We finished the Columbia Chapter Play last weekend and I hope it was a fun rewatch for you (or, quite possibly, a first viewing) and that it made for a little trip back to a simpler time.
I can't seem to find a free link to the Baldwin film so here is a link to the 1994 teaser trailer.
It's been 28 years since The Shadow graced the silver screen. Before this film hit theatres the last film was 1958's "The Invisible Avenger". From 1937 through 1958 there were 6 films, the serial and one television pilot. 1931-32 also featured four film shorts that had The Shadow as a narrator but not as a participant in the actual tales. I don't count those. My point is that in the last 64 years we have had one, ONE, look at our hero on the screen... movie or television or even a phone. It is shameful! I would even settle for Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon or Paramount to do a series a la NBC's "Cliffhangers" series from 1979. Instead of "The Secret Empire", "Stop Susan Williams" and "The Curse of Dracula" it could be "The Shadow", " Doc Savage" and "The Avenger". It could even lead up to them meeting at the end of Season One and having their storylines converge. I guess I'm saying that these characters, left in the early to mid 1930s could really have some punch to a new legion of fans, to say nothing of the existing fan base. Even fans of Batman and Superman or that whole Marvel contingent could make this a profitable venture even if it would probably not be a billion dollar deal. Look at John Wick. A 30 million dollar film does $76+ million. Borderline for a sequel but it blows up on streaming and DVD sales. JW2 has a $40 million dollar budget and and does $171.3 million while JW3 sports the same budget but brings in $327.78 million. Three film haul... $575,106,156 against $110 million investment. This franchise started with only one thing going for it, Keanu Reeves. The Shadow, Doc Savage and The Avenger have 91 years of history, bankable history. 500+ original stories, comics, films, radio and just about every type of media one could hope for. With today's CG technology 1930s NYC is a few keystrokes away. Okay, I'm done. I could go on ad nauseam as I'm sure many could. But I should be careful what I wish for. One need look no further than Patterson's absolute abortion of a book, 2021's 'The Shadow'. That gives my spine more shivers than the mocking laughter of The Dark Eagle.
