The Lost City (1935 serial)
Encyclopedia
The Lost City is an independently made film
serial
produced in 1935
directed by Harry Revier
.
but transferred the lost civilization
motif from the west to another popular serial locale, the Africa
n jungle
. Scientist Bruce Gordon comes to a secluded area in Africa after realizing that a series of electrically induced natural disasters had been detected in the area. There he finds Zolock, last of the Lemurians, in a secret complex under a mountain.
Zolock had created the natural disasters as a prelude to his attempt to take over the world, holding a brilliant scientist, Dr. Manyus, there hostage with his daughter. He had also forced Manyus to create mindless "giant" slaves out of the natives as a private army and as the serial progresses we learn Manyus also turned another tribe, the spider-worshipping Wangas, into white burly haired midgets. The heroes escape Zolock, encounter the slave trading Queen Rama, and survive many harrowing adventures before returning to the Lost City and stopping Zolok's plan.
Source:
In the early 1940s, Krellberg then created a new feature version which incorporated material from the adventures with the slavers, spider people and jungle queen, and released this under the title City of Lost Men. Finally, in the 1970s, he took the first feature version and clumsily edited in, at the end, most of the footage from the last chapter, creating what goes beyond a continuity gap and is rather a continuity abyss, and attached the City of Lost Men title to this feature.
It is not clear whether the last feature had any theatrical exposure or went directly to television. The first City of Lost Men appears to be lost, and videos and DVDs being sold under that title are sourced from film prints of this final feature. Since it incorporates the entire first feature version entitled Lost City, that film cannot fairly be said to be lost, although no separate video issue of that version under its own titles, is known. Video/DVD offerings of The Lost City as a feature are from prints of the second feature version described.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
produced in 1935
1935 in film
-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
directed by Harry Revier
Harry Revier
Harry Jack Revier was an independent American director, producer and first generation exploitation film maker best known for his sound films; The Lost City , Lash of the Penitentes and Child Bride .-Biography:Born in Philadelphia in 1890, some sources state that Revier gained early experience as...
.
Plot
The film took the premise of that year's The Phantom EmpireThe Phantom Empire
The Phantom Empire, starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 mins, the rest about 20 minutes...
but transferred the lost civilization
Lost city
A "Lost City" is a term that is generally considered to refer to a well-populated area which fell into terminal decline, became extensively or completely uninhabited, and whose location has been forgotten. Some lost cities whose locations have been rediscovered have been studied extensively by...
motif from the west to another popular serial locale, the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
. Scientist Bruce Gordon comes to a secluded area in Africa after realizing that a series of electrically induced natural disasters had been detected in the area. There he finds Zolock, last of the Lemurians, in a secret complex under a mountain.
Zolock had created the natural disasters as a prelude to his attempt to take over the world, holding a brilliant scientist, Dr. Manyus, there hostage with his daughter. He had also forced Manyus to create mindless "giant" slaves out of the natives as a private army and as the serial progresses we learn Manyus also turned another tribe, the spider-worshipping Wangas, into white burly haired midgets. The heroes escape Zolock, encounter the slave trading Queen Rama, and survive many harrowing adventures before returning to the Lost City and stopping Zolok's plan.
Cast
- William "Stage" Boyd as Zolok
- Kane RichmondKane RichmondKane Richmond was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s, mostly appearing in cliffhangers and serials...
as Bruce Gordon - Claudia DellClaudia DellClaudia Dell was an American showgirl and actress of the stage and Hollywood motion pictures. Her birth name was Claudia Dell Smith. She was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 10, 1910. She attended school in San Antonio and Mexico. Dell was blonde and blue-eyed, with a porcelain face. Her...
as Natcha Manyus - Josef SwickardJosef SwickardJosef Swickard was a German-born veteran stage and screen character actor, who had toured with stock companies in Europe, South Africa, and South America.-Career:...
as Doctor Manyus - George 'Gabby' HayesGeorge 'Gabby' HayesGeorge Francis "Gabby" Hayes was an American radio, film, and television actor. He was best known for his numerous appearances in Western movies as the colorful sidekick to the leading man.-Early years:...
as Butterfield - Billy BletcherBilly BletcherWilliam "Billy" Bletcher was an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
as Gorzo - Eddie Fetherston as Jerry Delaney
- Margot D'Use as Queen Rama
Chapter titles
- Living Dead Men (27min 48s)
- Tunnel of Death (20min 43s)
- Dagger Rock (19min 56s)
- Doomed! (12min 36s)
- Tiger Prey (19min 34s)
- Human Beasts (18min 25s)
- Spider Man (17min 04s)
- Human Targets (17min 39s)
- Jungle Vengeance (23min 16s)
- The Lion Pit (18min 24s)
- The Death Ray (13min 38s)
- The Mad Scientist (18min 25s)
Source:
Feature Length Versions
Sherman S. Krellberg had the serial edited into four different feature versions over time, perhaps setting a record for feature versions of a serial. The first feature consisted of the first 3 episodes of the serial and the first reel of the fourth edited together, and supplemented with footage not part of the serial itself which drew the adventure to a loose conclusion; and the second was compiled from material in the first and last four chapters of the serial, omitting the adventures with the slave traders, the spider people and Queen Rama, but ending as did the serial. Both these features were made and released in 1935 and both were also called The Lost City. The first of these was also designed so that it could be followed over successive weeks by the remaining chapters in the serial.In the early 1940s, Krellberg then created a new feature version which incorporated material from the adventures with the slavers, spider people and jungle queen, and released this under the title City of Lost Men. Finally, in the 1970s, he took the first feature version and clumsily edited in, at the end, most of the footage from the last chapter, creating what goes beyond a continuity gap and is rather a continuity abyss, and attached the City of Lost Men title to this feature.
It is not clear whether the last feature had any theatrical exposure or went directly to television. The first City of Lost Men appears to be lost, and videos and DVDs being sold under that title are sourced from film prints of this final feature. Since it incorporates the entire first feature version entitled Lost City, that film cannot fairly be said to be lost, although no separate video issue of that version under its own titles, is known. Video/DVD offerings of The Lost City as a feature are from prints of the second feature version described.
See also
- List of film serials
- List of film serials by studio
- List of films in the public domain
External links
Download or view online
- Chapter 1 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 2 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 3 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 4 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 5 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 6 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 7 at The Internet Archive
- Chapter 8 at The Internet Archive