Hawk of the Wilderness
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| Hawk of the Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 Original poster for the 4th chapter of the serial |
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| Directed by | William Witney John English |
| Produced by | Robert M. Beche |
| Written by | Barry Shipman Rex Taylor Norman S. Hall Ridgeway Callow Sol Shor William L. Chester (novel) |
| Starring | Herman Brix Ray Mala Monte Blue Jill Martin Noble Johnson William Royle Tom Chatterton |
| Music by | William Lava |
| Cinematography | William Nobles Edgar Lyons |
| Editing by | Edward Todd Helene Turner |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  3 December 1938 (serial)1950s (TV series)1966 (film) |
| Running time | 12 chapters (213 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $117,987 (negative cost: $121,168)[1] |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Kioga novel of the same name by pulp writer William L. Chester.
Kioga is very similar to the character of Tarzan, whom Herman Brix had also played on film in the 1935, Edgar Rice Burroughs produced serial The New Adventures of Tarzan.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Dr Rand, leading and expedition to an uncharted island in the Arctic circle that may be the ancestral home of all Native Americans, is shipwrecked. The only survivors are Dr Rand's son and his servant Mokuyi. Years later, a message from the sinking ship is found and an expedition sets out to find the island again. Part of the crew, lead by smuggler Solerno, mutinies when they reach the island, abandoning Dr Munro and his expedition. Fortunately, Dr Munro and company are rescued by Kioga, the adult son of Dr Rand, who has been raised on the island by Mokuyi.
[edit] Cast
- Herman Brix as Kioga ("Hawk of the Wilderness"), son of Dr Rand, a survivor of the initial shipwreck and raised by Mokuyi on the island
- Ray Mala as Kias, Kioga's native sidekick
- Monte Blue as Yellow Weasel, villainous shaman opposed to Kioga, the Munros and the Smugglers
- Jill Martin as Beth, Dr Munro's daughter
- Noble Johnson as Mokuyi, the former servant of Kioga's late father. Rescued Kioga and, as the only other survivor of the shipwreck, raised him on the island
- William Royle as Solerno, smuggler searching for wealth on the uncharted island
- Tom Chatterton as Dr Munro, a scientist who leads an expedition to discover the fate of his old friend Dr Rand
- George Eldredge as Allen Kendall, a member of Dr Munro's expedition
- Patrick J. Kelly as William Williams, AKA Bill Bill, another member of Dr Munro's expedition
- Dick Wessel as Dirk
- Fred 'Snowflake' Toones as George, Dr Munro's servant
- Tuffie the dog as Tawnee
[edit] Production
Hawk of the Wilderness was filmed between 18 September and 13 October 1938, with location filming in the High Sierras. The sixth chapter, The Dead Fall, was made available to film exchanges on 3 December 1938 (recorded as the serial's official release date). The serial was budgetted for $117,987 but the final negative cost rose slightly to $121,168.[1]
The serial was later edited in the television series of six 26½-minute episodes in the early 1950s. In 1966 it was re-edited again into a 100-minute film, released under the title Lost Island of Kioga.[1]
Tuffie was cast when his trainer, during the interview, said "Tuffie, it's dark in here. Turn on the light." Tuffie did so by finding the switch, pulling a chair across to reach it and flipping the switch with his paw.[2]
Silent parts of the serial were filmed with a one-inch lens. Cameraman Edgar Lyons had initially been filming more of the clouds in the sky than the actors, with the effect of partially cutting them out of the shot. The studio complained. Director William Witney compromised with the use of the wider lens, which would take in both cloudscape and actors. Only silent scenes were shot in this manner because the camera would be both closer to the actors and take in more of the surroundings, so that the microphone would not be able to get close enough to work properly.[2]
[edit] Chapter titles
- Mysterious Island
- Flaming Death
- Tiger Trap
- Queen's Ransom
- Pendulum of Doom
- The Dead Fall
- White Man's Magic
- Ambushed
- Marooned
- Camp of Horror
- Valley of Skulls
- Trail's End
This was one of the two 12-chapter serials released by Republic in 1938, the other was The Fighting Devil Dogs. This year began the studio's standard release pattern of two 12-chapter and two 15-chapter serials in every year. This pattern remained until 1944 with the exception of 1942, which was only one 15-chapter serial released.
[edit] Stunts & Effects
[edit] Special Effects
The special effects in this serial were created by the Lydecker brothers.
[edit] Stunts
- Ted Mapes as Kioga (doubling Herman Brix)
- James Dime
- George Montgomery
- Henry Wills
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement; Mathis, Jack, 1995, ISBN 0-9632878-1-8
- ^ a b Witney, William (2005). In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Dick Tracy Returns (1938) |
Republic Serial Hawk of the Wilderness (1939) |
Succeeded by The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939) |
| Preceded by Dick Tracy Returns (1938) |
Witney-English Serial Hawk of the Wilderness (1939) |
Succeeded by The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939) |
