Written by Sherman S. Krellberg and directed by Harry Revier, The Lost City is an independent science fiction film serial created and produced in 1935. It consisted of twelve chapters. It was also comibine as a full movie and well as get rereleased as a movie in 1940 as City of Lost Men.
As the series begins we meet Scientist Bruce Gordon (Kane Richmond) who has travelled to a secluded area in Africa after concluding that a series of electrically induced natural disasters had originated from in the area. There he finds the crazed Zolok (William “Stage” Boyd), last of the Lemurians, in a secret complex inside a mountain.
Zolok had created the natural disasters as a prelude to his attempt to take over the world, holding a brilliant scientist, Dr. Manyus (Josef Swickard), there hostage, along with his daughter, Natcha (Claudia Dell).
Zolok has forced Manyus to create mindless “giant” slaves out of the natives as a private army and as the serial progresses we learn Manyus also turned another tribe, the spider-worshipping Wangas, into thin, impotent whites.
Gordon helps Manyus and his daughter to escape Zolok, but they encounter Ben Ali (Gino Corrado), a malignant slave trader; meet the native Queen Rama (Margot D’Use), who tries to help them; and survive harrowing jungle adventures before returning to the Lost City and stopping Zolok’s plan.
It should be noted that William ‘Stage’ Boyd was either drunk or on drugs during the filming of the final chapter. And it well shows in the movie. 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 in this film. 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, who’s career was being affected by ‘Stage’ Boyd’s bad behavior.
More Stories
TekWar
Dark Skies
Bullseye