An evil scientist plots to take over the world from his base in Africa, where he has invented a machine that can cause earthquakes.An evil scientist plots to take over the world from his base in Africa, where he has invented a machine that can cause earthquakes.An evil scientist plots to take over the world from his base in Africa, where he has invented a machine that can cause earthquakes.
George 'Gabby' Hayes
- Butterfield
- (as George Hayes)
Everett Brown
- Boyo - a Giant [Chs. 1-2, 10-12]
- (uncredited)
Edwards Davis
- Scientist [Ch. 1]
- (uncredited)
Curley Dresden
- Arab Henchman
- (uncredited)
Henry Hall
- Army General
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWilliam 'Stage' Boyd was either drunk or on drugs during the filming of the final chapter, and it shows. His bad behavior on and off camera got him in so much trouble that it wrecked his career. Fellow actors in this movie didn't want to be around him when he was inebriated; this may be why he is shown alone in his final scenes. Many referred to him as a "functioning drunk". He passed away shortly after this movie was released from problems caused by his excessive drinking. A judge ordered him to add the "Stage" to his name so he wouldn't be confused with the other William Boyd, who played Hopalong Cassidy and whose career was being adversely affected by "Stage" Boyd's bad behavior.
- GoofsWhen the globe is used to pinpoint the origin of the disturbance the hero points to Mali on the globe. Supposedly unexplored territory and an area covered in deep jungles. Both are of course untrue, as Mali was both explored and is mostly desert.
- Alternate versionsVideo versions of this feature (using the title City Of Lost Men) hav the last reel of the serial's final chapter cut in after the feature proper fades out, showing the destruction of the main villains but not explaining how all the principals suddenly get from the trading post back into the underground lost city. It's not clear who is responsible for this amendment, although main titles suggest it may have been done for a 1970s reissue.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Lost City (1935)
Featured review
How bizarre is this serial? Very.
It was made fairly cheaply but does have some impressive sets and occasionally decent effects. But the writing and the acting are all terrible.
Kane Richmond is bland as the square-jawed hero. Claudia Dell seems miscast as the love interest; although she was only 26 she looks 40ish and plain. She has an overall prim, quavering, schoolmarmish air that's rather off putting. Jerry Frank as Apollyn is easy on the eyes in his gold lame shorts and little else. He helps rise this serial to a certain level of homo erotic camp.
The serial belongs to William "Stage" Boyd as mad scientist Zolok. He camps it up hilariously, although obviously meant to be serious. His final scenes are strangely effective; I'm told he was actually roaring drunk during the filming of those scenes which makes his final madness seem more effective. He died not long after completing this serial, making this an odd obituary.
The story? Well, Zolok is menacing the world from a lost city in Africa, once inhabited by a highly advanced race of which Zolok is the last member. He has hunky Apollyn and a twisted hunchback as assistants, and also has a captive scientist who has the requisite "lovely" daughter (Dell). Richmond goes to stop him and runs afoul of one trap after another, as well as Zolok's army of mindless black giants, and the queen of an African tribe who a) falls for Richmond and b) wants to be white.
Yup, this serial is morbidly racist. Quite a bit of plot hinges on the scientists' ability to turn black people white; at one point it's done and the subject jumps and leaps about with glee. When the Queen proposes marriage to Richmond, he smiles smugly and says, "Oh, I'm afraid that's out of the question."
Some audiences may find THE LOST CITY unpalatable, but it must be bourne in mind that it's a product of less-enlightened times (MUCH less enlightened). I view it not as a serious racial statement but just a reflection of the limited psyches of those involved.
It's actually pretty fun if you make the campiness of it part of the deal. I understand this was actually considered quite old-fashioned and out-of-date when it was released in 1935, making it a true oddity. See it and enjoy, but you were warned...
It was made fairly cheaply but does have some impressive sets and occasionally decent effects. But the writing and the acting are all terrible.
Kane Richmond is bland as the square-jawed hero. Claudia Dell seems miscast as the love interest; although she was only 26 she looks 40ish and plain. She has an overall prim, quavering, schoolmarmish air that's rather off putting. Jerry Frank as Apollyn is easy on the eyes in his gold lame shorts and little else. He helps rise this serial to a certain level of homo erotic camp.
The serial belongs to William "Stage" Boyd as mad scientist Zolok. He camps it up hilariously, although obviously meant to be serious. His final scenes are strangely effective; I'm told he was actually roaring drunk during the filming of those scenes which makes his final madness seem more effective. He died not long after completing this serial, making this an odd obituary.
The story? Well, Zolok is menacing the world from a lost city in Africa, once inhabited by a highly advanced race of which Zolok is the last member. He has hunky Apollyn and a twisted hunchback as assistants, and also has a captive scientist who has the requisite "lovely" daughter (Dell). Richmond goes to stop him and runs afoul of one trap after another, as well as Zolok's army of mindless black giants, and the queen of an African tribe who a) falls for Richmond and b) wants to be white.
Yup, this serial is morbidly racist. Quite a bit of plot hinges on the scientists' ability to turn black people white; at one point it's done and the subject jumps and leaps about with glee. When the Queen proposes marriage to Richmond, he smiles smugly and says, "Oh, I'm afraid that's out of the question."
Some audiences may find THE LOST CITY unpalatable, but it must be bourne in mind that it's a product of less-enlightened times (MUCH less enlightened). I view it not as a serious racial statement but just a reflection of the limited psyches of those involved.
It's actually pretty fun if you make the campiness of it part of the deal. I understand this was actually considered quite old-fashioned and out-of-date when it was released in 1935, making it a true oddity. See it and enjoy, but you were warned...
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Lost City
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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