Other long-running franchises

[Captain Comics]

Alien

1. Alien (1979)

2. Aliens (1986)

3. Alien 3 (1992)

4. Alien: Resurrection (1997)

5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)

6. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

7. Alien: Covenant (2017)

Baby Huey

Monogram Serials

1. Baby Huey (1950)

2. Baby Huey and the Martian Rocketmen (1951)

Showa Era

3. Baby Huey, the Baby Giant (1961)

4. Baby Huey vs the Fox (1962)

Revival

5. Baby Huey's Easter Adventure (1999)

6. Baby Huey on Earth-2 (2000)

7. Baby Huey Into Darkness (2002)

8. Baby Huey and the Curse of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl with Acute Nebulophilia (2007)

9.  Baby Huey: This Time It's Personal (2022)

Beach Party

AIP

1.Beach Party (1963)

2. Muscle Beach Party (1964)

3. Bikini Beach (1964)

4. Pajama Party (1964)

5. Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

6. Ski Party (1965)

7. How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)

8. Sergeant Deadhead (1965)

9. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

10. Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)

11. Fireball 500 (1966)

12. Thunder Alley (1967)

Paramount

13. Back to the Beach (1987)

Blondie

1. Blondie (1938)

2. Blondie Meets the Boss (1939)

3. Blondie Takes a Vacation (1939)

4. Blondie Brings Up Baby (1939)

5. Blondie on a Budget (1940)

6. Blondie Has Servant Trouble (1940)

7. Blondie Plays Cupid (1940)

8. Blondie Goes Latin (1941)

9. Blondie in Society (1941)

10. Blondie Goes to College (1942)

11. Blondie's Blessed Event (1942)

12. Blondie for Victory (1942)

13. It's a Great Life (1943)

14. Footlight Glamour (1943)

15. Leave It to Blondie (1945)

16. Life with Blondie (1945)

17. Blondie's Lucky Day (1946)

18. Blondie Knows Best (1946)

19. Blondie's Big Moment (1947)

20. Blondie's Holiday (1947)

21. Blondie in the Dough (1947)

22. Blondie's Anniversary (1947)

23. Blondie's Reward (1948)

24. Blondie's Secret (1948)

25. Blondie's Big Deal (1949)

26. Blondie Hits the Jackpot (1949)

27. Blondie's Hero (1950)

28. Beware of Blondie (1950)

Bring It On

1. Bring It On (2000)

2. Bring It On Again (2004)

3. Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)

4. Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007)

5. Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009)

6. Bring It On: Worldwide Cheersmack (2017)

7. Bring It On: Halloween (2022)

 

Elvis

1. Love Me Tender (1956)
2. Lovin' You (1957)
3. Jailhouse rock (1957)
4. King Creole (1958)
5. G.I. Blues (1960)
6. Flaming Star (1960)
7. Wild in the Country (1961)
8. Blue Hawaii (1961)
9. Follow that Dream (1962)
10. Kid Galahad (1962)
11. Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
12. It Happened at the World's Fair (1963)
13. Fun in Acapulco (1963)
14. Kissin' Cousins (1963)
15. Viva Las Vega (1963)
16. Roustabout (1964)
17. Girl Happy (1964)
18. Tickle Me (1965)
19. Harem Scarem (1965)
20. Frankie & Johnnie (1966)
21. Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966)
22. Spinout (1966)
23. Easy come, Easy Go (1967)
24. Doyble Trouble (1967)
25. Clambake (1967)
26. Stay Away Joe (1968)
27. Speedway (1968)
28. Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)
29. Charro (1969)
30. The trouble with girls (1969)
31. Change of Habit (1969)

Fast and Furious

1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)

2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

4. Fast & Furious (2009)

5. Fast Five (2011)

6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

7. Furious 7 (2015)

8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)

9. F9 (2021)

Related

10. Better Luck Tomorrow (prequel, 2002)

11. The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (video, 2003)

12. Los Bandoleros (video, 2009)

13. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

Harry Potter

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

Prequels

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

10. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

11. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2022)

 

Marx Brothers

Paramount

1. The Cocoanuts (1929)

2. Animal Crackers (1930)

3. Monkey Business (1931)

4. Horse Feathers (1932)

5. Duck Soup (1933)

MGM

6. A Night at the Opera (1935)

7. A Day at the Races (1937)

8. At the Circus (1939)

9. Go West (1940)

10. The Big Store (1941)

United Artists

11. A Night in Casablanca (1946)

12. Copacabana (1947, Groucho solo)

13. Love Happy (1949)

RKO

14. Room Service (1938)

15. Double Dynamite (1951, Groucho solo)

16. A Girl in Every Port (1952, Groucho solo)

Mexican Spitfire

1. The Girl from Mexico (1939)

2. Mexican Spitfire (1940)

3. Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940)

4. The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941)

5. Mexican Spitfire at Sea (1942)

6. Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942)

7. Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942)

8. Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event (1943)

Mission: Impossible

1. Mission: Impossible (1996)

2. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

4. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)

5. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015)

6. Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)

7. Mission: Impossible 7 (2022)

8. Mission: Impossible 8 (2023)

Mr. Wong

Boris Karloff

1. Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)

2. The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)

3. Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)

4. The Fatal Hour (1940)

5. Doomed to Die (1940)

Keye Luke

6. Phantom of Chinatown (1940)

Nancy Drew

Bonita Granville

1. Nancy Drew ... Detective (1938)

2. Nancy Drew ... Reporter (1939)

3. Nancy Drew ... Trouble Shooter (1939)

4. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)

Maggie Lawson

5. Nancy Drew (TV, 2002)

Emma Roberts

6. Nancy Drew (2007)

Sophia Lillis

7. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)

Pink Panther

1. The Pink Panther (1964)

2. A Shot in the Dark (1964)

3. Inspector Clouseau (1968)

4. Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

5. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

6. Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)

7. Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)

8. Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)

9. Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

10. The Pink Panther (2006)

11. The Pink Panther 2 (2009)

Planet of the Apes

1. Planet of the Apes (1968)

2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

3. Escape From Planet of the Apes (1971)

4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

1st reboot

6. Planet of the Apes (2001)

2nd reboot

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

9. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Predator

1. Predator (1987)

2. Predator 2 (1990)

3. Predators (2010)

4. Alien vs. Predator (2004)

5. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

6. The Predator (2018)

Rocky

1. Rocky (1978)

2. Rocky II (1979)

3. Rocky III (1982)

4. Rocky IV (1985)

5. Rocky V (1990)

6. Rocky Balboa (2006)

7. Creed (2015)

8. Creed II (2018)

9. Creed III (2022)

Terminator

1. The Terminator (1984)

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

3. Terminator: Rise of the Machines (2003)

4. Terminator: Salvation (2009)

5. Terminator: Genisys (2015)

6. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Torchy Blane

Glenda Farrell

1. Smart Blonde (1937)

2. Fly-Away Baby (1937)

3. The Adventurous Blonde (1937)

4. Blondes at Work (1938)

6. Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)

7. Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)

8. Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)

Lola Lane

5. Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)

Jane Wyman

9. Torchy Blane ... Playing with Dynamite (1939)

[Dave Palmer]

The Scarlet Pimpernel?

[Captain Comics]

Beach Party: Added!

JD DeLuzio said:

Elvis?

Love Me Tender

Jailhouse Rock

That's about it. I caught bits of some of the later schlocky films when they'd have "Elvis Week" on the after-school movies in the 70s, but I doubt I've watched more than five or ten minutes of any of these.

Gamera:

Gamera the Giant Monster

Gamera vs Gyaos

Gamera vs Jiger

I think that's it.

Baby Huey:

One of those movies actually is real, but I have not seen it, and likely never will.

Beach party movies?

I don't mean every film set on a beach or that even helped shaped the genre, but the "official" AIP series, with the tongue-in-check approach and various recurring cast members. These often include Frankie and Annette, often but not always playing characters named "Frankie" and "Dee Dee." Candy Johnson appears as "Candy" in four of the films, and other members of the Beach Party supporting cast reappear in several movies. Harvey Lembeck appears as "Eric Von Zipper" along with his Rat Pack motorcycle gang in six of the films.

Don Rickles appears in four of the movies, Buster Keaton in three, and Boris Karloff in two.

The Beach Party Films:

Beach Party (1963)

Muscle Beach Party (1964)

Bikini Beach (1964)

Pajama Party (1964)

Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

Ski Party (1965)

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)

Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)

Back to the Beach (1987)

Of these, I've seen Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, and most of Beach Blanket Bingo. I've also watched a stretch of Muscle Beach Party and about fifteen minutes of Back to the Beach.

Possible Entries:

Sergeant Deadhead (1965)

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

I've seen the Doctor but not the Sergeant. They have a lot of the same cast and a similar kind of humor (well, allegedly, in the case of Sergeant Deadhead), but whether they qualify as a part of the series is a matter of debate.

Fireball 500 (1966)

Thunder Alley (1967)

I have not seen either. Some of the same cast in racing movies with, I gather, a somewhat similar approach. Can anyone comment on these? Do they belong in the series?

[Captain Comics]

Torchy Blane: Added!

JD DeLuzio said:

What about the various Nancy Drew films?

(Of which, I admit, I have watched exactly two, one from the 1930s and the one from 2019, but I have a friend whose daughter is a member of the Nancy Drew Society, so that fandom still exists).

Torchy Blane?

I have never watched any, but there are nine in the series and they apparently influenced the character of Lois Lane.

In the "problematic depiction of detectives of Asian descent" department, the internet says there have been at least four dozen Charlie Chan films, eight Mr. Moto movies, and six Mr. Wong films. I've seen a few Chans, no Motos, and only the last Mr. Wong film, The Phantom of Chinatown, which cast actors of Chinese background (Keye Luke and Lotus Long) to play the title character and his love interest. To quote myself:

What results proves less embarrassing than other examples of the Chan-inspired "Asian-American Detective" genre. Problematic and uncomfortable moments and depictions certainly exist, but the handling of Wong and Lee as just two young, competent Americans distinguishes the film from the majority of period Hollywood productions featuring non-white characters.

Meatballs? Yeah, okay, there were only four, only one is worth seeing, only 3 even attempts continuity with the first (and I shut it off after 20 minutes) and 4 is apparently an entirely unrelated summer camp movie retitled post-production to fit into the "franchise." Fortunately, the limited number excludes this series from our lists but sheesh, does Hollywood like to create series.

Randy Jackson said:

Baby Huey was a Japanese product? 

Judging from some anime, that would make actual sense.

[Captain Comics]

Mexican Spitfire: Added!

Richard Willis said:

Over time, while perusing the TV schedule of Turner Classic Movies, I've seen several listings for "Mexican Spitfire" movies, or which there were eight. I haven't watched one yet, but Wikipedia tells me that the titular character is played by an actual Mexican actress (Lupe Velez) and that the stories skewer the attitudes towards Latinos. Now I'm looking forward to seeing them.

The Girl from Mexico (1939)
Mexican Spitfire (1940)
Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940)
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941)
Mexican Spitfire at Sea (1942)
Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942)
Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942)
Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event (1943)

Mexican Spitfire Film Series

Lupe Velez

[Captain Comics]

Mr. Wong, Nancy Drew: Added!

JD DeLuzio said:

You know, you're going to get quoting as a source on a non-existent Baby Huey film series.

However, the Mr Wong films consist of:

Boris Karloff:

Mr Wong, Detective (1938)

The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)

Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)

The Fatal Hour (1940)

Doomed to Die (1940)

Keye Luke:

Phantom of Chinatown (1940)

As I mentioned, I've only seen the last one, which take place at the start of Wong's career. Phantom is a prequel or perhaps a reboot that never led to other films.

Nancy Drew: (TV series excluded. There appear to have been a few)

Bonita Granville:

Nancy Drew... Detective (1938)

Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939)

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939)

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)

Maggie Lawson (Made for TV)

Nancy Drew (2002)

Emma Roberts:

Nancy Drew (2007)

Sophia Lillis:

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)

[Captain Comics]

Blondie: Added!

Dave Palmer said:

Blondie

[Captain Comics]

Marx Brothers and Thin Man: Added!

Philip Portelli said:

Here are The Thin Man films!

Quick note: Nick Charles is NOT the titled Thin Man! That's actually the victim of the first (and only) book but the name stuck.

THE THIN MAN (Nick & Nora Charles) all by MGM

The Thin Man (1934)

After the Thin Man (1936)

Another Thin Man (1939)

Shadow of the The Thin Man (1941)

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

Song of the Thin Man (1947), though the first time that I read about it, it was listed as "Son of the Thin Man".

Sherlock Holmes is beyond me!

[Captain Comics]

I've added most of the suggestions, but I'll have to do some research on Scarlet Pimpernel (which of those under "TV" are TV shows, or made-for-TV movies?)

I've also added some I thought of last night, including Terminator, Predator and Alien.

All others that have been suggested and aren't on the list are unclaimed, for whoever wants to do them.

As to what I've seen, I remember seeing a Mr. Wong movie and hating it. I've seen three or four Torchy Blane movies, and she is definitely a precursor to Lois Lane. I've seen all the Thin Man movies, which retain the ability to charm despite some elements not aging well.

I have not seen a single Bring It On, despite the first one (and probably more) starring Kirsten Dunst, who I was a fan of at the time because of the Spider-Man movies. I mean, cheerleader movies? Not really my thing. Not really interested in Nancy Drew, either.

I saw a couple of Beach Party movies when I was pre-adolescent, and even then dismissed them as unrealistically clean-cut. (I didn't know what sex was, but I knew normal teenagers wanted it, and those people on screen didn't seem to be aware of it.) Saw a couple of Blondie movies. I've seen most of the Marx Bros., of course, and would be hard-pressed to pick which ones I haven't -- all those titles seem pretty familiar.

Haven't seen any Mexican Spitfire movies, although I'd like to sample. I expect the racial stereotypes would drive me away.

I've seen most of the Alien, Predator and Terminator movies, although I'd find it difficult to point out where in each series is a "reboot" or a "return to original series" or what. I have not seen either of the Alien vs. Predator series, because the reviews at the time were scathing.

[JD DeLuzio]

So, Torchy Blane.

The Lois Lane connection is obvious enough, but has anyone made a Batman connection?

Torchy Blane in Chinatown appears before Batman #1. The first Joker story (in that issue) features the same scenario where a man is doomed to die at midnight according to a criminal's prediction, and the staging even looks similar. An early (the first?) depiction of Gotham's Chinatown, from the same era (I'll have to check the archive books) features two seeming carry-overs from the same film, though they may be tropes(?) Spoilers for an 80-year old b-movie and comic follow. Both, in stories marked by period racism, feature a conversation between a series character and an amiable, venerable "Mayor of Chinatown," and both have the same twist where the Asian criminal mastermind turns out to be a Caucasian in disguise. The story also contains echoes of Daughter of Shanghai (1937).

[Richard Willis]

I've recorded Torchy Blane in Chinatown but haven't watched it yet. I've been enjoying the character and her movies. 

Somewhat famously, the actress Lola Lane played her in the 1938 movie Torchy Blane in Panama. This was the only time she played the character. I don't think this movie inspired Lois Lane's name, even with Torchy being a reporter. I think her several earlier movies probably inspired Jerry Seigel's choice of the name, since the 1938 movie debuted in April and the 1938 Action Comics #1 was on the stands in early May.