Pulp Film Recommendations

[Steve Long]

So, pulp buffs, what films have you run across, either period or modern, that you think are worth watching for pulp gaming purposes?

To save you some time, here's the PH draft filmography as of 04/01/2005:



FILMOGRAPHY

The movie industry was in one of its heydays in the pulp era, giving GMs and players plenty of period films they can watch to get a feel for things (though many of those old movies aren’t available on VHS or DVD, or are rare). Rather than try to list all of them, this Filmography lists a few classics, concentrating instead on modern films and television shows depicting pulp adventures that the author particularly enjoys or thinks would be helpful for gamers to watch.

Casablanca (technically a little after the pulp era, but too good to pass up!)
Citizen Kane
Doc Savage (ridiculously cheesy, but lots of fun!)
Hindenburg
The Indiana Jones movies and the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV show
It Happened One Night
King Kong
The Maltese Falcon
Only Angels Have Wings
The Phantom
The Rocketeer
The Shadow
Zeppelin!


Note that, as usual, I'm mostly restricting myself to movies that I enjoy and/or think are worthwhile. I can't, and don't want to, produce an exhaustive filmography of the genre, and won't recommend films I don't think are worth watching -- which is why Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow isn't on the list.

[Lord Liaden]

It can be difficult to find nowadays, but if you can dig it up I recommend a classic 1930's film serial, Daredevils of the Red Circle, featuring a trio of circus acrobats drawn into the schemes of a mysterious mastermind villain. Good period archetypes (Romantic Hero/Leader, Strongman, Agile Little Guy, Mastermind), great cliffhangers, well-done mystery angle, surprisingly strong writing and acting. The fisticuffs and stunts are very well handled, and some of the more spectacular visual effects became staples that were reused in later serials.

EDIT: a Google Search turned up a lot of website entries, plus the fact that the whole 12-episode serial is available on Amazon, 2 VHS tapes for $19.95 US.

[specks]

May I recommend the Superman Fleischer Cartoons <a href="http://www.thesupermanmovie.com/Fleischer.html">here</a>

and the good old cliffhanger serials from the 30s and 40s <a href="http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus.htm">here</a>

Just my $ .02

[shadowcat1313]

are we going to include any of the serials like Flash Gordon?

there are some wonderful radio shows from the era too that arent mentioned as of yet, and a lot of those are available from various sources

[Tim]

SKy Captain wasn't bad. I think it is worth a rent and watch.

[Starwolf]

The Mummy and sequal with Branden Frasier
Around the World in 80 Days with Jackie Chan
National Treasure
Second Hand Lions (in the flash back sequences)
Big Jake with John Wayne

[Vanguard00]

Well, I hate to include it, but "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" had some good pulp fiction elements in it.

Similarly, cheesy though they may be, Richard Chamberlain's 'Allan Quartermain' movies ("King Soloman's Mines", "Lost City of Gold") are popcorn-tossin' fun.

"The Mummy" movies with Brenden Frasier (well, at least the first one).

Heck, even "Tomb Raider".

Anyone remember "Zone Troopers"?

"Road To Perdition" has some good pulp/noir elements in it (and it's a good movie anyway...go rent it!)

"Buckaroo Banzai" could easily be adapted to a pulp-era game (and it's a good movie...go rent it!)

"Romancing the Stone", of course.

I'm just riffin' here but that's what I came up with initially.

[Vanguard00]

Big Jake with John Wayne
Um...not a hack, mind you, but how'd this wind up in your list?

[Starwolf]

Um...not a hack, mind you, but how'd this wind up in your list?

There are great sequences in the movie where one of Jakes sons comes riding up on an ealry motorcycle, and is armed with an automatic pistol, a spring loaded holster, and a bolt action rifle with a pretty modern looking scope. This would probably be at the very beginning of the pulp Genre...

Ok here's another one that had some very early pulp elements....

The Adventures of Briscoe County Junior... :whistle:

[Vanguard00]

There are great sequences in the movie where one of Jakes sons comes riding up on an ealry motorcycle, and is armed with an automatic pistol, a spring loaded holster, and a bolt action rifle with a pretty modern looking scope. This would probably be at the very beginning of the pulp Genre...
Aah...I thought that might be where you were goin'. That mule goin' crazy was a good scene :)

[Sketchpad]

If you can find them, I recommend the TV Series "Bring 'Em Back Alive!" and "Tales of the Gold Monkey" from the '80s ... also, the cartoon "Tailspin" ... As far as movies, I'd like to add "To Cast a Deadly Spell" to that list as well ;)

[AliceTheOwl]

If you can find them, I recommend the TV Series "Bring 'Em Back Alive!" and "Tales of the Gold Monkey" from the '80s ... also, the cartoon "Tailspin" ... As far as movies, I'd like to add "To Cast a Deadly Spell" to that list as well ;)
If you include "Tailspin," you can't leave out Miyazaki's Porco Rosso.

The similarities are too good to ignore.

[Super Squirrel]

Both The Goonies and North by Northwest have a certain feel of pulp to them. I wouldn't call either of them true Pulp though.

[Super Squirrel]

Lupin III is pulp.

[Curufea]

Disney's "Atlantis"

For that matter, you could also include "20,000 leagues under the sea"

[Starwolf]

Van Helsing

And King of the North with Lee Marvin, its not really pulp but it does give you great feel for life on the rails during the great depression.

[austenandrews]

Bonnie and Clyde
Chinatown
L.A. Confidential
The Sting
The Cotton Club
Murder On the Orient Express
The Man Who Would Be King
Gunga Din
Paper Moon
O Brother, Where Art Thou?

(Not all of them are "pulpy" but they all have good period ambience and they're all great films.)

[Curufea]

Well, if you are going to submit something like Van Helsing - I'll add an equally apalling movie - Wild Wild West.

Hmm, Anime -
Steamboy, Cowboy Beebop (although scifi), Lupin (as mentioned previously), Metropolis (but also scifi)

Comics-
Girl Genius. Ruse by Crossgen Comics

[Lamrok]

This kinda depends on what you consider "Pulp." I think when most people talk about "Pulp Games." they really mean "Games based on the adventure pulps of 1930's." This knocks out most of the stuff written by the likes of Lovecraft and Hammett.

I tend to take a more inclusive, view, though, and I tend to set my games in the twenties, since prohibition, gangsters, and the general spirit of the times seems to me to be a bit more fun than setting a game during the Great Depression. My best film resources have been silent films set in the appropriate years. These give a lot of "passive" information about how daily life was conducted - how people lived, what they bought, what they ate, how they dressed, etc.

My favorite source of this kind of information has been through watching Buster Keaton movies. Anything set in "modern" times will generally have a lot of slapstick gags involving the trappings of life as it was in the twenties. Harold Loyd movies are also good. I find Charlie Chaplin movies to be somewhat less good, but that could just be because I just don't appreciate Charlie Chaplin as much as the other two.

If you're looking for "Pulpish" films from this era, then you have to include Valentino's "The Sheik" and perhaps "The Son of the Sheik."

If you're looking for "Pulpy" kinds of films, "Scooby Doo" is a direct descendant of the "Weird Manace" genre of pulp stories.

[TheQuestionMan]

The Untouchables
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Lost World
etc...

[Vanguard00]

"Blade Runner" I think has been mentioned.

"Dark Man" is a good candidate, methinks.

The "Sherlock Holmes" films with Basil Rathbone have good pulp-style mystery.

[Barton]

"Across the Pacific" 1942 starring Bogart and Mary Astor. Funny in spots, but with good action. Technically a WWII film, but it captures in my opinion the "pulp" era. A great pre-WWII spy story.

Check out:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034428/

[Vanguard00]

You know, some of dem ol' "Abbot & Costello" movies qualify, as do the "Bowery Boys" stuff. It'd give you an idea of the setting, at least.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Well...if you're going to include King Kong, I'd also include:

Son of Kong(in some ways even more Pulp than the original)
The Lost World(1925)
Land That Time Forgot
People That Time Forgot
At The Earth's Core
Warlords of Atlantis
Valley of Gwangi

Rob

[Vanguard00]

Heck, the "Lost World" TV series isn't a bad source, either.

[Lamrok]

www.movieflix.com has a lot of streaming content that is directly on point, including a collection of serials.

They also have some documentaries from the mid thirties concerning expedictions to africa and India. Most of this older content is free.

Here's a link to the Africa Documentary, made in 1935:

http://www.movieflix.com/movie_info.mfx?movie_id=1

[TheQuestionMan]

Films Noir - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

[FenrisUlf]

... also, the cartoon "Tailspin" ...

You mean I'm not the only person who remembers that cartoon? It was one of the last *good* things Disney ever did!

[Koshka]

Not much travel, but for crimefighting the two Green Hornet serials are good sources.

(I'd also recommend the radio shows. I've got a bunch in mp3 format if anyone's interested.)

[The Owl]

I'm not an authority on the subject, so bear with me if this is stupid, but how are the Sean Connery James Bond movies not pulp?

[Tim]

Also the War of the Worlds Broadcast is a good resource for pulp alien invasions. I have it on CD.

[00Machado]

If you can find them, I recommend the TV Series "Bring 'Em Back Alive!" and "Tales of the Gold Monkey" from the '80s ... also, the cartoon "Tailspin" ... As far as movies, I'd like to add "To Cast a Deadly Spell" to that list as well ;)

It appears that DVD's of Tales of the Gold Monkey can be found here...
http://www.goldmonkey.com/

I'd recommend The Shadow with Alec Baldwin. There may be other versions, that are more from the period, but I liked the one above well enough to watch it more than once.

The Relic Hunter TV series. I can't say if it was good. I've never seen it. But it's sort of tomb raiderish, as I understand. Perhaps someone else can comment on its merit.

The Ghost and the Darkness, with Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas, was a good stranded/being hunted type movie for that they're stalking us in the heart of Africa feel.

Would Kim and The Jungle Book be out of era? Probably too victorian, I suppose, but Disney's version with the treasure city, and the idea of espionage agents in that era seem cool.

[00Machado]

Oh, and, if Sherlock Holmes is in genre, then Young Sherlock Holmes would be as well. Some cheesy, some fun in that movie.

[teh bunneh]

Again with the Noir suggestions! You'd think I was obsessed or something... ;)

Warner Brothers released its Film Noir Classic Collection boxed set about a year or so ago. It contained the dark, murky classics Out Of The Past, The Set-Up, Gun Crazy, The Asphalt Jungle, and Murder, My Sweet. Fox is set to release it's own answer to WB's boxed set with Laura, Call Northside 777, and Panic In The Streets.

One of my favorites is Orsen Welles' A Touch of Evil, a study in corruption and a look into the blackness of men's souls.

Most of the great Bogie movies -- Key Largo, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The African Queen are the ones that come immediately to mind.

So many great Alfred Hitchcock movies: The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest, Suspicion, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, Vertigo... the list goes on.

Bill.

[Dr. Anomaly]

The relatively recent show The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne from 1999 may fit the description as well. It is of course Victorian in time period, but the feel of the show and the contents of the plots are definitely pulpish.

[Dr. Anomaly]

I also just remembered another little-remembered series of years gone by, Q.E.D. -- the pulpish adventures of an inventor named Quentin E. Deverill. It only ran for six episodes; it starred Sam Waterston in one of his early roles.

[Lamrok]

The original Jonny Quest show was iirc inspired by action pulps.

- They managed to pack a lot of action and plot into each episode.
- They approached each adventure as a group.
- Just about all of the adventures would work perfectly in a game set in a "Pulpy" 1930's setting.

These are avalable on DVD now and definitely worth a watch.

[LadyChaos]

Oh my gosh! I was searching for photos for another thread and found some from The Lost Horizon! How could I have forgotten the original Xanadu film?

Mighty Joe Young (original) and the remake wasn't half bad either.
The original Batman serials and the original Superman serials
Alan Quartermain & the Lost City of Gold -- not great but definitely pulp
Iron Giant
You know, The Aviator chronicles someone who contributed a LOT to aircraft of the era. Didn't HH invent the rocket pack?
The Goonies (modern era, but secret treasure, pirates, caves)
Dick Tracey
Charlie Chan
Lawrence of Arabia (unless WWI is considered too early)
Mr. Moto

[Peregrine]

I also just remembered another little-remembered series of years gone by, Q.E.D. -- the pulpish adventures of an inventor named Quentin E. Deverill. It only ran for six episodes; it starred Sam Waterston in one of his early roles.

You mean someone else remembers that show? I loved it!

[Rick]

TailSpin!!!!! Crap I loved that, sends me back to 6-8th grade. Great vision in the realm of the Airship based fantasy world. Make all of the of the characters human and you have SkyCaptain and Red Skies.

[st barbara]

I would also suggest "Miller's Crossing" as a good pulpish crime thriller. I am glad to see someone suggest "Cast A Deadly Spell"; a FUN little movie that combines a detective story with Lovecraftian horror. As an aside I recently purchased a book entitled "Shadows Over Baker Street" edited by Michael Reeves and John Pelan (Ballantine/Del Rey 2003). A book of short stories combining Sherlock Holmes with Lovecraftian horror !

[st barbara]

To "OO Machado" I would agree that "Relic Hunter" would work well as a "Pulp" adventure (as, of course, would "Tomb Raider"). All that is needed is to set them "back" to the interwar/ WWII period and adjust the technology appropriatly ! Although, come to think of it, you might need to adjust a few social attitudes as well as a FEMALE "Indiana Jones" type would be a bit unusual ! But then, the referee and players could have fun with that concept too !

[ArmlessTigerMan]

Spies - by Friz Lang. Along with 'M' this was one of the best silent films I have ever seen. It's about spies (obviously) trying to thwart an evil mastermind. 'M' is about a child molester being hunted in depression-era Germany. Great films with pulpy bits, as sell as small details of life in the 1920's.

And let's not forget the Venture Brothers. Go Team Venture!

[Corven_Ren]

Someone mentioned Alan Quartemaine so therefore couldn't LXG be considered pulp? I also agree about the Mummy movies.

Does anyone know if the old Doc Savage movie has been released on DVD?

[Kharis2000]

'Alias' as currently seen on American television.

the *original* Jonny Quest animated series from Hanna Barbera, not the remake with the 'cyber' sequences.

'Legionaire' with (God help me) Jean-Claude Van Damme

[Major Tom]

I'd add the Tarzan movies to the list, specifically those that were made
during Johnny Weissmuller's tenure (I can't remember the title, but the one
in which Tarzan had to go up against some Nazis was a classic of the series,
especially the scene where he pulls out his knife, faces the camera and says
"Now Tarzan make war!", just before stalking toward the viewers). The Jungle
Jim movies (another Weissmuller vehicle) might also be worth adding to
the list

There was also a serial called Judex that was recently shown on AMC
that might just be pulpy enough for your purposes.


Major Tom

[Nyrath]

It appears that DVD's of Tales of the Gold Monkey can be found here...
http://www.goldmonkey.com/
According to their sister site (http://www.goldmonkey.com/infopage.html#gneech), the TV series was based on the previously mentioned movie Only Angels Have Wings.

As a side note, I always thought that the TV series would make a cute campy Star Hero campaign. Replace the airplane with a spaceship, the islands with planets, and season to taste.

[bblackmoor]

A review of Sin City, if you are into that sort of thing.

http://www.blackgate.net/blog/index.php/2005-04-02/review-sin-city

[stu2000]

There's Sorceror, by William Freidkin. There're no magic users in it. It's about these first-world criminals, hiding out in a third-world oil camp, who may win a slim opportunity at new lives if they can drive some sweaty dynamite across Venezuela in antique, homemade trucks. Taking the trucks across the rope bridge is intense modern pulp.

Someone mentioned B Banzai as a Doc Savage update. Did anyone mention Big Trouble as a Fu Manchu update? The Fu Manchu pictures are pulpy fun. I'm not crazy about Anaconda, but it evokes some good wierd menace jungle pulp.

[CSgeekHero]

Here's some goodies for the film section:

James Cagney films...

Public Enemy
Jimmy the Gent
"G"Men
Angels with Dirty Faces
White Heat

Edward G. Robinson films...
Little Caesar
Bullets or Ballots
Kid Galahad
The Sea Wolf

A lot of Humphrey Bogart movies have been named earlier including ones above, but here's some more...
Dark Passage
The African Queen
Deadline--USA

Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, and Kathryn Hepburn appear in a lot of these films as well.

So, this should be a good start.

[Starwolf]

The Ron Ely movie Doc Savage can be had from http://retroflicks.com/shop/store/00022.html on DVD for $9.99.

[Nyrath]

I just got back from watching Sin City. I believe that everybody reading this forum should go and see it, it is fabulous! The closest a movie has yet come to a graphic novel.

Having said that, it is quite definitely Film Noir not pulp.

[Curufea]

From what I've heard of Sin City comics, I would have presumed it to be Noir. My favourite Pulps are Sky Captain and The Shadow (although The Phantom, and the Indiana Jones movies are close seconds)

[bblackmoor]

Having said that, it is quite definitely Film Noir not pulp.

They are not mutually exclusive. Pulp encompasses sub-genres like "true crime" and detective fiction. Sin City is both pulp and film noir (or a parody of film noir).

[ghost-angel]

Dark City is an excellent modern Film Noire which I consider to be a flavor of pulp personally.. I think of Film Noire as cinematic pulp after a fashion.

now I feel the need to play a pulp game....

[Curufea]

No, Dark City is not very Noir to me. Noir should have complicated (or at least morally grey) characters and betrayal.

[Barton]

Here's some goodies for the film section:

James Cagney films...

Public Enemy
Jimmy the Gent
"G"Men
Angels with Dirty Faces
White Heat

Edward G. Robinson films...
Little Caesar
Bullets or Ballots
Kid Galahad
The Sea Wolf

A lot of Humphrey Bogart movies have been named earlier including ones above, but here's some more...
Dark Passage
The African Queen
Deadline--USA

Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, and Kathryn Hepburn appear in a lot of these films as well.

So, this should be a good start.
Gee, I should have posted above, but I thought it was too obivious for everyone, CSgeekHero great job.

[bblackmoor]

No, Dark City is not very Noir to me. Noir should have complicated (or at least morally grey) characters and betrayal.

Dark City had several morally ambiguous characters.

[Curufea]

But too much gimmicky action, which made it more Pulp to me. Noir is more realistic and gritty to my mind.

I still like Dark City though :)

[bblackmoor]

But too much gimmicky action, which made it more Pulp to me.

Pulp and film noir are not on the same axis. That's like saying something is science fiction rather than drama. It makes no sense.

[Agemegos]

City Heat with Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Madelaine Kahn.

I never could understand why that film bombed. I think perhaps the audiences were not prepared to see the number one and number two box office attractions of the time lampooning the types they were cast in.

[st barbara]

Agreed "Agemagos" A fun film, and a good performance as a gumshoe by Reynolds.

[Michael Hopcroft]

If you include "Tailspin," you can't leave out Miyazaki's Porco Rosso.

The similarities are too good to ignore.
Tale Spin and Porco Rosso and both great choices. Laputa: Castle in the Sky is another, a spectacular aerial adventure film set in a pseudo-'30s time period.

The steampunk genre has many things in common with pulp, so films like Steamboy and series like Sakura Wars would be good.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Lupin III is pulp.
YES! Steven Spielberg was a huge admirer of Castle of Cagliostro. If you are interested in pulpy high avdneture, even if you're not an anime fan, you must see it.

[Worldmaker]

Um...not a hack, mind you, but how'd this wind up in your list?

There's also the fact that the movie is set in 1905. :) The "cowboy era" ended a lot later than anyone suspects, Dave.

[Worldmaker]

I can't, and don't want to, produce an exhaustive filmography of the genre, and won't recommend films I don't think are worth watching -- which is why Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow isn't on the list.


I think you need to swallow your personal dislike of the film and put it on the list anyway. Not only do more people like the film than not (myself included), but its a great example of the pulp genre. Even if you thought it was crap, all the elements of pulp are in the film, and thus it is a great resource.

As for some great films to include:

The Thirty-Nine Steps (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/). Alfred Hitchcock's tale of just pre-World War I espionage.

The Lost Jungle: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025420/) "The greatest animal trainer in the world", Clyde Beatty, crashes his dirigible onto a wild jungle island. Adventure ensues.

Any of the Fu Manchu movies of the 30's and 40s.

Jungle Girl (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033776/), which I've always found more fun than the Tarzan serials.

And lastly, Radar Men From The Moon (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045064/). One of the last of the old Republic serials, and the best of the Commando Cody, Sky Marshall of the Universe stories.

[tancred]

FYI, the local Sam's Club just got in a bunch of boxed sets of new (old) movies.

One set was of three Bogie and Bacall movies, including To Have And Have Not (the other two titles escape me at the moment).
I was gonna get that one, but went with the set of The Thing, Them, and Forbidden Planet (I've wanted Forbidden Planet for years).

There was also a set of WWII movies, with They Were Expendable (John Wayne) and two other classics (the names just left me again).

What I love most about DVDs is all these old movies coming back that you haven't been able to get in any format for years.

Steve, if they're here in Charlotte they're bound to have them there in Greensboro too.

[Steve Long]

Steve, if they're here in Charlotte they're bound to have them there in Greensboro too.

Hmmm, I dunno. After all, you guys got a professional basketball team, and we didn't. ::looks down, scuffs foot:: :D

[bblackmoor]

I've wanted Forbidden Planet for years.

The local art theatre showed Forbidden Planet (http://www.blackgate.net/blog/index.php/2005-03-14/forbidden-planet) a couple of weeks ago, as part of an ongoing series in honor of late-night movie host Dr. Madblood. It's surprising how well it has held up. I have seen much worse SF movies in the last ten years -- in the last year, even.

(This Friday is the next installment of the film series: the original Japanese Godzilla. I'm really looking forward to that.)

[Michael Hopcroft]

Hmmm, I dunno. After all, you guys got a professional basketball team, and we didn't. ::looks down, scuffs foot:: :D
The Bobcats are about five years away from being a professional basketball team.

Want the Blazers? We'll glady give them to you if you take Paul Allen as part of the package.

[Michael Hopcroft]

The local art theatre showed Forbidden Planet (http://www.blackgate.net/blog/index.php/2005-03-14/forbidden-planet) a couple of weeks ago, as part of an ongoing series in honor of late-night movie host Dr. Madblood. It's surprising how well it has held up. I have seen much worse SF movies in the last ten years -- in the last year, even.

(This Friday is the next installment of the film series: the original Japanese Godzilla. I'm really looking forward to that.)
Forbidden Planet is one of the best SF films ever made, in part because it was so pioneering (it showed a sci=fi film can be about something signficant). You can see its influence on people liike Gene Roddenberry (it's hard not to see Commander J.J. Adams as a sort of proto-Kirk given what would come later). And it was one of the frist sci-fi films in which the morality of the characters was more in shades of grey than in black-and-white.

[Curufea]

Possibly because it was based on Shakespeare :)

Who I would think of as a pulp playwrite :)

[CSgeekHero]

Thanks Barton! :)

I remembered what I could, then I went to the internet movie database.

The only problem with that site is you have to know either a title or an actor/actress in order to find anything useful.

[Dr. Anomaly]

You can see its influence on people liike Gene Roddenberry (it's hard not to see Commander J.J. Adams as a sort of proto-Kirk given what would come later). More like a proto-Pike, really. :)

[bblackmoor]

You can see [Forbidden Planet's] influence on people liike Gene Roddenberry (it's hard not to see Commander J.J. Adams as a sort of proto-Kirk given what would come later).

Oh, absolutely. The captain is a horndog, they carry phasers, the three people who go on the "away mission" are the captain, the doctor, and the second in command, and even the uniforms are vaguely Trek-like. The similarities are pretty striking.

[tancred]

Hmmm, I dunno. After all, you guys got a professional basketball team, and we didn't. ::looks down, scuffs foot:: :D
May be, but your hockey team still beats ours! :)

Funny sidenote: When I was a kid growing up in Charlotte, I couldn't have told you where Greensboro was to save my life. But I knew that I hated it, because the Charlotte Checkers ALWAYS lost when they played Greensboro.
I loved when my dad took me to home Checkers games, except when Greensboro was in town.

(It didn't / doesn't help that Greensboro still usually gets more and better concerts than Charlotte does.)

And now my in-laws live in Greensboro, too. Life is full of irony.

[Barton]

X-Files TV series, on episode from season six it was first aired on November 22, 1998
Triangle: In the Bermuda Triangle, Mulder is rescued by a long-lost luxury liner, on which it's 1939. Familiar faces abound as passengers and crew suspect he's with the Nazis who've just boarded the vessel.

Partially filmed on the Queen Mary it has a pulp element for the 1939 part of the show. Worth a watch. It is also funny to see Mulder not understand at the beggining that he has traveled back in time.

[BobGreenwade]

I'm nearly as surprised that nobody's mentioned The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as I am that someone did mention my other recommendation for "modern pulp," the "Relic Hunter" TV series (though focus on the first season; the show "jumped the shark" into heavily mystical plotlines for the second).

I'll also second the "TailSpin" recommendation.

And of course The Shadow and The Phantom are must-see films. The quality of each has been hotly debated (I'm in the "enjoyed a whole lot" column for both), but they do definitely illustrate the pulp feel.

[bblackmoor]

"Relic Hunter" TV series (though focus on the first season; the show "jumped the shark" into heavily mystical plotlines for the second).

"Relic Hunter" had a second season? Why??

And of course The Shadow and The Phantom are must-see films.

I would have to agree. The Phantom, in particular, makes excellent use of the source material.

[Nyrath]

"Relic Hunter" had a second season? Why??
The though processes of TV executives are not ment for a sane man to understand.

[Michael Hopcroft]

"Relic Hunter" had a second season? Why??

The same reason it had a first season: TV producers will put anything on if it has a hot babe in it.

The show seemed to me simply a vain attempt to cash in on the Tomb Raider craze that was sweeping the nation at that time. Goes to show you -- now nobody cares about Tomb Raider any more because the movies were so bad.

[Curufea]

"Relic Hunter" had a second season? Why??


So did Mutant X, and Enterprise...

The world is a strange place.

[GreyGuardian]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Big trouble in little china. Modern setting but lots of classic pulp elements. Actually, I remember Darren mentioning it around the time pretty but boring (Sky Captain) came out. Buckaroo Banzai as well is very pulp.

I only remeber bits of this film but: Lost Horizon (1937) - A plane crash delivers a group of people to the secluded land of Shangri-La -- but is it the miraculous utopia it appears to be?

HG Wells - War of the Worlds and Time Machine

Regarding league of extraordinaire gentlemen - great graphic novel - awful hideously bad movie. (probably wouldn't have been as unpleasant to me if it hadn't been named for the original with which it shares very little.)

and to toss out another From Hell. Again the graphic novel is amazing the movie has heather graham and johnny depp (but is still bad). Pulp by gas-light genre perhaps?

Films based on HP Lovecraft stories - some of the stories are more pulp than horror.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

The local art theatre showed Forbidden Planet (http://www.blackgate.net/blog/index.php/2005-03-14/forbidden-planet) a couple of weeks ago, as part of an ongoing series in honor of late-night movie host Dr. Madblood. It's surprising how well it has held up. I have seen much worse SF movies in the last ten years -- in the last year, even.

(This Friday is the next installment of the film series: the original Japanese Godzilla. I'm really looking forward to that.)

The original Godzilla is...in its uncut form....a pretty dark film. Very enjoyable. Have fun.

[bblackmoor]

and to toss out another From Hell. ... Pulp by gas-light genre perhaps? ... Films based on HP Lovecraft stories - some of the stories are more pulp than horror.

I don't think I would include penny-dreadfuls in with pulp. There is some overlap, as there is among all genres, but I think that they are reasonably distinct.

[Michael Hopcroft]

The original Godzilla is...in its uncut form....a pretty dark film. Very enjoyable. Have fun.
You won't miss Raymond Burr. Trust me.

You HAVE to see it.

[stu2000]

Did anyone mention J-Men Forever? The Firesign Theater lovingly butchered a half dozen or so serials and repasted them, doing a pretty hilarious voice-over. It runs precisely the way any game runs when I have multiple heros with unusual abilities. If you can find a copy, it's pretty hilarious.

[ThothAmon]

'Deep Rising' is definitely in the pulp category - remove the modern high tech elements and you have a classic pulp South Pacific / China Seas piracy horror crossover.

I may have missed it... nobody seems to have mentioned the excellent 'Flash Gordon' movie :)

For pulpy horror try 'Night Of The Demon', the movie version of an M R James short story, and the Hammer movie version of 'The Devil Rides Out' to get that classic 30's feel.

For an SF twist you could do worse than the original Quatermass movies, rockets, monsters and all :nonp:

I'll add more as I think of them...

[bblackmoor]

'Deep Rising' is definitely in the pulp category ...
For pulpy horror try 'Night Of The Demon'

I don't think either of those is pulp, but they are both great movies.

[bblackmoor]

Strike that: I was thinking of Curse Of The Demon.

[Redmenace]

Most definetly pulp but not quite the specific era:

McKenna Gold, a old west treasure hunt with a big pulp ending. so-so as a movie but a decent integration of the high pulp with a western genres.

The Assassination Bureau, starring Oliver Reed, Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas. Oliver Reed is the head of a syndicate specializing in assassinating any one for the right price. Diana Rigg is the daughter of a victim who hires the Bureau to assasinate it's own him. Action, adventure, sword fights, death defying stunts, romance and zeppelins. A must. Takes place during the days before WW1.

The original King Kong, a collision between a lost world romance, and a wild, urban pulp adventure.

The Big Brawl, Jackie Chan depression era fight movie, good for unconventional heroic adventure and a bar fight to beat them all.


Not pulp but...

The Sting, as a great depression era caper movie with scads of usable characters.

Hearts of the West, about a would be writer who ends up a 20s silent Western star, good story and great characters set in the Hollywood of the pulp era


Please. please avoid...

Jake Speed, a reporter goes in search of an elusive, modern pulp writer who has been secretly basing his stories on his own adventures.

Megaforce, think of this film as a MST3K lost oppourtunity of the highest order.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Please. please avoid...

Jake Speed, a reporter goes in search of an elusive, modern pulp writer who has been secretly basing his stories on his own adventures.

I'll avoid it, but I might borrow the idea. Sounds like a cool character concpet and a story idea with potential.

In cxompetent hands, of course.

[st barbara]

To "Redmenace" I would classify "Hearts Of The West" as "pulp" or "Neo Pulp". Good choice of "The Assassination Bureau", I had forgotten that one ! As you say "McKenna's Gold" would certainly make a good Pulp scenario. I agree about "Jake Speed"; lovely idea, bad execution.

[ThothAmon]

The Big Brawl, Jackie Chan depression era fight movie, good for unconventional heroic adventure and a bar fight to beat them all.

Jackie's groundbreaking movie Miracles (AKA The Canton Godfather) also fits the pulp gestalt - 1920's / 1930's era, gangsters, outrageous action, nice blend of naivete and cool. It's essentially Jackie Chan's version of the Capra classic 'A Pocketful Of Miracles'. And it has Aniti Mui in a prominent role. Well recommended :winkgrin:

One of the first movies I saw as a very young child in hospital fits right into the pulp category; Wake Of The Red Witch starring John Wayne is real hardcore pulp. The screenplay could have been written by Robert E Howard at his darkest. It features a giant octopus, a volcanic South Pacific island, sunken gold, pearls / treasure, a damsels in distress, an evil shipping magnate, a dark-hearted two-fisted hero, a violent love triangle and a twisted revenge plot. Still on the John Wayne kick you could stretch the point a little to include The Quiet Man for one of the most outrageous fight scenes of all time :rolleyes:

Getting back to the Depression era I'd also recommend The Streetfighter, a classic Charles Bronson movie about bare knuckle boxing. I think it was called something like Hard Times in the USA.

[st barbara]

To "Thoth Amon" I think that I have seen that Jackie Chan movie; but I thought that it had yet ANOTHER title when shown here in Australia !

[demonjuice]

all The Thin Man Movies - for palying upperclass characters
His Girl Friday - for dialouge and delivery
Unholy Three w/ lon chaney- for the non conventional antagonists
White Zombie - weird menace
Freaks - carny story first published in a pulp

[Fazhoul]

I haven't read all of the pages of this thread but I did a search and didn't come up with any results for these movies.

Chandu the Magician (1932)
The Return of Chandu (1934)
Chandu on the Magic Island (1935)

Chandu is Frank Chandler, a man trained as a mystic yogi, who is sent to fight evil in the western world. In the first movie he goes up against Roxxor (Bela Lugosi) who has stolen a death ray that was invented by Chandu's brother-in-law. (His brother-in-law worried that the ray would be put to evil use. You called it a DEATH RAY you idiot! What did you think it was going to be used for? :rolleyes: ) In the second and third movies Lugosi takes over the role of Chandu. Heroes with mystic powers, death rays, Egyptian princesses, nubile young girls in danger and ancient tombs. What more could you ask for in a pulp movie?

There are also the five Fu Manchu movies starring Christopher Lee (there were many other Fu Manchu movies but I've not seen them).

The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)
The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967)
The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)
The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969)

[bblackmoor]

Chandu is Frank Chandler, a man trained as a mystic yogi, who is sent to fight evil in the western world....

Great suggestion! I had never heard about these films. Thanks.

[Supreme Serpent]

The opening sequences to "Hellboy" and "Bulletproof Monk" are good. (Nazi mystic ritual and Nazi expedition to Tibet, respectively)

A couple of Tom Selleck movies - "The High Road" and "Lasiter" IIRC are good period pieces.

[CBikle]

The Mysterious Dr. Satan.

Originally, this movie was supposed to be a Superman cliffhanger serial, but the deal fell through and RKO made the serial anyway, but with a character they created, the mysterious hero known as the Copperhead, who is the FBI agent descendant of the original Copperhead (who was an old west bandit) investigates the goings on in his great grandfather's ID.

[Fazhoul]

Great suggestion! I had never heard about these films. Thanks.
I forgot to mention that Turner Classic Movies usually plays one or more of the Chandu movies from time to time. You might want to keep an eye out for them. If you've got Tivo you can set it to watch for you.

[st barbara]

To "Supreme Serpent" I think that that Tom Selleck movie was called "High Road To China" when it was shown doen here ! I agree it would make a great Pulp adventure !

[CSgeekHero]

How's about some pulp sports:

Pride of the Yankees
The Natural

Just a couple off the top of my head. I might think of more...

[gewing]

If you include "Tailspin," you can't leave out Miyazaki's Porco Rosso.

The similarities are too good to ignore.


Absolutely. also check out the game "Crimson Skies"

;)

[Agemegos]

To "Thoth Amon" I think that I have seen that Jackie Chan movie; but I thought that it had yet ANOTHER title when shown here in Australia !

Mr Canton & Madam Rose, I think.

[CSgeekHero]

I'm watching a movie set in the pulp era. I forgot all about it. It's a really good movie about high stakes poker...

The Cincinnati Kid.

It's got tons of good stars in it.

Steve McQueen
Edward G. Robinson
and
Ann Margret--SUPER HOTTIE!!! :love:
Tuesday Weld--ANOTHER HOTTIE :love:

Like I said, As I think of them, or watch them, I'll throw them up here.

[st barbara]

To "Agemegos" That sounds about right. I'm sure i've seen it .

[Undertow]

There was also a remake of High Plains Drifter set in the 1920-30's called last Man Standing it stared Bruce Willis.

[Worldmaker]

There was also a remake of High Plains Drifter set in the 1920-30's called last Man Standing it stared Bruce Willis.

Actually its a remake of Kurasawa's Yojimbo... but then so is High Plains Drifter.

[csyphrett]

I believe its Fistful of Dollars instead of High Plains Drifter. They're both cool Eastwood movies I guess but I prefer FoD to HPD.
CES

[st barbara]

You beat me to it "Worldmaker". Both "A Fistful Of Dollars" and
"Last Man Standing" are American copies/remakes/ripoffs of Kurasawa's classic "Yojimbo" !

[Vondy]

Not related to movies, but the following site has free old time radio shows from the Pulp Era. They aren't all specifically pulps (some of the shows are radio adaptations of characters who appeared in various pulp publications (i.e., phillip marlowe, flash gordon, etc.), but they give a decent feel for the era in question (and they're free):

http://www.radiolovers.com/

[Tim]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Von D-Man again.

[Lamrok]

Actually its a remake of Kurasawa's Yojimbo... but then so is High Plains Drifter.

And Yojimbo is based on Dashiell Hammet's "Red Harvest" which is a pulp-era classic.

[Steve Long]

OK, folx, I think this is getting a little off-topic. I don't much care which film was inspired by/ripped off/copied which film, book, or what have you. You're welcome to discuss such things in NGD, since I know they're a lot of fun to debate, but let's stick to plain ol' recommendations here. ;)

[gewing]

I was thinking today that my favorite of the Doc Smith books would be a GREAT pulp sci/fi basis.

Masters of the Vortex aka The Vortex Blaster.

It was in the Lensman's world, but I liked it MUCH better.

[st barbara]

To "Gewing" I know that it is a different sydtem but have you ever had a look at "Gurps Lensman" ?

[st barbara]

A couple of recent films that could be adapted to a "Pulp" game with little difficulty are "National Treasure" and "Sahara". I think that both of these plots, moved back in time tio the appropriate period, could work quite well .

[Worldmaker]

A couple of recent films that could be adapted to a "Pulp" game with little difficulty are "National Treasure" and "Sahara". I think that both of these plots, moved back in time tio the appropriate period, could work quite well .

National Treasure more than Sahara, I think. Unless you removed the red tide/toxin storyline.

[gewing]

To "Gewing" I know that it is a different sydtem but have you ever had a look at "Gurps Lensman" ?


No I haven't. I have several Gurps sourcebooks, but my purchasing of gaming books is much lower than it used to be, and Lensman except for that one book was an annoying world to me.

[Worldmaker]

I rewatched Big Jake (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066831/) last night. Despite the Western trappings, this film is very much a pulp film.

[Dr. Anomaly]

I rewatched Big Jake (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066831/) last night. Despite the Western trappings, this film is very much a pulp film.
"I thought you was dead..."

[Worldmaker]

"I thought you was dead..."


"Not hardly..."

[gewing]

"Not hardly..."


"I'm gonna kill the next person who says that..."


I think that is my #3 or 4 Duke movie, after The Quiet man, McClintock, and the Cowboys.

[TheImperialKhan]

"Dog..."

"... I ain't gonna pay 'em for that!"

Great movie.

[TheQuestionMan]

List of Noir Films
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_noir

List of Movie Genres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_movie_genres

Cheers

QM

P.S.: More later after I review this thread.

Cheers

QM

[csyphrett]

Just watched Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for the first time yesterday. That definitely fits the genre of two fisted adventurers versus weird menaces.
CES

[BlackSword]

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31106

They are planning a John Carter of Mars movie. I think its nice that Corran of Sky Captain fame will be doing the visuals. I thought he did a great job with the visual effects in Sky Captain which did a lot for the feel of the movie. I wonder what changes they will make in modernizing it.

[FenrisUlf]

And my prayers have been answered! I am eager to see how they handle the constant nudity; the actors will probably have to cover up to some extent.

Does anyone know if this will be the first book alone, or will they try to tackle the first three novels as one story (which they are?).

[Vanguard00]

And my prayers have been answered! I am eager to see how they handle the constant nudity; the actors will probably have to cover up to some extent.

Does anyone know if this will be the first book alone, or will they try to tackle the first three novels as one story (which they are?).
It's the only one slated thus far. They're probably going to wait and see how it does.

I was quite pleased when I heard about this film, mainly because Robert Rodriguez was signed on for it. After he resigned from the Director's Guild of America (who didn't want Frank Miller listed as a co-director of Sin City), he lost the deal and they gave it to Conran. I'm sure he'll do a good job, but Rodriguez likely would've done better.

[Lamrok]

I saw "It's a Gift," with W C Fields a couple of days ago, and I'd recommend it as a great source of information about the more mundane aspects of life in the pulp period. Scene after scene is based on pieces of period technology and contemporary culture. The scenes in which Fields works in his gorcery store are particularly interesting - huge barrels of molasses, most goods behind the counter and sold by weight.

[st barbara]

I just bought a copy of "Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow" on DVD ! Yahoo !

[walker]

Sooo many great pulp films. One of the all time classics (and one from which much of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was "borrowed") is Gunga Din. Great flick and holds up very well, even today. Here are a few others:

The Spiders (early silent film that has more Indy action than I ever expected).
Big Trouble in Little China ("Jack Burton...ME!")
Young Sherlock Holmes (not a particularly good movie, but cool setting)
Doc Savage (this was full of terrible camp, but I still dig it)
The Shadow (some bad parts, but lots of good too)
The Rocketeer
The Phantom (again, some bad parts, some good parts)
Jungle Girl (movie serial)
Nyoka and the Lost Tablets of Hippocrates (movie serial sequal to Jungle Girl)
Gunga Din (it's worth noting twice....)

[the Evil DM]

Hard times with James Coburn and Charles Bronson. Depression era New orleans. Coburn is a fight promoter/con man. and bronson is a bare knuckles brawler. gritty movie rich in atmosphere, and great fight scenes.

the Naked Prey with Cornel Wilde - the great white hunter gets hunted. Wilde plays an explorer who is captured by tribesmen, stripped naked and forced to run as they try to hunt him down. good fodder for the great white hunter/ safari pulp types.

The Quest- Jean claude Van damme. the movie is set in the 1920's or 30's it's like kung fu pulp. it has Malaysian pirates and ancient temples,zeppelins, and fighters from all over the world vying for a golden dragon

[Admiral C]

Wow. You guys called off some even I totally forgot about like "The Ghost and the Darkness" with Val Kilmer. I'm not sure if these count but I think (on a comedic note) that "Three Amigos" was set in the pulp era as was the film adaptation of "Papilon". Although way out of the time period "Firewalker" with Chuck Norris and Lou Gosset Jr. has a great pulp feel. Maybe of less use to gamers is the musical "Annie" which can give a great feeling for the background setting. Though wans't their some guy following her around in the radio show cutting off peoples heads?

Someone mentioned the "Big Brawl" with Jackie Chan, and I would certainly add a Chn movie if I got remember the name. Something with Chinese pirates during the 20s and Jackie was playing a sailor. I think it was "Project A".

While I'm at it I wanted to weigh on the LXG/Shadow/Phantom thing. It occured to me that while these movies may be disliked by so many they represent some of the few modern takes on a genre the mainstream moviegoing public has all but forgotten. That makes them gems for people who truly love pulp which gives them an enduring quality. I just plain enjoy them too. :)

BTW Weren't they supposed to be working on the next Indiana Jones film or did that get scrapped?

Admiral_C

[st barbara]

To "The Evil GM" Is "Hard Times" also known as "The Streetfighter" or is that a different (and also pulpish) movie with Charles Bronson ? I agree about "The Quest". I am not normally a great fan of Jean Claude Van Damme (I have been known to refer to himas John Claude Van Damned Bad Actor) but I DID enjoy "The Quest". I thought that Roger Moore was very good in it as well !

[st barbara]

To "Admiral C" We hear rumours about another "Indiana Jones" movie ALL the time. As one of the characters says in the movie "The Crimson Pirate" (one of my favorite swashbucklers !) "Your humble servant will believe it when your humble servant sees it !"

[mallet]

"Radar Men From The Moon" - Best serial ever.

[gewing]

"Radar Men From The Moon" - Best serial ever.


For some reason Santa Clause versus the Martians just popped into my head. ;)

[ThothAmon]

Just thought of an oldie but goodie - Amazon Women On The Moon :whistle:

[BigJackBrass]

Just thought of an oldie but goodie - Amazon Women On The Moon :whistle:

Somewhere along the line I think "recommendations" must have been redefined... Still, if we're moving onto cheese, can it be long before someone suggests Wild Women of Wongo? Uh, apparently not.

[the Evil DM]

To "The Evil GM" Is "Hard Times" also known as "The Streetfighter" or is that a different (and also pulpish) movie with Charles Bronson ?


To "st Barbara" the movie was just known as "Hard times (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073092/)" to the best of my knowledge anyway. it came out in 1975 and was directed by Walter Hill.

[Wilfred_Death]

Souls For Sale
Set in 20s - 30s Vincent Price is an adventurer now addicted to opium.
He does battle with axe throwing Tong members to rescue female captives being sold into slavery and 'fates worse than death'. He msut escape the clutches of the cross-dressing Fu Manchu type, and do all this whilst he's got some sort of Opium hangover. It has a line in it like "No you fools, Use the Velvet whips!, don't mark their skins!"

[gojira]

Howard Hughes directed and produced several films in his life. In 1930, he made Hell's Angels (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020960/). It's a WW1 flick, but its got zeplins in it, as well some interesting details on their operation. (Hughes was a nut for accuracy it seems). Plus it's an awsome movie in it's own right.

I haven't seen Hughes mentioned in this thread yet, so I thought I'd bring his work to your all's attention.

Edit: Add in there Scarface (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023427/): "An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall. User Comments: Among the best gangster movies of all time."

[Agent 13]

"Radar Men From The Moon" - Best serial ever.
Actor starred in `Radar Men' serial (http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/12243639.htm)
by DENNIS MCLELLAN
Los Angeles Times
Jul. 28, 2005

LOS ANGELES - George Wallace, a versatile actor whose career ranged from starring as Commando Cody in the Republic serial "Radar Men from the Moon" to playing leading roles in Broadway musicals, has died.

[bblackmoor]

Souls For Sale
Set in 20s - 30s Vincent Price is an adventurer now addicted to opium.

Apparently not available on DVD yet, more's the pity.

[st barbara]

I have recently bought myself (and have watched this afternoon) a film which , if not in setting at least in style, could be considered as "Neopulp". "National Treasure" starring Nicholas Cage. The idea of the hero having to steal the Declaration of Independence to find the secret map on the back DEFINATELY tickles my Pulpster fancy !

[Mad_Ernie]

Actor starred in `Radar Men' serial (http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/12243639.htm)
by DENNIS MCLELLAN
Los Angeles Times
Jul. 28, 2005

LOS ANGELES - George Wallace, a versatile actor whose career ranged from starring as Commando Cody in the Republic serial "Radar Men from the Moon" to playing leading roles in Broadway musicals, has died.

That's sad. I enjoyed both Radar Men from The Moon and Commander Cody, but my personal favorite serial of all time was King of the Rocketmen. I thought the story wasn't half bad. After that, maybe Zorro's Black Whip (which had nothing to do with Zorro) was another favorite.

Ernie
:king:

[st barbara]

Another "pulpish" film that has been out recently (at least here in Australia) is "Kung Fu Hustle". Gangsters, martial arts (over the top martial arts !) and a setting that looks very "pulp" !