition" (Universal)
Aug. 7 - "The Muppet Show - The Complete Second Season" (Buena Vista)
Aug. 21 - "House - Season Three" (Universal)
Aug. 28 - "The Odd Couple: The Second Season" (Paramount)
Aug. 28 - "Samurai Jack - Season Four" (Warner Bros.)
Sept. 4 - "Game Night Collection" (nine baseball movies) (Paramount)
Sept. 4 - "Desperate Housewives - The Complete Third Season (Buena Vista)
Sept. 11 - "Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Third Season" (Buena Vista)
Sept. 18 - "Superman Doomsday" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 2: "The Jungle Book: 2 Disc Platinum Edition" (Disney)
Oct. 2 - "Funnyface: 50th Anniversary Edition" (Paramount)
Oct. 9 - "Roots: The Next Generations" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 9 - "Roots: The Complete Collection" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 16 - "The Jazz Singer - The 80th Anniversary Edition" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 23 - "Meet the Robinsons" (Disney)
Oct. 30 - "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5" (Warner Bros.)