Perils of Nyoka (1942)

I've had the pleasure of meeting both of these ladies at nostalgia film festivals. I was sitting with Kay Aldridge in the viewing room when they ran a chapter of Daredevils of the West in which she co-starred with Allan "Rocky" Lane. Kay gave out with a shriek at the appropriate time as her screen image was about to go over a cliff in a runaway wagon. Adrian told me the story of how Kay was tied up and hanging in mid-air during a scene from "Nyoka" They had her standing on a box for the close-up shot and then took the box away for the long shot. Kay looked up to the heavens and said "Oh Lord, send me a man right away." Of course it got a laugh from the crew. I don't know how old she was at the time of "Nyoka," but when she didn't report to work one day, director Bill Witney discovered that she had chicken pox.Kay had a rather sophisticated way of talking which may have detracted some from her athletic character role, but she did make three serials for Republic. She later married a millionaire and moved to Maine, but did make some festival appearances.

Members of the serial generation view these re-released DVDs in a different light. We took them no more or less seriously than a new generation takes Indiana Jones or 007, characters we immediately immediately recognized as contemporary clones. I have no idea why the title was changed as it doesn't fit. I rate this serial as one of Republic's ten best. Its soundtrack music is first rate and helps overcome a setting which even as kids we knew was north Los Angeles County. But the search for golden tablets by good guys, bad guys, wicked queens and axis spies is simple ground breaking for Indiana Jones. It is a matter of taste how or if you enjoy the various animals that belong to both sides. As kids we thought them a novel touch.

"Perils of Nyoka" was a follow-up to Republic's classic serial "Jungle Girl" released the previous year. The latter film is widely regarded as one of the best serials of all time. So this one had a hard act to follow. While "Jungle Girl" was set in the jungle, this one is supposed to be set in desert country. In fact, each chapter opens with a scene of men on camels riding across a desert. In the actual story, the desert is nowhere to be seen and the entire story is played against a backdrop that looks suspiciously like one of Republic's "B" westerns. Actually the picture plays more like a western than a sand and sandal epic. In the previous serial, Nyoka had a different surname and her father was murdered early on. In this story, Nyoka (Kay Aldridge) has acquired a new name, Gordon, and a new father, Professor Gordon (Robert Strange). The "McGuffin" in this film is the Lost Tablets of Hippocrates which hold the secret to curing diseases such as cancer, as well as, identifying the location of a rich treasure. An expedition led by Nyoka in search of her lost father includes Professor Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore), his assistant Red Davis (Billy Benedict), Professor Campbell (Forbes Murray) and others including a fifth columnist Torrini (Tristram Coffin). Opposing them is the evil Vultura (Lorna Gray) and her chief henchman Cassab (Charles Middleton). Vultura and her pet gorilla operate from her temple. The usual battles and cliffhangers ensue. Nyoka finds her father who has amnesia and has been leading an arab tribe called the Tuaregs. He regains his memory and joins the expedition to find the lost tablets. Needless to say they find the tablets. They change hands back and forth until good triumphs over evil in the final chapter. As with all Republic serials, the stunt work is superb. Dave Sharpe can be visibly seen doubling Moore in the action sequences. Also hidden among the endless supply of henchmen are stuntmen Yakima Canutt and Tom Steele. Also in the cast are George J. Lewis as one of Vultura's henchmen, Kenne Duncan as Nyoka's henchman, John Davidson as a Tuareg chief, Forrest Taylor as the man who deciphers the tablets and Jay Silverheels as another henchie. The costume worn by Aldridge is much less revealing than the one worn by the lovely Gray, who exhibits a lot more leg than the heroine. Aldridge would go on to make a couple of more serials and then disappear from the screen. Lorna Gray would become Adrian Booth and enjoy a long career as one of Republic's leading ladies. Although they don't appear together, Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels would re-unite as The Lone Ranger and Tonto on TV a few years later. Moore also appeared in several more serials and "B" westerns after WWII. Middleton is best remembered as "Ming the Merciless" in the Flash Gordon serials. Billy Benedict would turn up in the "Bowery Boys" series a few years later.

I miss Clayton Moore. Really. He stars in this Republic serial with Kay Aldridge (another pre-Lara Croft) and does a wonderful job. The plot makes a lot of sense this time. It concerns an American doctor (Moore) who ventures to what looks like a Middle-Eastern country in search of tablets written by Hippocrates that provide a cure for cancer. He meets Nyoka Gordon,(played by Aldridge) who is pitted against Hollywood dust storms, a man in a gorilla suit, funky armpits (when she goes mano-y-mano with the villains in some dirty fighting) and in nasty climactic tussles with Vultura (beautiful Lorna Gray) - and these ain't no hair-pullin' catfights, guys! Republic's stuntwomen were just as tough as the men if not tougher. Vultura and her henchmen do everything in their evil power to stop Nyoka and her handsome hero from getting the tablets, which also lead to a bountiful treasure. During the action Nyoka is even reunited with her long-lost father who is a ruler of some sort. There's even brain surgery going on in one cave while a fight takes place in the next. Hmmm, wonder what would OSHA would've thought of that? Talk about professionalism among the staff! I've heard of office conflicts but this is ridiculous! Seriously, though, this is a good film and well-made. The plot makes sense, the action is good, and it's very easy to follow. It's available as part of Republic's serial collection. Compared to some of the garbage called movie entertainment thrown at us today, I'll take a Republic serial any day.