Perils of Nyoka
Nyoka and the Tigermen / Nayoka, die Herrin der Beduinen / Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates

USA 1942
produced by
Republic
directed by William Witney
starring Kay Aldridge, Clayton Moore, William 'Billy' Benedict, Lorna Gray, Charles Middleton, Tristram Coffin, Forbes Murray, Robert Strange, George Pembroke, Georges Renavent, John Davidson, George J. Lewis, John Bagni, Ken Terrell, Kenne Duncan, Avron Dale, as the gorilla Emil Van Horn, Ace, Herbert Rawlinson, Robert Barron, John Bleifer, Art Dupuis, Al Kikume, Professor, Pedro Regas, Forrest Taylor, Bud Wolfe
screenplay by Ronald Davidson, Norman S. Hall, William Lively, Joseph O'Donnell, Joseph F. Poland, based on characters by Edgar Rice Burroughs, music by Mort Glickman, special effects by Howard Lydecker

serial
Nyoka

review by
Mike Haberfelner

Professor Campbell (Forbes Murray) mounts an expedition to find the golden tablets of Hippocrates, which are said to include a cure for cancer and which are hidden somewhere in the Libyan desert. Professor Campbell has a papyrus that might lead to the tablets, but the only man who might be able to read and understand the papyrus, professor Gordon (Robert Strange) - but he's gone missing years ago, so the next best thing to hire for the expedition would be his daughter Nyoka (Kay Aldridge), who might have inherited some of her father's expertise, and who's more than willing to join the expedition, trying to find a clue to her father. Of course, there's also villainess Vultura (Lorna Gray), white leader of a desert tribe, who with the help of Tuareg leader Cassib (Charles Middleton) wants to get her hands on the tablets as well and who at first tries to undermine the expedition herself posing as Nyoka, and when that doesn't work, she installs Torrini (Tristram Coffin) within the expedition as her eyes and ears.

Eventually, the quest leads everyone, good and evil alike, to the valley of the bedouins, where Vultura tries to seize the situation, posing as the bedouins sun Goddess, something their high priest contests - and wouldn't you know it, this high priest is also Nyoka's father ...

The objective of Vultura and Cassib changes when they capture professor Gordon upon finding out who he is, and now they want Nyoka and her pal Larry (Clayton Moore) dead, having her father for the information on the whereabouts of the scrolls. Of cizrsem everyhing changes quite a number of times, and among other things, Torrini dies, Nyoka's dad remembers who he is but forgets quite a few other things, Vultura and Cassib get their hands on the scrolls, and only tons and tons of chases, shoot-outs and fistfights later, they pay their price for their crimes - Vultura is even killed by her own gorilla (Emil Van Horn) - and the good guys get their hands on the scrolls and the treasure that comes with them.

Perils of Nyoka might not be the best serial ever, but serial action at its best: It moves along at a steady pace, the plot, while secondary to the action, has room to develop, the action is not only well-staged but also inventive at times, and the many pulp mainstays will make vintage serial fans make love this one no matter what anyways.

No seriously, this is really good fun above everything else!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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