So, before Wonder Woman hit any tv or film screens, we had a few jungle heroines and cowgirls, who were pretty rough and tumble. Dale Evans mostly hung out with Roy, but, Zorro turned up a lady ancestor (sort of) and Edgar Rice Burroughs gave us a female rival for Tarzan. We'll start with her.

To start with, the serial had almost nothing to do with Burroughs' Jungle Girl novel. It featured an Asian princess, not an American in Africa and not a heroine named Noka. So, apart from that they were identical! The serieal features Frances Gifford as Nyoka Meredith, whose father, John, is a doctor, who has supplanted a witch doctor to the local populace. He and his daughter left America because of a criminal brother of the doctor's, Bradley. Bradley turns up in Africa, looking for a diamond mine, murders his brother and tries to frame his niece with the locals. Nyoka isn't having it and takes the fight to Bradley and his accomplice, as well as fighting some crooked witch doctor goons.

Here's the first episode...



Republic may have lacked in budget and star quality; but it made up for it in action and stunts. Frances Gifford is double by Helen Thurston for most stunts and by legendary stuntman Dave Sharpe for the vine swinging scenes. Sharpe had been a gymnast and was in some of Republic's best serials, including doubling Tom Tyler for the Adv of Captain Marvel, for the take off and landing scenes, and a great fight stunt where he executes a backflip and kicks two Arab goons simultaneously! The serial is direct by William Whitney and John English, who were Republic's best. It's lively and fun, though, like any jungle picture of the era, there is a lot of racism involved, though not as bad as some of the era.

Frances Gifford was a decent actress and the script is fast and lively, with enough intrigue o propel the plot and plenty of great stunts and cliffhangers. There's more than a bit of damsel-in distress stuff, like the scene towards the end of the above chapter, where Nyoka is tied to a frame work, with leather thongs, over a fire. the leather has been dampened, so that as the fire burns, they dry out and constrict, until they will tear her limb from limb. It looks pretty nasty. Later, she is trapped with a gorilla, with a less than convincing man in a gorilla suit. Still, she gets a few licks in.

Nyoka would return, though she got a name change, as she became Nyoka Gordon, in The Perils of Nyoka. This time, Nyoka is played by Kay Aldridge, as Frances Gifford was unavailable. She had been loaned to reublic by Paramount, when she did Jungle Girl and had moved on to feature films. Aldridge became the star female performer for Republic and this was the main reason.

The serial finds Nyoka Gordon and Dr Larry Grayson teamed as part of an expedition to North Africa, seeking the Lost Tablets of Hippocrates, which is said to include a cure for cancer. Also with the tablets is a vast treasure of gold. This draws the interest of a mercenary Italian colonial official, Count Benito Torrini and the treacherous Arab queen Vultura. The serial features a quest and it starts with deciphering a papyrus, which leads them forward on a journey through hidden and exotic lands. Republic does a better job than usual creating the wonders, with a maze of tunnels, Vultura's lavish palace, hidden temples, and arid deserts, which southern California can match better than it could the savannahs or jungles of central or southern Africa.



The Perils of Nyoka was one of the best serials ever, as the quest plot propels the chapters along to a definite climax, something other serials were sadly lacking. There are plenty of opportunities for wild stunts and plenty of action; but, what also elevates it is the cast. Aldridge is probably the weakest of the bunch, but she is pretty darn good. However, front and center in this adventure is Dr Larry Grayson, played by the future Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore. Moore was one of Republics top actors, though he often played heavies. He's all hero here, with a lot of energy and some fine acting (for serials). He is aided by stuntman Dave Sharpe, who flies across sets, has an energetic sword battle, and faces a few cliffhanger of his own. Lorna Gray, as Vultura, is a scheming devil, but stunningly beautiful and one of Republic's best villains, without chewing too much scenery. Aiding her is the former Ming the Merciless, Charles Middleton, as Cassib. She also gets a pet gorilla, named Satan (what, you expected her to cal him Thomas Aquinas?)

The success of this serial led to the Nyoka comics, from Fawcett, which continued until they closed shop and sold Nyoka to Charlton, who continued her adventures for a few more issues. Later, AC Comics revived the character and reprinted some of the old stories. The serial was re-released as Nykoa and the Tiger-Men and was shown on tv, in an edited form. It was one of several inspirations for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Nyoka's success brought other heroines to the Saturday matinee and Jungle Girl was remade, with future Lois Lane, Phyllis Coates, as Panther Girl of the Kongo, with Coates wearing an identical costume to Frances Gifford and much repeated footage from Jungle Girl. It also spawned another jungle heroine, the Tiger Woman.



The Tiger Woman follows along the template of Nyoka, but moves the action to South America, where the crooks are after oil wealth. The Tiger Woman may be the lost heiress to an oil fortune. The beautiful Linda Stirling is the heroine and she became Republic's other great serial heroine, especially in westerns. She had worked as a model and had a great physical presence and did her own riding and was fairly athletic. Babe DeFreet doubles her, as she did Kay Aldridge, as Nyoka. Allan Lane is Allen Saunders, the hero of the thing and Duncan Renaldo is along as the sidekick.

Not as impressive as Nyoka, it's still got some great sets and thrilling action.

A better showcase for Linda Stirling was the film that led to her starring as the Tiger Woman: Zorro's Black Whip.



Now, I said I was leaving out the pulp heroes, of which Zorro was one of the biggest (more on the strength of film adaptations than the original Johnston McCulley novel); but, this isn't really a Zorro picture. Unlike Zorro's Fighting Legion, there is no Zorro here. Instead, Linda Stirling is the Black Whip, a somewhat Zorro-like her, whose gender is unknown. She battles against crooked officials and outlaws, trying to prevent statehood for Idaho. The Black Whip is newspaper editor Randolph Meredith; but, when he is injured, his sister Barbara takes up mask and whip.

The film makes use of some stock footage from earlier serials (a common feature in wartime republic serials); but, keeps the action moving and has some ingenious cliffhangers. It's mostly a western, with a whip and the lady doesn't engage in many fights, though there are enough to make you wonder why the villains don't realize the Black Whip is a woman.

There were a whole string of Republic Zorro films, most of which were westerns that used the name Zorro on the marquee, but not within the film. However, one stands above the rest: Zorro's Fighting Legion



This serial was one of the best and also inspired many stunts in the Raiders of the Lost Ark and in Star Wars (trash compactor). It features legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt as Zorro (with Reed Hadley providing the deep voice). Canutt, like Tom Steele, as Masked Marvel, allows the hero to really shine, without cheat cuts between actor and stuntman. the serial also features actual fencing, which was a bit rare in serials, as the western ones went more for fistfights and gun battles. This keeps things to Old California, with flintlocks, swords and whips. Canutt recreates his epic stunt from John Ford's Stagecoach, where he falls under a runaway team of horses, slides down to the back of the wagon, climbs back up and then halts the runaway coach (also adapted in Raiders, with Indy under the truck).

Next, we switch over to feature films, as we look at an Errol Flynn film that was closer to being Blackhawk than the actual Columbia Blackhawk serial (with Kirk Alyn, the original Superman on the screen). Come back as we see Flynn and a certain politician match wits with Raymond Massey and the Nazis, in Desperate Journey.

ps Compare the buch above with this batch of heroes...

Oops....double post!

Fans of the frontier comic Tomahawk may be unaware that one of its influences (or, the property it ripped off, if you prefer) was the Kenneth Roberts classic novel Northwest Passage, which was adapted into a feature film in 1940 (the novel was published in 1937). the novel was a bestseller, part of a renewed interest in the American Revolution and life on the frontiers. The novel is split into two sections (Book 1 and book 2). Book 1 tells the story of young Langdon Towne, freshly kicked out of Harvard and having joined Rogers Rangers, as they prepare for an execute the St Francis Raid. Book 2 finds Rogers attempting to mount an expedition to find the fabled Northwest Passage to the Pacific. The film largely deals with Book 1 and mostly just shoehorns the basics of Book 2 into the tail end of the film.

The film starred Spencer Tracy, Robert Young and Walter Brennan, and was directed by King Vidor, for MGM.



Now first off, this is a product of its time and reflects the novel that inspired it, which means the natives are not portrayed very sympathetic, to put it mildly. Some have labeled it as racist and it is a valid criticism. The story is set during the French & Indian War, between France and Britain, as fought in their North American colonies (while the war between the two countries was known as the Seven years War, in Europe and raged over other locales). The Rangers set out on a revenge attack on the Abenakis, who were allied with the French, in retaliation for raids on British settlers. It ignores the subject of whether the british settlers encroached upon their existing territory. This is not Last of the Mohicans, though, quite frankly, Roberts was a better writer than James Fenimore Cooper (just ask Mark Twain) and he had equally racist depictions of some natives and tribes, aside from Uncas and Chingachgook.

Langdon Towne is the son of a rope maker and ship rigger, who has aspirations of becoming a painter. he was attending Harvard, when he was visited by his friends, "Cap" Huff and "Hunk" Marriner. He complains to them of the food they are served and is encouraged to create a cartoon in protest. The administration doesn't take kindly to it and before you can say "Double-secret probation," he is kicked out. He returns home, where his parents are disappointed, but supportive of his ambitions. The same cannot be said of the father of his girlfriend, Elizabeth. Langdon is drowning his sorrows in a tavern when he makes disparaging remarks about the King's Attorney and Indian Agent, who are in the next room. His arrest is ordered and he takes it on the lam, with the help of Hunk. they head into the frontier and eventually end up at a tavern. there, they meet a man in green uniform and help him, hile getting drunk on hot buttered rum. When they wake up, they are at Fort Crown Point, where the man, Maj. Robert Rogers is preparing a raid on the Abenaki and recruits Langdon to make maps. The pair join up.

The film takes us through beautiful countryside as the party heads up river in canoes, avoiding French patrols and Mohawk scouts. there is a skirmish with the Mohawk that leads to casualties. There is a tense scene as the group has to cross a raging river by forming a human chain across the river. Finally, they attack the Abenaki village, in a rather violent display. They then move out, before the French catch up. they end up in wilderness, foraging for food and are near starvation, when British troops catch up to them with supplies and reinforcements. It is only at the end that Rogers announces the mission to find a Northwest Passage.

The film was shot in Technicolor, which brings the countryside to life. It was shot in Idaho and makes great use of the locations, though the terrain is a bit different from the New England and Canada setting of the novel. Tracy is a bit hard to swallow as a frontiersman; but, he is such a great actor you go along with it. Brennan feels the most natural as a woodsman, with Robert Young also seeming out of place, though his character is supposed to be, as he didn't grow up on the frontier. I did see this as an adult, so I kept waiting for Kitten or Bud to show up to ask Robert Young a question (or James brolin to consult with him).

There's plenty of great acting and a heck of a story here, though much depends on how you can process the depiction of the natives, which is a problem in many classic films (and plenty of modern, sad to say). However, it is a step up from the Davy Crockett fantasies and better than the earlier Last of the Mohican adaptations, before the 1992 version (not that the 70s tv version is bad, but Steve Forrest is both a bit too old for Hawkeye and rather stiff in his acting)

I'll return to the frontier a bit later, when I look at the Michael Mann Last of the Mohicans and how it differed from the source and other productions.

Next up, a look at Walt Disney's adaptation of the Dr Synn novels of Russell Thorndike, as the tv feature The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and the theatrical feature Dr Synn, Alias the Scarecrow. See why Alan Moore chose him as one of the earlier members of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

"They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven or is he in Hell?
That demned elusive Pimpernel!"

Sir Percy Blakeney, baronet.

Thus was uttered the most famous line from one of the greatest swashbuckling heroes of literature, stage, screen and television screen and one who gave rise to very bored playboy and fop, who masqueraded as a daring hero!

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the creation of Baroness Emma Orczy, who first wrote of her hero for the stage, opening in 1903. Two years later, she turned that story into a bestselling novel, which became a favorite of the silver screen, from 1917 onward! Why should this piece of romantic adventure endure, when so many others languished or fell out of favor in ensuing decades? Well, let's examine the plot.

It is the time of The Terror, the French Revolution has torn down the monarchy and replaced it with a Republic, which is enacting its revenge on the aristocrats that oppressed the citizens of France. Trouble is, it is also taking revenge on political opponents and rivals, showing that even justice and virtue can turn nasty in the hands of the ambitious. In the real world, this continued until the downfall of Robespierre and his allies. In Baroness Orczy's world, there arose an English aristocrat to rescue the poor, downtrodden aristos and confound those demned Frenchies. never let it be said the English never missed a chance to rubbish the French!

Sir Percy is actually the leader of a group, The League of the Pimpernel, who secretly work to free various accused persons and spirit them to freedom and safety in England. Sir Percy leads from the front, often woking in disguise in the dangerous French locales, avoiding Revolutionary patrols and spies and smuggling out the former condemned. Sir Percy is married to the former Marguerite St Just, and actress and singer of the French and English stage and the woman who condemned the Marquis de St Cyr to the Revolutionary officials, before she met Sir Percy, out of revenge for the Marquis having brother, Armand beaten, for his romantic interest in the Marquis' daughter. This fact is brought to light to Sir Percy by the new French envoy, Citizen Chauvelin. Sir Percy becomes estranged from his wife, who is unaware that he leads the League of the Pimpernel. To her, her once loving husband is a dandy and a fop, more interested in lace and the cut of a sleeve than in justice or politics. Chauvelin is aware that Armand St Just is part of the League and blackmails Marguerite into helping him uncover the identity of the Pimpernel. Marguerite, distant from her husband gives information to Chauvelin, which leads him to the truth. However, Marguerite learns her brother is in danger and turns to her husband for help. He vows to save him. Marguerite soon takes a closer look in her husband's study and realizes that a great brain lies under the dandy facade and spots the symbol of the Pimpernel flower, realizing that her husband is the Scarlet Pimpernel. She travels to France to warn Sir Percy of Chauvelin's trap and helps him elude him and return to England safely.

The novel was filmed multiple times; but, we shall look at 4 specific adaptations, 2 theatrical films, one made for television, and a television series. First, what many consider to be the definitive film version, the 1934 feature, starring Leslie Howard.



The film was produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Harold Young. Korda originally sought to cast Charles Laughton as Sir Percy; but, when he made the announcement, fans of Orczy and the press ridiculed the idea of Laughton as the suave Sir Percy. This led to casting top leading man and romantic idol Leslie Howard, who would go on to play Ashley Wilkes, in Gone With the Wind. Starring alongside Howard is Merle Oberon, as Marguerite and their on-screen love was matched with an off-screen affair (Howard had many, with co-stars). Raymond Massey plays the villain, Citizen Chauvelin and does so with nasty gusto, sneering at Sir Percy at every turn, as a rich, foppish aristo, and plays with Marguerite like a cat, with a trapped mouse. Perennial Dr Watson, Nigel Bruce, plays the Prince of Wales. The film follows the novel fairly well and certainly captures both the characters and the plot, filling the screen with the duel of wits between Sir Percy and Chauvelin, as well as the romance of Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite (once they reconcile). There is also some fine swordsmanship on display, as well as thrilling action and Howard gets to do some character performing, when Sir Percy adopts disguises in his daring escapades.

Howard plays up the fop and he swishes across the screen as much as he swashes, buckled or unbuckled, and set the tone for anyone who played the bored wealthy playboy, who is secretly a hero. The novel created the archetype, which was swiped by everyone, from Zorro, to teh Shadow, to Bruce Wayne. This film popularized the idea further, in the minds of the public, who knew the story more from this version, than the novel.

Later, during wartime, Howard would return to the Pimpernel, after a fashion, in the film "Pimpernel" Smith. There, he plays Prof Horatio Smith, an archeology professor who takes a group of students on a tour of Nazi Germany, purportedly to discover the Aryan origins of German civilization. In reality, he is secretly working to free prisoners from concentration camps. The film is basically an updating of the plot to the pre-war period.

Never one to let the British do something well without trying it themselves, Hollywood tried its own Pimpernel, though with British partners. Sam Goldwyn bankrolled a production, with Korda, who still controlled film rights, leading to The Elusive Pimpernel (titled The Fighting Pimpernel, in the US) with David Niven as Sir Percy and Cyril Cusack as Chauvelin, with Jack Hawkins as the Prince of Wales. Goldwyn demanded many changes and forced David Niven into doing the film or be sued for breach of contract. he then withheld final payment to Korda, leading to a lawsuit from the producer. the film was released in the UK in 1950, but not until 1953, in the US. It has many fans, though, aside from being shot in color, doesn't really hold up to the 1934 version. Niven is fine in the role and plays him a bit more butch than Howard, and with his own charm. However, it really isn't Orczy. originally, Korda wanted to do it as a musical; but was denied the chance and it was turned into more of a light adventure, robbing some of the dramatic elements of the story.



There would be a few more before a British television production would come about, in 1982.



This version took advantage of the rising popularity of handsome lead, Anthony Andrews, who one a BAFTA for Brideshead Revisited (seen on PBS, in the States), as well as US showings of his tv series Danger UXB and the tv adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (with James Mason and Olivia Hussey). Cast opposite Andrews was the equally beautiful Jane Seymour, who had been nominated for a Golden Globe, for East of Eden. She was the perfect Marguerite to Andrews' Sir Percy. In the critical role of Chauvelin was stage actor Ian McKellen. McKellen had appeared in sporadic films and television, since the late 60s, but, this was one of several productions that helped boost his profile for film and television.

The film largely follows the novel; but, adds a subplot about an attempt to rescue the Dauphin, the heir to the throne of France, from the clutches of Robespierre. This subplot was taken from Orczy's historical novel, Eldorado, one of the Scarlet Pimpernel sequels (there were several Pimpernel novels, which expanded upon his adventures and Marguerite's role in them). McKellen is superb as Chauvelin, both charming and menacing in a way that would please Raymond Massey, while still giving a more modern flair to things. Andrews follows leslie Howard's lead and plays up the effeminate fop Sir Percy and the wiley and courageous Pimpernel, while also indulging the character acting of Sir Percy in disguise. There is a rousing duel between Sir Percy and Chauvelin at the climax of the film, which has been cited in works on stage fencing.

The film was done as a potential pilot for an American tv series and it did quite well, when broadcast on CBS; but, apparently, not well enough to persuade the network to go to the series, with the cost of the period production a likely element in the failure to go to series. Still, it proved a favorite on home video and developed quite a fan following, as well as helping reintroduce the novel to readers, as new editions appeared in conjunction with the film.

For our last version, we jump ahead to the dawn of a new millennium and the tv series, starring Richard E Grant, Elizabeth McGovern, and Martin Shaw. This was done as two series of 3 episodes each, with a feature-length run time of 90 minutes. The episodes were shot in the Czech Republic, taking advantage of the preserved cities to add a flavor to the production. The opening episode takes its cue from the novel and subsequent episodes deal in new adventures, with Marguerite a partner in the conspiracy, as well as the League of the pimpernel. Chauvelin is a bit more balanced here, shown to be a patriot, but a man of some principles, compared to other versions. The settings and filming are lavish and Grant plays the character with his usual gusto and flamboyance; but, like Niven, seems a more physical Sir Percy, than the Howard standard. The BBC played up the James Bond-style adventuring and filled it with more dueling and brawling, though Grant plays it with a twinkle. It is great swashbuckling fun, though never rises dramatically to either the 1934 film or the 1982 tv movie. This was probably done to draw a younger audience, with a more action-oriented Pimpernel, though there is plenty of intrigue and caper planning to add some brain power to things.

In many ways, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite help set the idea of husband and wife adventurers, which would influence such couples as Nick and Nora Charles, Ralph and Sue Dibny, and Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane. Writer Phillip Jose Farmer, in crafting the origins of his Wold Newton Universe (within Tarzan Alive!, his fictional biography of Tarzan), where a meteor strike in England would spawn generations of daring adventurers and dastardly villains. The first generation of those altered by the meteor are Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite, who happen upon the site of the meter crash. Others related to this would include The Spider, The Shadow, Tarzan, Bruce Wayne, James Bond, Fu Manchu, Sherlock Holmes and many more, launching the idea of interconnected fictional bloodlines, which would lead to Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary gentlemen, where Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite would be members of the earlier League of Lemuel Gulliver, which included Natty "Hawkeye" Bumpo, Dr Christoper Synn, Gulliver, and the Blakeneys. Next time, we will look at another member of that League, who would lend his name to a certain physician and surgeon, who patched up wounded, during the Korean War. Come back next time, as we delve into Michael mann's 1992 version of James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, with Daniel Day Lewis, as well as brief looks at some of the other versions of the story.

ps the 1920 version, the 1932 serial and (it looks like) the 1936 versions can be seen on Youtube, and both the 1977 Last of the Mohicans and 1978 The Deerslayer, with Steve Forest and Ned Romero. I also recommend Romero's starring role as Chief Joseph, in I Will Fight No More, Forever (about the Nez Perce and their attempt to escape the US Army by fleeing to Canada).

Of course, along these lines there are the film versions and tv series Davy Crockett, with Fess Parker, as well as his later tv series Daniel Boone, with Ed Ames (whose skill with a tomahawk was illustrated on the Tonight Show). These are more Hollywood than history.