Terry and the Pirates (1940) was the 10th film serial released by Columbia. It was based on the comic strip Terry and the Pirates created by Milton Caniff. In his biography, Meanwhile..., Caniff stated that he hated the serial for changing so much of his comic strip, and that "I saw the first chapter and walked out screaming."
Plot
Young explorer Terry Lee and his grown-up sidekick, Pat Ryan, arrive in the Asian jungles in search of Terry's father, Dr. Herbert Lee. The elder Lee is an archaeologist and leader of a scientific expedition seeking evidence of a lost civilization. Soon Terry discovers his father has been kidnapped by an armed pirate gang known as the Tiger Men. The gang is led by the evil Master Fang, a local warlord who controls half of the natives and holds the white settlers in fear. Fang is seeking the riches hidden beneath the Sacred Temple of Mara. Terry meets the Dragon Lady, who is determined her kingdom shall not be invaded. Attacked by Fang, his henchman Stanton and the Tiger Men, Terry and Pat try valiantly to locate the missing Dr. Lee, uncover the secrets of the lost civilization, and recover the hidden treasure of Mara. After joining forces with Connie, Normandie and the Dragon Lady, the heroes have myriad varied adventures in the inhospitable environment.
Terry and the Pirates is the title of:
Terry and the Pirates is an American adventure series based on Milton Caniff's comic strip, was telecast from June 26, 1953 to November 21, 1953. The syndicated series ran for 18 episodes and was produced by Don Sharpe Enterprises.Canada Dry Ginger Ale was the show's original sponsor.
Synopsis
USAAF Colonel Terry Lee (John Baer) heads to the Far East to locate a gold mine he inherited from his grandfather. Once in the Orient, Lee becomes a pilot with Air Cathay, a cargo and passenger airline owned and operated by the cunning Chopstick Joe (Jack Reitzen), who is not always honest. His friend and co-pilot is Charles C. Charles, aka Hotshot Charlie (William Tracy), while the romantic interest is provided by the attractive blonde Burma (Sandra Spence). Lee has several encounters in thirteen episodes with his beautiful and mysterious nemesis, Lai Choi San, aka The Dragon Lady (Gloria Saunders).
See also
Terry and the Pirates was a radio serial adapted from the comic strip of the same name created in 1934 by Milton Caniff. With storylines of action, high adventure and foreign intrigue, the popular radio series entralled listeners from 1937 through 1948. With scripts by Albert Barker, George Lowther and others, the program's directors included Cyril Armbrister, Wylie Adams, and Marty Andrews.
The central character, Terry Lee, was portrayed at various times by Jackie Kelk, Cliff Carpenter, Owen Jordan, and Bill Fein. Terry's buddy Pat Ryan was played by Bud Collyer, Warner Anderson, Bob Griffin, and Larry Alexander. Others in Terry's Far East entourage were Flip Corkin (Ted de Corsia), Elita (Gerta Rozan), Burma (Frances Chaney), Hotshot Charlie (Cameron Andrews) and Connie the coolie (Cliff Norton, John Gibson, Peter Donald). Throughout the Orient, they encountered plenty of evildoers, including the Dragon Lady (Agnes Moorehead, Adelaide Klein, Marion Sweet, Mina Reaume), in such adventurous episodes as "Pirate Gold Detector Ring," "Deadly Current," "The Mechanical Eye" and "The Dragon Lady Strikes Back."