Above: Kay Aldridge and Clayton Moore in PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942). It was re-issued as NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN in the 1950s, so bear with me if I use the two titles interchangably in my review.

PERILS OF NYOKA

Republic, 15 Chapters, 1942. Starring Clayton Moore, Kay Aldridge, Billy Benedict, Lorna Gray, Charles Middleton, Robert Strange, Forbes Murray, Tristram Coffin, George Pembroke, George J. Lewis, Kenneth Duncan, John Davidson, Professor, and Ace the Wonder Dog.

One of William Witney's four "solo" serials (that is, Wit directed it without his usual partner John English), PERILS OF NYOKA was reputedly one of the director's favorites. I can see why--along with DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, NYOKA works in more of what I'd call "exotic atmosphere" than any other Republic cliffhanger. One really gets the feel of a far-off, fantastic country, certainly more so than in SECRET SERVICE IN DARKEST AFRICA, which, though an excellent serial, could have been set in Chicago as easily as Casablanca. Other of NYOKA's assets include a great villain, some spectacular stunting by Dave Sharpe (in his last serial before entering WW2) and a proficient and unusually large cast, all at their best under the able direction of Witney.

As the serial opens, Prof. Douglas Campbell (Forbes Murray) and his expedition arrive in the small town of Wadi Bartha. They are seeking the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates, which purportedly set forth the cure for many diseases (including cancer), as well as giving the location of a vast treasure. Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore) and Campbell are only interested in the medical value of the tablets, but Count Benito Torrini (Tristram Coffin), another member of the expedition, has more mercenary desires, and is secretly in league with the devious, covetous, Arab ruler Vultura (Lorna Gray). The expedition is joined by Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge) daughter of a scientist who vanished years ago looking for the tablets. Nyoka believes her father is still alive, and so he proves to be, living with the Touaregs, a lost race who seem to hold the secret of the tablets. The only hitch is that Gordon (Robert Strange) has lost his memory, and, to make matters worse, Vultura and her lackey Cassib (Charles Middleton) plague the expedition in their drive to grab the tablets for themselves. All told, it takes fifteen chapters for Larry, Nyoka, Red Murphy (Billy Benedict) and the rest of the expedition to obtain the tablets and deal with the rampaging Arabs.

PERILS OF NYOKA is a rollicking, fast-paced adventure that holds its own from start to finish. The plotline is solidly constructed for a change; instead of being a series of unrelated episodes, the serial progresses steadily towards its goal: the finding of the tablets. First, the good guys and the bad guys vie for the papyrus that gives the location of the valley of the Touaregs, then the two sides attempt to win over the amnesiac Gordon, then, after Gordon recovers his memory, there is a final race for the tablets and the treasure.

The two actors, who, among the fine cast, stand out the most, are Clayton Moore and Lorna Gray. Moore, in his first major serial role, dominates the action even though he's billed behind Kay Aldridge in the credits. Moore's Dr. Grayson is a somewhat unusual surgeon, seeing that he can ride, swordfight, shoot, scale cliffs, and perform brain operations in the middle of the desert, but Moore subdues this possible wackiness by bringing utter conviction and sincerity to every facet of his role. He really gets "into" his part and makes us wait impatiently for his reappearance every time the focus is on another character.

Lorna Gray, as the evil Vultura, also commands attention whenever she's on screen. Gray's fierce, eager delivery and her near-sadistic enjoyment of her villainy are constantly disconcerting; to see this beautiful woman behaving so nastily is upsetting indeed. Gray plays her role for all it's worth, blending attractiveness and menace in a genuinely frightening performance.

The lovely Kay Aldridge, a model with little acting experience, suffers by comparison with these two powerful actors, even though she's supposed to be the central figure. It's Aldridge's acting awkwardness that gives the serial its only flaws: one simply cannot accept her as the leader of the good guys. It's fortunate that Moore is such a tower of strength, as he really emerges as the star of the piece. Still, Kay is innately likeable, and her enthusiastic delivery goes a long ways towards redeeming her performance. She gives her best in the role, and fans (myself included) will always remember her foremost as the perpetually-imperiled but resourceful Nyoka Gordon.

Charles Middleton, as Vultura's henchman Cassib, makes a worthy accessory to the evil-doing of Gray. Middleton, especially considering that he was seventy years old when the serial was made, gives an active, vigorous performance. Some of the actor's fans might resent his playing a henchman, but Cassib is permitted an equal footing with his boss such as few serial lackeys get to enjoy. And besides, who but the deep-voiced Middleton could utter such high-flown lines as "What brings you to this wretched huddle of tents, O Gracious One?" with such believability and conviction? Middleton's grim, puritanical visage also lends full credence to such threats as "If you allow the white girl to escape, you will find death a pleasant release from your punishment."

Billy Benedict, as the expedition mechanic, Red, provides subtle, restrained comic relief, stealing scenes with a single quip or facial expression. His groggy staggering after being slugged by an Arab in one chapter is hilarious, as are his continual bits of incongruous slang thrown off at various moments (for instance, when Benedict and Moore attempt to distract a party of Vultura's warriors from the rest of the expedition and Vultura realizes the trick, Benedict shouts "Hey, Doc, the dame's wise! What'll we do now?") His byplay with his pet monkey Jitters (played by Professor) is also endearing; Jitters himself is possibly the cutest and most loveable serial animal on record.

An unusual facet of NYOKA is that the supporting cast gets to participate in almost as much action as the leads. Forbes Murray as Campbell, the expedition head, is more competent than the average serial scientist by a mile; he's also a crack shot and nearly as handy with his fists as Moore himself. George Pembroke, as the British expedition member Prof. Spencer, is just as competent but a bit more comic; his droll exchanges with Red are very funny--an example being when Red stumbles over a tent peg. The concerned Spencer asks, "Have an accident?" and Red responds testily "No thanks, I just had one."

Robert Strange, as Nyoka's long-lost father, gives an underplayed but very effective performance. While suffering from loss of memory and living with the Touaregs, Strange delivers his lines in a sententious, grim manner, and craftily maneuvers against Vultura, who he senses is up to no good, despite her masquerade as the Touaregs' Sun Goddess. When his memory is restored, his delivery is more animated and friendly, thus forming a clever contrast between his two "identities."

Tristram Coffin, as the turncoat Torrini, is given high billing but has relatively little screen time, in addition to getting killed well before the cliffhanger's end. Still, he makes expert use of his limited appearances, pretending to friendship with the good guys at one moment and squealing to Vultura the next. The scene in Chapter Ten where Red (of all people!) unmasks Torrini's treachery is perhaps Coffin's best scene, as he smoothly tries to deny Red's charges, then, when that fails, resorts to brute force to make his escape. Coffin's presence brings up an interesting point about this serial's setting; he's supposed to be an Italian colonial official, so the serial presumably takes place in Libya. However, the US and England were still at war with Italy in 1942, when the serial was made, so it's highly unlikely that Libya would have admitted an Anglo-American expedition. I think we must conclude that NYOKA takes place in the 1930's or possibly even earlier.

Herbert Rawlinson is wasted (Republic never seems to have availed themselves of Rawlinson's talent in any of their serials) as Major Reynolds, another British expedition member who is murdered by Vultura in Chapter One to cover up her masquerade as Nyoka. John Davidson, though, shines as Lhoba, fanatical leader of the Touareg warriors, giving each line resonant and pop-eyed delivery. George Lewis makes himself noticed as Cassib's lieutenant Batan, and Kenne Duncan is given a welcome break from his nasty henchman roles as Nyoka's faithful Arab servant Abou. Ken Terrell, Tom Steele, Dave Sharpe, Yakima Canutt, Duke Green, and a young Jay Silverheels all make appearances as various and sundry Touaregs and Arabs, and veteran Forrest Taylor has a brief part as a brass worker who translates the Tablets for Vultura towards the end. Georges Renavent is also good as Vultura's greedy major-domo Maughreb.

Animal life has more to do in NYOKA than in any other Republic; not only the delightful Jitters, but also Nyoka's dog Fang and Vultura's pet gorilla Satan take part in the action. Of course, Satan is not played by a real gorilla, but rather by Emil Van Horn; his actions are highly improbable for a genuine ape but are highly entertaining. After all, the serial world is basically a fantasy world, anyway. Ace the Wonder Dog, as Fang, goes through his paces well, cleverly eluding the Arabs and saving the day frequently in the best Rin Tin Tin tradition. I particularly liked the scene in Chapter One when Fang tips over a basket, distracts two Arab guards by barking, and then hides inside the basket while the two guards run by him. As well trained as Ace is, Kay Aldridge seems to have some trouble controlling the dog; she always shouts, "Go home, Fang!" at him with seemingly uncalled-for emphasis. Possibly Ace was one of those dogs that only takes orders from his trainer.

As already mentioned, William Witney's direction coupled with Dave Sharpe's stuntwork makes for some terrific action sequences. All the characters get in on at least one fight. Moore tangles frequently with Middleton and his lackeys, both with swords and fists; Aldridge engages in three or four cat-fights with Gray; there's a great battle between Benedict and Coffin in Chapter Ten; and even Kenne Duncan and George Lewis get to slug it out with each other.

Anyway, for an good example of the action-filled product of Republic's Golden Age, you don't have to look any farther than NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN (I told you I used the two different titles interchangeably!).