Perils of Nyoka

Perils of Nyoka is a 1942 Republic serial directed by William Witney. It starred Kay Aldridge as Nyoka the Jungle Girl, a character who first appeared in the Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired serial "Jungle Girl".
Plot.
Nyoka, with help from Larry Grayson, attempts to discover the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates. The tablets contain the medical knowledge of the Ancients — not to mention being buried along with gold and other treasure. Also hunting for the tablets are Queen Vultura ("Ruler of the Arabs") and Cassib.
Production.
"Perils of Nyoka" was budgeted at $169,296 although the final negative cost was $175,010 (a $5,714, or 3.4%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1942. It was filmed between March 20 and May 2, 1942, with the outdoor action sequences shot primarily at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif. The serial's production number was 1197.
The success of the original serial "Jungle Girl" prompted the sequel, but the studio did not want to pay licensing fees to Burroughs again, so it avoided any repetition of the term "Jungle Girl," to which he had the rights. Instead, "Nyoka," the name of the main character in the first film, was placed in the title of the sequel, because that name was an original creation of Republic's writers, not of Burroughs. The very word "jungle" was avoided in the movie, with the setting described as an African "desert", though the area shown was not nearly as arid as the Sahara.
Release.
Theatrical.
"Perils of Nyoka"'s official release date is 27 June 1942, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges. The serial was re-released on 2 April 1952, under the new title "Nyoka and the Tigermen", between the first runs of "Radar Men from the Moon" and "Zombies of the Stratosphere".
A version for French territories was titled "KING -KONG CHEZ LES ARABES" / "KING KONG bij de ARABIEN".
Television.
"Perils of Nyoka" was one of 26 Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to "Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates". This version was cut down to 100 minutes in length.
Critical reception.
Jim Harmon and Donald F. Glut have written that this was probably the best jungle-type serial ever made and that it "lavished in increased production values." Cline noted that "Perils of Nyoka" stood out in the memories of the original serial audiences, despite the strong competition of 1942.
Chapter titles.
Source:

Charlton Tobias

Charlton Tobias is a South African presenter working for the Port Elizabeth based media company Algoa FM.