Serials and Cliffhangers in Tinted and Sepiatoned Form

King of the Wild is a 1931 American pre-Code Mascot movie serial. The complete serial is available on DVD from Alpha Video. A seven-reel feature version of the serial was later released in South America under the title Bimi. PLOT: Robert Grant, framed for a coup in the Indian country of Ranjapur, escapes from prison to Africa in search of the real villains. He is an American businessman in the east who bears an uncanny resemblance to a Raja. When the Raja is killed by a tiger he was hunting Grant is forced to take his place so that the Raja's cousin will not seize the throne before the rightful heir can ascend. Unfortunately for Grant his supposed friend Harris sells him out to the evil cousin because Grant refused to hold onto the throne and loot the country of all its wealth. What follows is a long chase as Grant tries to prove his innocence while disguised as an Arab (he's jailed for murder but escapes) and help the only one who knows who he really is find her brother who is being held captive until he relays the location of a diamond mine. Its a complex story that has more chapter twists then most cliffhangers. It is a good looking serial that is an odd mix of locations that are nowhere near each other (Africa, India, the desert...). The film moves along pretty well, even if the plot does tend to fold back on itself. The cast is pretty good with Boris Karloff one of the baddies looking for the diamond mine. Moreover, there is an a sasquatch-type ape-man, Bimi, who becomes the villain Harris' henchman, thus giving the epithet, "King of the Wild", to the serial's title. CAST: Walter Miller as Robert Grant, American escapee from Ranjapur Nora Lane as Muriel Armitage, Tom Armitage's sister Dorothy Christy as Mrs LaSalle Tom Santschi as Harris, Villainous Animal trapper Boris Karloff as Mustapha, an African sheikh Arthur McLaglen as Bimi, the Ape man Carroll Nye as Tom Armitage, Muriel's brother who knows the location of a secret diamond mine Victor Potel as Peterson Albert DeWinton as Cyril Wainwright Martha Lalande as Mrs Colby Mischa Auer as Dakka, an escaped lunatic Lafe McKee as Officer PRODUCTION: The stars of King of the Wild were originally intended to be Harry Carey and Edwina Booth, but filming on the MGM film TRADER HORN (1931) went over-schedule, forcing Mascot to recast the serial with Walter Miller and Nora Lane instead. The serial is what many would call racially insensitive today. The portrayal of Arabs mostly as villains and of black Africans as savages was par for the course for the time the film was made, Also appearing in the serial was real-life explorer Albert DeWinton. He later went after explorer Percy Fawcett, who had disappeared in Brazil several years earlier. DeWinton also disappeared in the Amazon in early 1934 and was presumed dead. Bimi, the Ape Man, was played by actor Victor McLaglen's brother Arthur, and Mischa Auer plays an escaped lunatic named Dakka. KING OF THE WILD is sometimes misreported as an alternate title for the serial KING OF THE KONGO, which also co-starred Walter Miller and Boris Karloff, but they are two different serials. KONGO was also a Mascot serial made two years earlier in 1929. It was the first serial to have sound, although only partial sound ("Part Talking") rather than the later (and now standard) "All-Talking" productions with complete sound. Despite an announcement that two versions of this serial would be released, (a "Part Talking" version and a silent version intended for theatres not yet equipped for sound), no evidence for a silent version's ever being released exists. All current (as of 2024) online transfers of the film are the sound version without the sound. Some have the sound credits excised. The copy of KING OF THE KONGO in this chis collection is a silent tinted version. CHAPTERS: Man Eaters Tiger of Destiny The Avenging Horde Secret of the Volcano Pit of Peril Creeping Doom Sealed Lips Jaws of the Jungle Door of Dread Leopard's Lair The Fire of the Gods Jungle Justice

The Phantom of the West is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film serial and was the second all-talking serial produced by Mascot Pictures. Tom Tyler stars as Jim Lester, trying to prove that Francisco Cortez (Frank Lanning) is innocent of killing Lester's father years before. The real villain is the mysterious Phantom and his League of the Lawless. PLOT: Francisco Cortez escapes prison after serving fifteen years for the murder of Jim Lester's father. Hunted by a posse, the escaped convict takes refuge in Jim Lester's house. When Lester discovers him, Cortez proclaims his innocence. He lists the names of seven men, one of which is the real killer, the murderer calling himself "The Phantom". CAST: Tom Tyler as Jim Lester William Desmond as Martin Blaine Tom Santschi as Bud Landers Dorothy Gulliver as Mona Cortez, Francisco Cortez's daughter Philo McCullough as Royce Macklin Frank Lanning as Francisco Cortez, escaped convict falsely accused of murdering Jim Lester's father Tom Dugan as Oscar, Sheriff's deputy and comic relief Joe Bonomo as Keno, a gunman Frank Hagney as Sheriff Jim H. Ryan Hallie Sullivan as Ruby Blair Kermit Maynard as Peter Drake Dick Dickinson as Harvey Stewart Production Stunts Joe Bonomo Yakima Canutt Cliff Lyons Kermit Maynard CHAPTERS: The Ghost Rides Stairway of Doom Horror in the Dark Battle of the Strong League of the Lawless Canyon of Calamity Price of Silence House of Hate Fatal Secret Rogue's Roundup PRODUCTION:

TARZAN THE FEARLESS is a 12 chapter American Pre-Code film serial starring Buster Crabbe in his only appearance as Tarzan. It was also released as a 61-minute feature film, which consisted of the first four chapters edited together, and which was intended to be followed on a weekly basis by the last eight chapters in individual episode format, but which was often exhibited instead as a stand-alone feature film. Actress Jacqueline Wells co-starred; she later changed her name to Julie Bishop. The serial was produced by Sol Lesser, written by Basil Dickey, George Plympton and Walter Anthony (based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs), and directed by Robert F. Hill. The film was released in both formats on August 11, 1933. PLOT: Tarzan is swinging around the trees and enjoying spending time with his chimpanzee friend Cheetah. Suddenly there is a lion below that's about to attack a deer caught in a trap. Tarzan jumps down from the trees with his knife and lands on the lion. The two of them fight while a group of natives watch. Tarzan wins the fight after an intense struggle, destroying the lion. He lets out a massive victory yell and rescues the deer. Tarzan rescues Dr. Brooks, an elderly scientist, who is held by the followers of Zar, God of the Emerald Fingers, in their lost city. Mary Brooks, his daughter, and Bob Hall have also been searching for him, led by villainous safari guides, Jeff Herbert and Nick Moran. Tarzan goes in search of Mary and finds her swimming and a Nile crocodile appears and Tarzan dives in to save her, wrestling the monstrous crocodile itself and saving Mary. Tarzan and Mary become interested in each other. Safari guide Jeff is out to kill Tarzan for 10,000 pounds. Soon everyone is captured by the people of Zar and brought before Eltar, their high priest. Bob convinces the high priest to release them by handing over a map. Jeff is killed by Tarzan in a struggle over a gun and Nick is killed by a lion. Mary and her father decide to stay with Tarzan instead of returning to civilization with Bob Hall. CAST: Buster Crabbe as Tarzan Jacqueline Wells as Mary Brooks, a pseudo-Jane character E. Alyn Warren as Dr. Brooks, Mary's father. He is entirely based on Professor Porter (Jane's father). Mischa Auer as Eltar, High Priest of Zar Edward Woods as Bob Hall, friend to Mary and Dr. Brooks Philo McCullough as Jeff Herbert, villainous safari guide Matthew Betz as Nick Moran, another villainous safari guide PRODUCTION:: Producer Sol Lesser had acquired the rights to five Tarzan films that Edgar Rice Burroughs had optioned to an independent producer in 1928. That producer went bankrupt and the contract was thought to have lapsed. However, due to the wording of the contract the courts found in Lesser's favour and held that it was still valid. Lesser announced his own Tarzan production a few weeks into the filming of MGM's Tarzan the Ape Man. MGM paid Lesser to delay production until their film was released.[4][5] Tarzan the Fearless was the first of Sol Lesser's Tarzan productions. Lesser never made another serial with his options, moving to feature films instead. Burroughs had assured MGM that their contract was exclusive, so the rival production was an embarrassment. However, despite their initial problems, Lesser and Burroughs became friends and later worked out a five-picture deal (at one per year). The "serial was extremely crude" and "almost devoid of music" as well as suffering from poor sound. A score was later taken from old westerns and "minutes passed" with silent (no sound effects, music or dialogue) stock footage of distant animals.[5] The "Tarzan yell" was the James Pierce version, taken from the radio series. The serial was shot under the working title Tarzan the Invincible and was released as Tarzan the Fearless. CASTING: Lesser's contract included a clause that Tarzan must be played by "Big Jim" Pierce, Burroughs' son-in-law and the star of Tarzan and the Golden Lion. Pierce had married Joan Burroughs on 8 August 1928 and Edgar Rice Burroughs included the clause in the contract as a wedding present. Lesser wanted a more svelte athlete for the part and was appalled at the thought of casting the large, ex-football player Pierce as Tarzan. He insisted that it would make the film a comedy and hurt the character. Burroughs responded that it was Pierce's choice and that nothing seemed to be able to hurt Tarzan as a character. Lesser actually had a comedy script written by Correy Ford with Jane in the masculine role but he was not happy with it. Instead, Lesser tricked Pierce into giving up the role. He offered him $5,000 and a screen test at MGM to step aside, which Pierce naively accepted. The screen test turned out to be a reading of a Shakespearean soliloquy for which he was not suited. Pierce never worked for MGM. Lesser wanted an athlete like Johnny Weissmuller to play Tarzan. At this time Paramount released King of the Jungle with Buster Crabbe as Kaspa the Lion Man (a Tarzanesque character), which brought him to Lesser's attention. Like Weissmuller, Crabbe was also an Olympic swimmer, fitting the producer's requirements. Lesser contracted him "on a loan-out from Paramount."[4][5] Buster Crabbe had actually been tested for the part of Tarzan with MGM in 1931 but, in his own words, "the test wasn't fair." The studio had taken a quick group test during filming of That's My Boy but "didn't give any of us a chance."[4] Crabbe and Weissmuller had been friends for years. However a "rivalry" was heavily publicised, which amused both of them. Lesser insisted that Crabbe play Tarzan in the same monosyllabic style as Weissmuller. To further increase the connection between the separate productions, Lesser included Cheeta the chimpanzee in the cast. However, to be different from the MGM film, no Jane was written into this serial. Instead, the love interest is Mary Brooks. She is searching for her missing father, Dr Brooks, who has been captured by "worshippers of Zar, god of the Emerald Fingers". This deity is portrayed by the idol from Universal's The Mummy (1932).[5] Julie Bishop (billed as Jacqueline Wells) was hired as Mary Brooks. While an experienced actress at the time, she was yet little known.[4] Release Theatrical An unusual release strategy was planned by Sol Lesser. The serial was made available in either the traditional twelve-chapter format, or as a feature film to be followed by the serial's final eight chapters. The "feature film", which was 61-minutes long, consisted only of the first four chapters spliced together, so came without any ending to the story; but it was sometimes exhibited as a stand-alone movie, without objection by Lesser's distribution franchise agents. Hence viewers found themselves faced with the villains still on the loose and Tarzan having carried the girl off to his cave, unchaperoned. An 85-minute true feature film version of the entire serial was also edited by Mascot Pictures, but was only available for exhibition abroad, in countries with limited or no interest in serialized movies. It appeared in the United Kingdom, e.g., also in 1933. HOME MEDIA. The 85-minute feature version became available in the United States via television and, subsequently, 16mm home rental, prints of which eventually found their way to home video in all formats. The serial itself, along with the first-four-chapter feature, is considered lost, although an attempted "reconstruction" - using material in the feature version, recently-found intermittent additional footage from the lost serial, stills, and descriptive inter-titles - became available on DVD in 2016 from the serial fan website "Serial Squadron". This presentation includes chapter 1 of this restored version, together with with the Mascot edited feature for foreign consumption. CRITICAL RECEPTION: In 1933, many theaters played the 61-minute feature only without the following chapters. This led to a confusing and unsatisfactory experience and the film received bad reviews as a result. William Tray, writing in London's The Nation: "If Mr Burroughs' Tarzan books are not beyond the reach of an eight-year-old mind, the movie versions of them may be said to reduce the age limit by three or four years. In fact, even an intelligent child may find something embarrassing in the manner in which an unfortunate young athlete named Buster Crabbe is required to jump from tree to tree, caress synthetic Hollywood apes, and make hideously inhuman noises." Chapter titles The Dive of Death The Storm God Strikes Thundering Death The Pit of Peril Blood Money Voodoo Vengeance Caught By Cannibals The Creeping Terror Eyes of Evil The Death Plunge Harvest of Hate Jungle Justice

THE PERILS OF PAULINE is a 1933 American Pre-Code film serial, and sound film remake, of the Pathé original. The 12-chapter "cliffhanger" was produced by Universal Studios. Evalyn Knapp, herself a graduate of Pathé silent short subjects, starred as the heroine, Pauline Hargraves. Historic newsreel footage of the 1930 flight of the Dornier Do X seaplane is featured in chapter eight. Each episode in the serial is approximately 20 minutes long. The first one to two minutes of each episode are taken up with a title sequence and an intertitle describing the action from the previous serial. This is followed by about three minutes of the previous serial's closing moments. PLOT: Pauline Hargraves (Evalyn Knapp) is the intrepid daughter of Professor Hargraves (James Durkin), a noted doctor of chemistry and archeology. She and Willie Dodge (Sonny Ray), her father's cowardly secretary, have accompanied Prof. Hargraves to Asia in search of a legendary ivory disk that may contain the chemical recipe for a deadly gas created by an ancient Egyptian named Confu. Unfortunately, the villainous Asian warlord, Dr. Bashan (John Davidson), is also after the disk, along with his right-hand man and assassin, Fang (Frank Lackteen). In "The Guns of Doom," the Hargraves party arrives in China, where the disk is in the Tsai Tsin temple. Civil war has broken out, and the city is under attack. Dr. Hargraves and Dodge go to the temple, followed by Fang and his gang of thugs. Pauline goes to warn her father he's being followed, but is attacked by Fang. She's rescued by Robert Warde (Robert "Tex" Allen), an American railroad engineer. As shells fall all around, Pauline and Warde go to the temple, where Pauline finds the disk. But only half the disk exists; a map shows where the other half may be found. Dr. Bashan kidnaps Pauline while Warde takes her wounded father to a hotel. Bashan takes the disk, but Pauline escapes. Bashan takes a ship to Sarawak, where the map shows the rest of the disk is located. The Hargraves party follows Bashan in "The Typhoon of Terror," narrowly escaping a government gunboat that fires on them. Bashan's ship is caught in a hurricane, allowing the Hargraves' ship to catch up. The disk is retrieved, although Pauline is nearly washed overboard. Dr. Bashan is locked in a cabin. In "The Leopard Leaps," the Hargraves team arrives in Sarawak and travel upriver toward an ancient Egyptian temple. The ship's captain frees Dr. Bashan (having no reason to imprison him), and Bashan pursues the Hargaves in a faster ship. Bashan catches up to the Hargraves party at night, and Fang attempts to kill Pauline. But a prowling leopard attacks him and he is captured. Fang escapes into alligator-infested waters and is presumed dead—but again escapes to safety. Pauline andtravels discover the Egyptian temple and retrieve the other half of the disk in "Trapped By the Enemy." On their way back to the professor in "The Flaming Tomb," they run into Tim Sullivan (Pat O'Malley), an old friend of Warde's who was building a railroad nearby some years ago but stayed behind to live with the natives. Dr. Bashan, accompanied by a band of evil natives, captures everyone but Warde (who is in the jungle with Sullivan, helping a wounded native) and seizes both halves of the disk. Pauline escapes, finds Warde, and rouses a tribe of good natives to help attack the village. Dr. Bashan flees. Pauline saves her father and Dodge from a burning native hut. The Hargraves group tries to fly out of the jungle in Sullivan's plane in "Pursued by Savages". The plane has engine trouble and lands. Pauline goes exploring and discovers Dr. Bashan (who has been traveling on foot) in the nearby jungle. Pauline steals the disk and tries to take it back to her father. But Prof. Hargraves and Dodge are seized by natives, who also pursue Pauline through the jungle. Warde and Sullivan save Pauline from a tiger, and Pauline, Dr. Hargraves, and Goode from savages in "Tracked by the Enemy." They fly out in the repaired plane but learn that the second half of the disk doesn't reveal the formula. Instead, it shows the way to the temple of Imu-Anh, where the remaining half of the disk can be found. The Hargraves party takes a steamship to Singapore, but Bashan takes a plane and catches up to them. One of Bashan's female accomplices searches Pauline's room for the disk but is discovered. A fight breaks out between Bashan's men and Warde, during which Warde and Pauline tumble into a shark-filled lagoon. Pauline and Warde are rescued by courageous hotel staff in "Dangerous Depths," but Bashan has the second half of the disk. The Hargraves party (followed closely by Bashan) heads for Benares, and travels to the temple by horseback. Another plaque is found directing them to the sarcophagus of Menka-Ra in Egypt. But since that tomb was excavated years ago, the team must head to New York City where the sarcophagus is on display in a museum. Pauline hears a moaning sound, and investigates. She and Warde are seized by Bashan, but escape into a side room and lock the door. Bashan decides to take a plane to New York City to avoid being imprisoned by the local people. Unable to open the door again, Pauline and Warde try another way out—only to have the floor collapse beneath them. They fall into an underground river. In "The Mummy Walks," they are rescued by the temple guards. The two groups unwittingly take the same seaplane to New York City. Professor Thompson (William Desmond) meets the Hargrave group, and that night Hargraves, Thompson, Pauline and Warde go to the museum. Bashan has gotten there first, and one of his accomplices masquerades as a guard. Pauline is almost kidnapped. But when Willie Dodge appears (having fallen into a vat of wet plaster), everyone believes he's a mummy. Bashan flees. Prof. Hargraves discovers a vase with the next inscription on it (although he wonders why it was a vase and not the sarcophagus). He gives the vase to Pauline for safekeeping. While Warde struggles with the guard, she attempts to flee the museum with Fang close behind her. But she trips on the stairs, and a powerful ancient explosive in the vase goes off when she drops it. The audience learns in "The Night Attacks" that Pauline was not injured in the blast, and that another half-disk was in the vase. Everyone flees the museum before the police arrive. Prof. Hargraves writes down the entire formula the next day, and Thompson and Hargraves discuss the formula as Fang listens from outside the house. That night, as Hargraves and Thompson work on recreating the formula in a laboratory, Bashan and Fang sneak into the Thompson home and kidnap Pauline (who has the formula on her person). Hargraves, Warde, and Thompson arrive just in time to save her in "Into the Flames." The next day, Hargraves compounds a large amount of the formula. While Hargraves, Thompson, and Goode are out, Bashan and Fang break into the lab and try to seize the formula. A fire breaks out in the lab, and the secret formula goes off—exploding and spreading more fire. Bashan and Fang flee, leaving Pauline and Warde trapped in the labor (which is on the top floor of a skyscraper). The serial ends with "Confu's Sacred Secret." Pauline and Warde leap into the river adjacent to the building to escape the flames. Hargraves tries to recreate the formula at the laboratory in Prof. Thompson's home. Bashan, learning Pauline is alive and the disks safe, breaks into the home with a band of thugs in broad daylight. While Warde, Hargraves, Thompson, and Thompson's guards hold off the men, Bashan and Fang enter the lab. When they are discovered, Bashan tells Fang to shoot anyone who comes through the door. He tosses his pistol to Fang, who drops it. It falls on the floor and goes off—breaking the container holding the secret gas. The gas disintegrates both Bashan and Fang. Later, Warde tells Pauline he wants to stay with her. But Pauline announces she wants to return with him to China to finish the railroad and have more adventures. They embrace as the film fades out. CHAPTERS: The Guns of Doom The Typhoon of Terror The Leopard Leaps Trapped by the Enemy The Flaming Tomb Pursued by Savages Tracked by the Enemy Dangerous Depths The Mummy Walks The Night Attacks Into the Flames Confu's Sacred Secret CAST: Evalyn Knapp as Pauline Hargraves Robert Allen as Robert Warde William Desmond as Professor Thompson (chapters 9 through 12) James Durkin as Professor Hargraves John Davidson as Doctor Bashan Sonny Ray as Willie Dodge Frank Lackteen as Fang Patrick H. O'Malley, Jr. as Tim Sullivan (chapters 5 through 7) Adolph Muller as Captain Drake (chapters 2 through 3) PRODUCTION: The storyline of the 1914 THE PERILS OF PAULINE involved a young woman who inherited a million dollars from a distant relative. Her relative's personal secretary was named guardian of the funds, and would inherit if she died before she married. Determined to enjoy some adventures before marrying, Pauline sets off around the world—only to have her guardian, Mr. Koerner, attempt to murder her several times. The 1914 serial was so successful that Pathé and other production companies followed it up with very similar serials. In September 1930, Pathé said it would remake THE PERILS OF PAULINE. However, no action was taken. Universal announced it would remake the serial in July 1932. It purchased the talking picture rights from Pathé, and the media speculated that Lucile Browne would take the title role. In March 1933, the studio said production would begin in July. The studio was actively searching for a female lead in May to develop into a star who could appear in a large number of serials. Filming began on the serial in the middle of August 1933. Universal announced that Ray Taylor was directing, and Evalyn Knapp was starring. The original screenplay had each episode set in a different country, although this clearly changed by the time the film was finished. The young actor Hugh Enfield was originally cast in the role of Robert Warde. Production costs for the film are not known. However, The New York Times said in 1936 that Universal usually paid $3,000 to $17,000 for a good character, gave its stars $1,000 to $5,000 per week, spent six to eight weeks shooting each serial, and spent $165,000 to $250,000 per serial. The first episode of the serial was released on November 6, 1933.