Perfect cast and a good story

Overrated and overhyped

I wanted to but couldn't!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Only two of the generally accepted Kids gang are in this one. This is such a hokie serial even for 1941. Foreign agents, with the help of traitorous Americans, have been sinking outbound ships laden with aide for Europe and are after the plans and/or the real midget torpedo boat that is being developed for the U.S. Navy. They succeed in getting the plans and the boat but it is taken back by the Kids. They end up on, of all things, a square rigged whaling ship (in 1941 no less!!??) and as landlubbers are used as crew on a whaling boat. So far so stupid. Then there is the scene where one of the Kids is attacked by an octopus. Now this is off the California coast and there are no giant octopus. The whole gang kids and adults end up on the enemy island off the coast. Through some very lame fisticuffs they manage to get some guns, get loose and of course all ends well for the good guys but this serial is not good.

Foreign "Sea Raiders" are bombing US freighters, a fact stumbled upon by "The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys" in the second of their three "Universal" serials. They eventually help track down dastardly Reed Hadley (as Carl Tonjes) and the culprits. The billing implies two groups, but they are one. The studio probably did not call the group by their "Warner Bros." name due to potential legal problems, and then apparently discovered they could. Not affectionately called "wharf rats" herein, the waterfront gang consists of: Billy Halop (as Billy Adams), Huntz Hall (as Toby Nelson), Gabriel Dell (as Bilge), Bernard Punsly (as Butch), Hall E. "Hally" Chester (as Swab) and Joe Recht (as Lug)...This was the last appearance of Mr. Chester in any of the related films (he had also been appearing as one of the "East Side Kids"). Chester gets a lot of screen time during the second half. The first episodes of this serial are sloppy and confusing, but things pick up by Chapter 8, when Mr. Halop rescues Chester from a runaway whale. The Chapter 10 highlight has Halop in his boxer shorts, fending off a hungry octopus, then wrestling with a black panther. Huntz Hall (who learns to swim herein) and Chester help Halop out. At times, it appears as if the studio was inter-cutting any available footage into the adventure. With more focus in scripting, this might have been the best of the three "Dead End" serials.**** Sea Raiders (1941) Ford Beebe, John Rawlins ~ Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Hall E. Chester, Gabriel Dell

It's exciting!I had been watching serials of the 1930's. The code back then was, you could have music in the intro, but not during the story unless it was in the setting, like a restaurant with a band or something. But that changed later. This was the first serial I had watched in awhile from the early 40's. There is a music soundtrack through out and it makes it much more exciting for the action scenes as well as the non action sequences.Maybe a bit of a spoiler coming....but IT IS EXCITING! Car chases, boat chases, fights, explosions, tough talk, jokes, fights, a panther, attacks from the air, octopus and sharks, submarines, fights, and music to go with it all! Moves right along, and for what it is, it is very well made. Wow! I was excited. A very entertaining serial. I think I must have seen this as a kid.

Some good action sequences in this otherwise routine Universal serial. Fans of the "Dead End Kids" will get a kick out of it, especially all the ad-libbing. The Rossini classical music tracks heard periodically are wildly inappropriate.