Here's another of my movie reviews, covering Son of Kong, which I nominate as the first science fiction sequel. It has a frustrating backstory I cover in part, minus a very horrific tragedy in the animator's personal life that couldn't have helped. Despite it all, the film is reasonably good. I'm genuinely curious, can anyone suggest an earlier sequel, at least for a property that wasn't based on books?
https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-kong-file-one-that-was-first-sequel.html
David N. Brown
Mesa, Arizona

On Thu, 15 Dec 2022 19:13:25 -0800 (PST), David Brown
<davidnbrown80@gmail.com> wrote:

>Here's another of my movie reviews, covering Son of Kong, which I nominate as the first science fiction sequel. It has a frustrating backstory I cover in part, minus a very horrific tragedy in the animator's personal life that couldn't have helped. Despite it all, the film is reasonably good. I'm genuinely curious, can anyone suggest an earlier sequel, at least for a property that wasn't based on books?
>https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-kong-file-one-that-was-first-sequel.html

I remember not liking it when it first came out, so I streamed it a
while back and this time I found it a /lot/ better than I remembered
it to be.

I did, however, not appreciate the Son's close-ups, where he shows
different expressions that he does when other characters can see him.
Humor? Suggestion that he is quite smart? Who can say?

I found those scenes ... unsatisfactory ... but the rest of the film
was, as you say, quite good for its time and it's being rushed out.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

David Brown wrote:
> Here's another of my movie reviews, covering Son of Kong, which I nominate as the first science fiction sequel. It has a frustrating backstory I cover in part, minus a very horrific tragedy in the animator's personal life that couldn't have helped. Despite it all, the film is reasonably good. I'm genuinely curious, can anyone suggest an earlier sequel, at least for a property that wasn't based on books?
> https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-kong-file-one-that-was-first-sequel.html

Looking at a few books on old movies, Fritz Lang came out with two movies in 1924 based on the Nibelungen: Siegfried and Kriemhild's Revenge. I haven't looked into them, yet, but I suspect they might be a double-lobed movie rather than a true sequel (there were a few of these between the Nibelungen and The Lord of the Rings).

His "Testament of Dr. Mabuse" came out in 1933, the same year as Kong's son, is a sequel to "Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler," but I don't think the first film has the parapsychic elements of the later one. (I use the word "parapsychic" as a figleaf to edge "Testament" into at least science fantasy.)

"The Golem and the Dancing Girl"(1917) is not a sequel to "The Golem"(1914) but a sequel to the filming of it. In it Paul Wegener plays Paul Wegener playing the Golem.

In attempt to get out of Germany, my thoughts go to cartoons. But I have to differentiate between a sequel and a series. There are two types of series: The one with the "reset button" where each episode begins with the same status quo, and, if it doesn't return to it at the end, it is at least within sight of it. The other is more of a character series, working better if entries are months or years apart. The characters begin in a different status quo, with in different backgrounds, maybe with different jobs, but with the same character. in this sense the Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Opera, Doc?" is not a sequel to "A Wild Hare," although in a deeper sense it requires having seen a number of other Bugs Bunny cartoons. This character series goes back into the silent era, in live-action with The Little Tramp, and Laurel & Hardy, in cartoons with any number of characters, but Ko-ko the Clown was done by the Fleischer brothers, who had enough technomological interest to often head for science fantasy. "A Dresden Doll," "Trip to Mars," and "Ko-Ko's Earth Control" are probably on Youtube. Hey! it just struck me that this series is called "Out of the Inkwell," and it begins with live-action footage of Max Fleischer dipping his pen, and then a cut-out hand animatedly draws Koko. The character is literally being created anew for each story. This is what I'm talking about!

"Gertie on Tour" is an incomplete film that may or may not have been completed, and may or may not have been shown in a theater -- either a movie theater or the legitimate theatre. Winsor McCay created the "Gertie the Dinosaur" cartoon for a stage show he did, rapid drawing and other animation he was experimenting with. He would give commands on stage and Gertie on the screen would perform. "Gertie on Tour" looks to be merely narrative, but a true sequel in extrapolating further about her existence, that McCay would have probably narrated on stage, if his boss had not insisted he draw for publication, not a theater audience.

-- Jack

In article <dfc4b9ce-bb94-43ed-9b3c-976529adc07cn@googlegroups.com>,
Jack Bohn <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> wrote:
>David Brown wrote:
>> Here's another of my movie reviews, covering Son of Kong, which I
>nominate as the first science fiction sequel. It has a frustrating
>backstory I cover in part, minus a very horrific tragedy in the
>animator's personal life that couldn't have helped. Despite it all, the
>film is reasonably good. I'm genuinely curious, can anyone suggest an
>earlier sequel, at least for a property that wasn't based on books?
>>
>https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-kong-file-one-that-was-first-sequel.html
>
>Looking at a few books on old movies, Fritz Lang came out with two
>movies in 1924 based on the Nibelungen: Siegfried and Kriemhild's
>Revenge. I haven't looked into them, yet, but I suspect they might be a
>double-lobed movie rather than a true sequel (there were a few of these
>between the Nibelungen and The Lord of the Rings).
>
>His "Testament of Dr. Mabuse" came out in 1933, the same year as Kong's
>son, is a sequel to "Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler," but I don't think the
>first film has the parapsychic elements of the later one. (I use the
>word "parapsychic" as a figleaf to edge "Testament" into at least
>science fantasy.)
>
>"The Golem and the Dancing Girl"(1917) is not a sequel to "The
>Golem"(1914) but a sequel to the filming of it. In it Paul Wegener
>plays Paul Wegener playing the Golem.
>
>In attempt to get out of Germany, my thoughts go to cartoons. But I
>have to differentiate between a sequel and a series. There are two
>types of series: The one with the "reset button" where each episode
>begins with the same status quo, and, if it doesn't return to it at the
>end, it is at least within sight of it. The other is more of a
>character series, working better if entries are months or years apart.
>The characters begin in a different status quo, with in different
>backgrounds, maybe with different jobs, but with the same character. in
>this sense the Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Opera, Doc?" is not a sequel
>to "A Wild Hare," although in a deeper sense it requires having seen a
>number of other Bugs Bunny cartoons. This character series goes back
>into the silent era, in live-action with The Little Tramp, and Laurel &
>Hardy, in cartoons with any number of characters, but Ko-ko the Clown
>was done by the Fleischer brothers, who had enough technomological
>interest to often head for science fantasy. "A Dresden Doll," "Trip to
>Mars," and "Ko-Ko's Earth Control" are probably on Youtube. Hey! it
>just struck me that this series is called "Out of the Inkwell," and it
>begins with live-action footage of Max Fleischer dipping his pen, and
>then a cut-out hand animatedly draws Koko. The character is literally
>being created anew for each story. This is what I'm talking about!
>

I would say the Bugs & Cecil the Tortoise shorts are a series.
While the later entries don't explicitly recap the earlier, Bugs &
Cecil are aware of, and mention, the two facing off before with the
Tortoise always the winner.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..