Perils of Nyoka (1942)

Director:

William Witney

Writers:

Ronald Davidson (writer)
Norman S. Hall (writer)

Release Date:

27 June 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

It's intrepid Nyoka and her friends versus Vultura, Queen of the Desert, on a quest for the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Serial

Cast

Kay Aldridge	...	Nyoka Gordon
Clayton Moore	...	Dr. Larry Grayson
Lorna Gray	...	Vultura
Charles Middleton	...	Cassib
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Red Davis (as William Benedict)
Forbes Murray	...	Prof. Douglas Campbell
George Pembroke	...	John Spencer
Tristram Coffin	...	Benito Torrini [Chs.1-10]
Robert Strange	...	Prof. Henry Gordon [Chs. 4-15]
Kenne Duncan	...	Abu, expedition headman (as Kenneth Duncan)
Georges Renavent	...	Maghreb, Vultura's high priest [Chs.1-4,7,9,15] (as George Renavent)
John Davidson	...	Lhoba, Tuareg high priest [Chs.4-7,12-13]
Ken Terrell	...	Ahmed, Arab henchman
George J. Lewis	...	Batan, Arab henchman (as George Lewis)
Art Dupuis	...	Hassan, Arab henchman

Also Known As:

Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates
Nyoka and the Tigermen (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

261 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: 1. Desert Intrigue, 2. Death's Chariot, 3. Devil's Crucible, 4. Ascending Doom, 5. Fatal Second, 6. Human Sacrifice, 7. Monster's Clutch, 8. Tuareg Vengeance, 9. Burned Alive, 10. Treacherous Trail, 11. Unknown Peril, 12. Underground Tornado, 13. Thundering Death, 14. Blazing Barrier, 15. Satan's Fury

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Mechanic (1972)

A strange camel

It has been suggested that a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee. I hasten to add that the only camels in this serial, supposedly set in Arabia, are in the same brief shot at the beginning of each serial episode. And as for Arabia, it looks suspiciously like the Iverson Ranch in California, shooting site of countless movie features and serials, so many that I have come to know those great boulders by name.

Add to this is William "Billy" Benedict, the nice, white-haired boy from the East Side Kids series; Clayton Moore, better known as the Lone Ranger; and the most dastardly villain of them all, Charles Middleton, best known for playing Ming the Merciless in three Flash Gordon serials, to say nothing of his many other nasty roles. And lest I forget, the absolute cheesiest man in a gorilla suit ever. EVER seen on film, plus a German shepherd that is actually smarter than most of the humans--and the shepherd is not a man in a dog suit. So--we have an Arabia without sand or camels, an ersatz ape, a dog, and a cast put together, one might think, by drawing straws from a list of those who were out of work. And we haven't even gotten to the plot, the acting, and the dialog.

Action consists of the usual haymaker fistfights without anyone so much as getting a fat lip, a bloody nose, a black eye, or a skinned knuckle. Even the two women get into some real donnybrooks. This might be said of all serials--except for the shapely legs as the two women rassle and pull hair. There are also lots of chases on foot and on horseback, among the boulders of the Iverson Ranch, through caves (where did that light come from?), etc. The stunt work is really find, especially for Nyoka herself. The dialog is pretty much recited right off the cue cards.

The plot is the usual serial silliness. A group of good guys, led by Nyoka compete with a group of bad guys, led by the beauteous Vultura, to find an ancient text that will revolutionize medicine, cure cancer, and make whoever locates it a great humanitarian or fabulously rich. Guess which group fits with these choices.

Did I like it? You betcha. It's just the thing to make one forget for a time one's otherwise drab and wretched life. I recommend it for that purpose.