KAY ALDRIDGE
July 9th, 1917 -- January 12th, 1995

Above: Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge) looks like she's about to become shishkabob in this cliffhanger scene from PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942). This was Kay's first serial.

Kay Aldridge, Republic's first official "serial queen," and still more popular than any other serial heroine except for Linda Stirling herself, was a Southern girl, born in Florida and raised in Virginia. Kay, a fair-to-middling actress (she often said so herself) possessed a charm and enthusiasm (not to mention beauty) that more than made up for her acting inexperience and occasional lack of poise. Initially a model, she started her movie career as an up-and-coming starlet, appearing in several movies for Twentieth Century-Fox (a Charlie Chan who-dun-it and SHOOTING HIGH, with Gene Autry, to name two), but, like so many other serial performers, her A-movie career didn't pan out and she was snapped up by Republic Pictures. Her first of three serials was a sort of pseudo-sequel to an earlier successful Republic outing, JUNGLE GIRL (Republic, 1941), with Frances Gifford, who had been unable to do another serial for Republic due to contractual obligations. Officially based on a book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, JUNGLE GIRL bore no resemblance to its source material, and Burroughs didn't renew the copyright when Republic wanted to do a sequel. The only similarities between the two serials were the heroine's first name: the somewhat odd one of Nyoka. Republic had created this name themselves, so they were able to re-use it in this new cliffhanger.

Above: Kay takes center stage in this scene from her first cliffhanger, PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942). The other cast members are (left to right) Billy Benedict, Forbes Murray, George Pembroke, Clayton Moore, and Robert Strange.

The new cliffhanger was PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942), one of the five serials directed by William Witney without his usual partner John English. Kay was Nyoka Gordon, the daughter of a noted scientist, who joined an expedition in search of her missing father and the lost Tablets of Hippocrates, which Professor Gordon had been in search of when he disappeared. Their search is severely hampered by the machinations of Vutura (Lorna Gray) a desert ruler who covets the treasure that is hidden with the tablets. The expedition and Nyoka undergo a lot of perils, but with the help of the valiant Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore, in a dynamic performance), Nyoka finds her father, and Vultura and her Arab minions are destroyed. PERILS OF NYOKA, an offbeat and exotic serial, contained an incredible amount of varied action, from Larry sword-fighting with the Arabs to Nyoka's frequent cat-fights with Vultura to innumerable fistfights, gunfights, and chases, all courtesy of director Witney. The entire cast all seemed to be having a lot of fun--almost as much fun as the serial's audience. PERILS OF NYOKA was one of Republic's biggest hits, and they immediately began planning more vehicles for Kay, whose popularity was now soaring among serial fans.

Above: Nyoka (Kay Aldridge) is seized by the villainous Vultura’s (Lorna Gray) pet gorilla Satan (Emil Van Horn) in this scene from PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942).

Kay's next serial was DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (Republic, 1943). She played June Foster, the daughter of a stage line owner who was trying to gain a government franchise. Unbeknownst to the Fosters, the planned stage route runs right through the unclaimed Cherokee Strip land area, which businessman Martin Dexter (Robert Frazer) wants for himself. Dexter hires outlaws Barton Ward (William Haade) and Turner (George J. Lewis) to make sure that the line is never completed. Foster is killed when the outlaws attack the road crew, and June, inheriting the company, turns to undercover cavalry agent Duke Cameron (Allan Lane) to help her complete the stage road. Duke and June, along with road crew foreman Red (Eddie Acuff) manage to get the road done, but not without frequent interference from Dexter's gang, who are finally defeated in a blazing finale. DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST, directed by John English, has often been cited as the best and most action-packed Western serial ever made, if not the best serial period. Unfortunately, the complete print has been lost, even to collectors, ever since its first release. Only four chapters are known to exist, and they certainly support those who have talked of the cliffhanger's greatness. There have been many attempts to restore DAREDEVILS, but nothing has ever come of them. It may be seen someday, but it seems more likely that Kay's second serial will never come out in complete form.

Above: Kay Aldridge in a publicity photo for the highly entertaining (and long-lost) serial DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST.

Above: Kay Aldridge is about to get a short haircut in this lobby card for DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (Republic, 1943).

Kay's final serial was HAUNTED HARBOR (Republic, 1944). Based on a pulp novel by Dayle Douglas, the serial was set in the South Sea Islands, and told of the adventures of Captain Jim Marsden (Kane Richmond), a schooner owner whose gold-laden cargo ship was lost in a storm, placing him deep in debt. Accused of killing his chief creditor (who was actually murdered by ex-convict Carter, played by Roy Barcroft), Marsden escapes to Pulamati ("Haunted Island") to investigate rumors of sea monsters terrorizing the island's copra plantation, owned by his friend Galbraith, who helped him escape jail. En route, Jim rescues Patricia Harding (Kay) and her father, a roving island doctor (Forrest Taylor) from a shipwreck. On reaching Haunted Island, Jim attempts to investigate the mystery of the sea monster, but is blocked by Carter, who owns a gold mine on the island and is behind both the "monster" and the disappearance of Jim's ship. When Doctor Harding recognizes Carter as an ex-convict, Carter's henchman Gregg murders the physician before he can tell Jim. This gives Patricia motivation to help Jim run Carter to earth, and the two of them finally discover the sinister secret of Haunted Harbor. HAUNTED HARBOR, directed by Spencer Gordon Bennett, was just as exciting and action-filled as Kay's first two serials, and was an excellent final cliffhanger for Republic's Serial Queen.

Above: In this still from HAUNTED HARBOR (Republic, 1944), Kay Aldridge and Kane Richmond (far left) are attacked by hostile natives who think that the good guys have murdered their chief. Rico De Montez is on the far right.

Kay, like Linda Stirling, shortly after left acting for marriage and private life. In later years, she charmed the guests at many serial conventions with her friendliness and willingness to discuss her serials with her fans. Kay Aldridge passed away in 1995, and serial fans everywhere mourned the loss of a beloved and warm-hearted Serial Queen. Her cliffhanger career was brief, but her three serials rank among the most action-packed and entertaining efforts turned out by the studio. Almost everyone's list of favorite serials includes one of her cliffhangers (even the incomplete DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST), and many include all three. Cliffhanger devotees will always remember Kay Aldridge.