''Hawk of the Wilderness'' (1938) is a

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

based on the ''Kioga'' adventure novels written by

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

writer William L. Chester (1907-1971). Kioga was a

Tarzanesque Tarzanesque (in French: ''Tarzanide'') is a term created by Frenchman Francis Lacassin used to describe characters in comic books inspired by Tarzan. A tarzanesque character resembles Tarzan in his physical resourcefulness, within a line of actio ...

white child raised on a lost island in the Arctic Circle, somewhere in northern Siberia, which was heated by thermal springs and unknown currents. Chester wrote four Kioga novels. The first, ''Hawk of the Wilderness'' (1935), was the one that was filmed as the 12-part 1938 Republic serial. (The other novels in the series were ''Kioga of the Wilderness'' (1936), ''One Against a Wilderness'' (1937) and ''Kioga of the Unknown Land'' (1938).

Herman Brix Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

had earlier also played Tarzan on film in the 1935

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

- produced serial ''

The New Adventures of Tarzan ''The New Adventures of Tarzan'' is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Herman Brix. The serial presents a more authentic version of the character than most other film adaptations, with Tarzan as the cultured and well-educated gent ...

''. ''Hawk of the Wilderness'' was later re-edited into a feature film version for television as ''The Lost Island of Kioga'' in 1966.

Plot

Dr. Lincoln Rand, leading an expedition to an uncharted island in the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

that he theorizes may be the ancestral home of all Native Americans, is shipwrecked. The only survivors are Lincoln Rand Jr. (Dr Rand's infant son) and the doctor's servant Mokuyi. Years later, a message in a bottle from the sinking ship is found, and a second expedition led by a Dr. Munro sets out to find the lost expedition. Part of the crew, led by a

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

named Solerno,

mutinies Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

when they reach the island, abandoning the doctor's expedition. Dr. Munro and company are rescued by Lincoln Rand Jr, now an adult

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

-like character known by the name "Kioga, Hawk of the Wilderness", who was raised to manhood on the island by Mokuyi. During the serial's running time, Kioga protects the expedition from both the mutineers and a savage tribe of natives who inhabit the jungle led by a villainous shaman. Meanwhile, the volcano is getting dangerously close to erupting.

Cast

as Lincoln Rand Jr, (aka Kioga, Hawk of the Wilderness) *

Lane Chandler Lane Chandler (born Robert Clinton Oakes, June 4, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American actor specializing mainly in Western (genre), Westerns. Biography Early life Chandler was raised on a ranch near Culbertson, Montana, the so ...

as Dr. Lincoln Rand Sr. (uncredited) *

Noble Johnson Noble Johnson (April 18, 1881 – January 9, 1978), later known as Mark Noble, was an American actor and film producer. He appeared in films such as ''The Mummy'' (1932), ''The Most Dangerous Game'' (1932), ''King Kong'' (1933) and ''Son of ...

as Mokuyi, Dr. Rand's former servant who rescues the baby Kioga and raises him to adulthood *

Ray Mala Ray Mala (born Ray Agnaqsiaq Wise, also known as Ach-nach-chiak ( Iñupiaq othography: ''Aġnatchiaq''); December 27, 1906 – September 23, 1952) was a prominent Native American Hollywood actor. He was one of Hollywood's Native American m ...

as Kias, Kioga's manservant *

Tom Chatterton Tom Chatterton (February 12, 1881 – August 17, 1952) was an American actor and director.. Born in Geneva, New York, Chatterton was active in sports as a youth. He gained early acting experience with Ben Horning's stock theater company in Syrac ...

as Dr. Munro *

Fred Toones Fred "Snowflake" Toones (January 5, 1906 – February 13, 1962) was an American actor and comedian. He appeared in over 200 films in his career spanning 23 years. Career He appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1951. His standard ch ...

(aka "Snowflake") as George (Dr. Munro's Negro servant) *Jill Martin (aka Harley Wood) as Beth, Dr. Munro's attractive daughter/ love interest for Kioga *

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

as Yellow Weasel, a villainous native shaman opposed to Kioga and the Munro expedition *

George Eldredge George Edwin Eldredge (September 10, 1898 – March 12, 1977) was an American actor who appeared in over 180 movies during a career that stretched from the 1930s to the early 1960s. He also had a prolific television career during the 1950 ...

as Allen Kendall, a member of Dr Munro's expedition *Patrick J. Kelly as William 'Bill-Bill' Williams, another member of Dr Munro's expedition *William Royle as Manuel Solerno, the smuggler *

Dick Wessel Richard Michael Wessel (April 20, 1913 – April 20, 1965) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 270 films between 1935 and 1966. He is best remembered for his only leading role, a chilling portrayal of strangler Harry "C ...

as Dirk, Solerno's henchman *Tuffie as Tawnee (the dog) *

James Dime James Dime (December 19, 1897 – May 11, 1981), nicknamed ''Sheik of Spring Street'', was a Yugoslavian-American professional boxer and actor known for ''The Last Hurrah'' (1958), '' So Big'' (1953), '' Steel Town'' (1952), ''Anne of the Indi ...

as Dark Cloud

Production

''Hawk of the Wilderness'' was filmed between 18 September and 13 October 1938, with location filming in

Mammoth Lakes, California Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County, California, and is the county's only incorporated community. It is located immediately to the east of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,191, r ...

. The serial was budgeted for $117,987 but the final

negative cost Negative cost is the net expense to produce and shoot a film, excluding such expenditures as distribution and promotion. Low-budget movies, for example ''The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural h ...

rose slightly to $121,168. 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.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. Silent parts of the serial were filmed with a one-inch lens. Cameraman

Edgar Lyons Edgar Lyons was an American cinematographer, his first credit was the silent film '' Montana Bill'' in 1921. Filmography All as cinematographer, unless otherwise noted, as Per AFI database. *'' Montana Bill'' (1921) *'' Smiling Jim'' (1922) ...

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 William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: ''Dick Tracy Returns'', ''G-Men vs. the Black ...

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, preventing the microphone from getting close enough to work properly.

Special Effects

The special effects in this serial were created by the

Lydecker brothers Howard and Theodore Lydecker, always known—and billed—as such, were Howard "Babe" Lydecker (June 8, 1911 – September 26, 1969) and Theodore Lydecker (November 7, 1908 – May 25, 1990), a special effects team primarily working as contract s ...

Stunts

*Ted Mapes as Kioga (doubling Herman Brix) *

*George Montgomery *Henry Wills

Release

Theatrical

''Hawk of the Wilderness official release date is 3 December 1938, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.

Television

In the early 1950s, ''Hawk of the Wilderness'' was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into six 26½-minute episodes each for television syndication. It was also one of twenty-six Republic serials edited into a feature film for television syndication in 1966. The title of the film was changed to ''Lost Island of Kioga'' (cut to 100 minutes in length.)

Critical reception

The burial of Kioga's servant Kias in the final chapter is regarded by historian William C. Cline as one of the "very few successful attempts at drama in serials."

Chapter titles

# Mysterious Island (28min 59s) # Flaming Death (16min 40s) # Tiger Trap (16min 46s) # Queen's Ransom (16min 50s) # Pendulum of Doom (16min 35s) # The Dead Fall (16min 40s) # White Man's Magic (16min 41s) # Ambushed (16min 41s) # Marooned (16min 41s) - a re-cap chapter # Caves of Horror (16min 39s) # Valley of Skulls (16min 41s) # Trail's End (16min 40s) _Source:

References

External links

* * {{William Witney 1938 films 1930s English-language films 1938 adventure films 1930s fantasy films American black-and-white films Republic Pictures film serials Films directed by William Witney Films directed by John English Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films scored by William Lava American adventure films American fantasy films 1930s American films