SOS Coast Guard

I'm rewatching an old serial on DVD, 12-parts, called "SOS Coast Guard," starring Bela Lugosi.

I watched it a few years ago, maybe five years ago. And so I've halfway forgotten it, except for the basic plot, which is that Bela is an evil scientist trying to melt the world, or to have the power to destroy and conquer.

So I popped it in -- and I only watch a little bit at a time, while exercising -- and I'm thinking, ho hum, I'll never make it through this. But it's actually quite good, better than I remember. The first thing I notice is the great special effects, or, I should say, lots of action. The special effects are great for what the budget had to be, which is low.

They're out on a raging sea, the boat tossed on the waves. The rear projection film shows waves like mountains, and every once in a while a hundred gallons splashed on everyone. It looks quite deadly, like you wouldn't want to be out there. But there's Bela, in the film called "Boroff." He seems like the calmest one on board.

The Coast Guard comes to the rescue of their ship, the Carfax. Boroff is the first one in a big bucket to be ferried across to land, via a rope. He's photographed, recognized, runs, and immediately kills the main hero's (Terry Kent) brother. Shoots him dead, then escapes. So that's quite an opening!

The first episode was longer than I expected, too. It went on and on. The biggest drag about episode two, which I'm just into, was the inevitable recap of episode one. But I advanced through that and got right into number two. They kill another guy at the beginning of episode two. A scientist, a lab guy, who doesn't want to play ball with Boroff and Thorg, his idiot- (yet surprisingly competent) strongman underling. Thorg is a mighty man, a great swimmer, a great fighter. Somehow Boroff was responsible for his demented, mentally hamstrung condition. Thorg shaves Boroff, who taunts him, that he knows he (Thorg) would like to cut his throat. But he's very dependent, docile, and obedient....so far.