Customer Reviews

The Lost City

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Okay, the serial itself is a hoot. A fairly early entry with a feel that talkies have finally arrived -- although it was made in the mid-30s. But what can we do about Alpha? Sure, they make offerings such as these available, when no one else will, but absolutely no effort is made with respect to quality. A grainy, noisy copy of the series was used, and what's with the cropping? You know something's up when the title disappears from the top of the screen. Our hero, and dastardly villains, often have their heads lopped off. I'm not asking for letterbox quality -- not even pan and scan -- but can't you at least get the top and bottom of the frame on the screen? Oh well. If you can pick up a copy for about $5, it's worth it. But remember, you've been warned.

VCI Entertainment, Super Serial Productions Inc, Sherman S. Krellberg present..."The Lost City" (1935) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes loaded with jungle action sequences...story line takes us to Central Africa where there are disturbances threatening civilization ...could it be Magnetic Mountain is behind all of this and Bruce Gordon (Richmond) has invented a machine to locate and eliminate the problem...who is this scientific wizard Zolok (Boyd) and the inventor Dr.Manyus (Swickard) who does his evil bidding....will Zolok succeed in conquering the world with his giant African army of slaves...what strange power keeps Gorza (Bletcher) the dwarf in check, and will Appolyn (Frank) the strongman woo Natcha (Dell) daughter of Dr. Manyus into marriage...what can our hero Gordon do to stop the "Destroying Rays" and Zolok's evil intentions...has everyone gone bananas Prof. Reynolds (Lewis), Dr.Colton (Millman), Andrews (Moranti) and Butterfield (Hayes) all want to have Manyus the giant maker under their thumb...now enters more problems with Ben Ali (Corrado) and Queen Rama (D'Use) both up to no good slave traders, who want a piece of the action...now the big question is can Bruce Gordon and Jerry Delaney (Fetherston) save the good Dr. Manyus and thwart all who stand in their way, plus save the world within those exciting 12 Chapters......don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Mad Scientist"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director Harry Revier, producer Sherman S. Krellberg, Original story by Dialogue director Zelma Carroll, Geo. M. Merrick and Robert Dillon, continuity by Perley Poore Sheehan, Eddy Graneman, Leon D'Usseau, dialogue director Zelma Carroll, musical score by Lee Zahler, special effects by Ken Strickfaden....the cast includes William Stage Boyd (Zolok), Kane Richmond (Bruce Gordon), Claudia Dell (Natcha Manyus), Josef Swickard (Dr. Manyus), George "Gabby" Hayes (Butterfield), Billy Bletcher (Gorzo), Eddie Fetherston (Jerry Delaney), Milburn Morante (Chet Andrews), Margot D'Use (Rama, Queen of the Wangas), Jerry Frank (Appollon), Ralph Lewis (Prof. Reynolds), William Millman (Dr. Colton), Gino Corrado (Sheikh Ben Ali), Sam Baker (Hugo, lead giant), Everett Brown (Boyo, a Giant)....special note that actor George Francis Hayes gained fame as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick "Windy Halliday" between 1936-39 in the Cassidy B-Western series...after leaving the Hoppy films in 1940 he took the nickname of "Gabby" through some legal requests not to use "Windy", from then on he worked with Roy Rogers, John Wayne and Randolph Scott under the name of Gabby Hayes, became a favorite character in B-Westerns, was always in the Top Ten Western Box Office stars, inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2000, and he deserved it you're durn tootin'....meanwhile back to our Super Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Living Dead men
2. Tuinnel of Death
3. Dagger Rock
4. Doomed
5. Tiger Prey
6. Human Beasts
7. Spider Men
8. Human Targets
9. Jungle Vengeance
10.The Lion Pit
11.Death Ray
12.The Mad Scientist

BIOS:
1. William Stage Boyd (not to be confused with Hopalong Cassidy's William Boyd)
Birth Date:12/18/1889 - New York, New York
Died: 3/20/1935 - Los Angeles, CA (
2. Kane Richmond
Birth Date: 12/23/1906 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died: 3/22/1973 - Corona Del Mar, CA
3. Claudia Dell
Birth Date:1/10/1909 - San Antonio, TX
Died: 9/05/1977 - Hollywood, CA
4. George "Gabby" Hayes (aka George Francis Hayes)
Birth Date: 5/07/1885 - Wellsville, New York
Died: 2/09/1969 - Burbank, CA
5. Josef Swickard
Birth Date: 6/26/1866 - Coblenz, Germany
Died: 2/29/1940 - Hollywood, CA
6. Harry J. Revier (Director)
Birth Date: 3/16/1889 - Philadelphia, PA
Died: 8/13/1957 - Winter Park, Florida

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present Zane Grey's "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940) (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...is there a discovered substance called "Compound X", which may cure infantile paralysis...has Tom Merritt stumbled on such a rare find...is there a war between Canada and sources known later as the "Father Land".....get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "The Lost City" (1935), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 265 mins ~ VCI Entertainment 1787 ~ (3/28/2000)

This very inexpensive release was made from an extremely chopped-up print, making it nearly unwatchable. The serial itself is a hoot - and is much better served by another release, priced higher and worth the difference.

The serial is as I remembered it. It was well done for a B-serial. William "Stage" Boyd played the crazied ruler of the Lost City to perfection. The print used to make the DVD was indeed a good copy and the sound is good. This actor is not to be confused with William Hopalong Cassidy Boyd.
earlsqay@yahoo.com

What surprises me most about The Lost City is how much I enjoyed it. This is the first serial I've watched since I was a kid - around 1987 I picked up Volume 1 of the first Buster Crabbe "Flash Gordon" serial and watched it countless times. I knew it was old, I knew it was clunky, but something about it went straight to my juvenile cortex. And that's predominately who serials were created for - kids. So to enjoy these things you have to put yourself somewhat on that level; you have to enjoy the thrills for what they are, you have to take the shoddy production values for what they are. You have to turn off your adult mind. (There is of course another way to enjoy these serials - call over some friends, crack open some beer, and let the comments rip.)

Despite all these caveats, The Lost City actually succeeds as pure entertainment. Produced and released in 1935, it's comprised of twelve cracking "chapters" which run the gamut from flat-out action to Machiavellian intrigue, with enough sexual tension to keep even the ladies interested. (Okay, maybe that last one's stretching it a bit.)

The story: the world's going to pieces, with tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes ripping apart civilization. Electrical engineer Bruce Gordon (played by the square-jawed Kane Richmond) determines that the source of these problems is in an uncharted region of Africa. Putting together a group composed of his comedic-relief pal Jerry (Eddie Fetherston) and a few professors and soldiers, Bruce heads for Africa. There he discovers The Lost City (called such even by its inhabitants), a high-tech fortress built within The Magnetic Mountain. Here evil Zolok (William "Stage" Boyd in a drunken scenery-chewing performance for the ages) helms his "Bride of Frankenstein"-esque electrical equipment - equipment which has been wreaking all of that aforementioned havoc.

Also in the Lost City is Dr. Manyus, Zolok's chief scientist, and Manyus's pretty and vivacious daughter, Natcha (Claudia Dell, apparently the original model for the Columbia Pictures logo, and a lady with one shrill scream). Natcha's of course the damsel in distress; she's a headwrap-loving girl who, it seems, has never seen a white man (and yes, she makes this distinction), other than Appollyn (Jerry Frank), a hulking stooge who serves as Zolok's henchman and who runs about in a pair of lightning bolt-emblazoned tights. There's also a hunchback named "Gorzo" afoot. Oh yes, we are in pure pulp territory here.

After lots of action in The Lost City, with Natcha instantly swooning over Bruce, the story "opens up" with lots more action in the jungle itself; indeed, chapters five through ten don't have much to do with the story proper. Bruce has, after all, come here to stop the electrical shenanigans which have caused the weather disasters back home, but all this is forgotten for half of the serial, with the story instead revolving around a lot of jungle adventure and plotting amongst various characters to get possession of the "zombie giants" created by Zolok and Dr. Manyus.

Zombie giants? Yes; in some of the most bizarre footage I've ever witnessed, Zolok and Dr. Manyus take shrieking African natives, strap them to an electrocution-style slab of metal, and enlarge them into monstrous giants. The actors portraying these giants are truly impressive; Sam Baker, who plays the "lead" zombie, Hugo (!), has to be at least seven feet tall, and he's built like a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker. He and his fellow zombies tower over the other actors, and it's to the producer's credit that Bruce and his comrades are unable to match strength with them.

Zolok has created these giants - incredibly strong but brain-dead - and various personages who happen to be around the Lost City want them for their own purposes. First there's Sheikh Ben Ali (played by Gino Corrado - and let me just say, you haven't lived until you've seen a fake Arabian singing a fake Arabic song), who wants to amass his power with said giants; next there's duplicitous Butterfield (played by Gabby Hayes!), an American adventurer who has no qualms with back-stabbing; and most importantly there's the jaw-dropping Queen Rama, a slave-trader who commands a legion of natives and serving-girls (played by the gorgeous Margot D'Use, who seems to have done little else).

All of these intrigues and double-crosses wind upon themselves to such an extent that I - an adult viewing this serial seventy-four years after it was produced - had a hard time following it all. But man I enjoyed it. There are all these little touches that still have me smiling: the goofy yet endearing way that Natcha grabs hold of Bruce in every single scene they're in together, from clutching his hand to full-on wrapping herself around him; Queen Rama's imperious gestures, which are just pitch perfect; the malevolent-looking devices Zolok has at his disposal, all of which spit out strands of electrify (designed by Ken Strickfaden, who designed the similar special effects for "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein"); the impromptu and irrelevant costume-changes for both Natcha and Queen Rama (the former donning a black pantsuit - complete with headwrap, of course - and the latter donning an outrageous full-body bikini made of a leopard's pelt); how William "Stage" Boyd stumbles through his lines (yet still delivering them with appropriate menace and tyranny), even tripping down a small stairway; the corny dialog Jerry delivers with aplomb (at one point both he and Bruce are trussed up, and while they're struggling to break free of their bonds Jerry observes, "So this is Africa?").

Okay, I've gone this far without mentioning the racist element of The Lost City. It's there, and there's no apologizing for it. Part of me wants to argue that maybe it's there for a reason, the producers parodying the "black fear" of whites, these super-large zombie giants acting as ludicrous extremes of "native savagery." In other words, like the serial equivalent of those frenzied last pages of Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow," where Pynchon goes into this essay about racism and the bizarre fears many whites have of blacks. But I can't make that argument, because it would be moot. The Lost City is a racist film, pure and simple, and I would not advise anyone who is sensitive to issues of race to watch it. For this is a serial in which a character will say "That's a WHITE girl's scream!" before even seeing the screaming girl, a serial where African natives beg to be "turned white" by Dr. Manyus and then jump for joy when they are turned so, a serial where the Africans are treated like wallpaper, less than wallpaper, there just to carry around victims or to bark out bizarre grunts as they attack the white heroes.

It's my understanding that this element of The Lost City was considered outdated by viewers even in 1935 (but that didn't stop it from being a hit). I'll make this clear: I am a white male, and though this element of the serial upset me, it didn't infuriate me. I'm unsure how viewers of other racial backgrounds would view it. Sam Baker (Hugo) himself later apologized to the black community for being in the serial; in one of those heartwarming stories that Hollywood surprisingly hasn't lapped up, Baker became lifelong friends with Jerry Frank (Appollyn), and the two met Martin Luther King, Jr a few decades later. Both apologized to King for having appeared in The Lost City, but MLK told them they had nothing to apologize for.

And he had a point. For despite all of its racist nonsense, The Lost City IS an enjoyable movie, and with a simple brain-change one can overlook the racism, chalk it up as a sign of a forgotten time and move on. Because, just to reiterate, I've never seen anything like this serial. It's more of a comic-book-on-film than ANYTHING Hollywood has released in the past decade, and I plan to watch it again and again.

Please note: there are two DVD releases of The Lost City currently available: there's "Lost City," released in 2005 by Alpha Video, and there's "The Lost City," released in 2006 by VCI Entertainment. The one you want is the one released by VCI Entertainment. Avoid the Alpha Video release. Sure, the Alpha Video DVD is about ten dollars less expensive than the VCI, but you're getting what you pay for; the print used for the Alpha Video DVD is noisy, filled with blemishes, and worst of all cuts off a lot of the print (ie scenes where the actors' heads are missing from the frame). The VCI print is worlds better, but that's to be expected from them; VCI actually takes the time to restore these serials, and they release them in the best format possible. So by all means, get your Lost City fix from VCI.

First, take a look at the technical crew on this baby: cinematography by Edward Linden, who was the cinematographer on 1933's "King Kong", art direction by Ralph Berger, who went on to do "Flash Gordon" a couple of years later, and special electrical effects by Ken Strickfaden, who did both the original "Frankenstein" AND "Bride of Frankenstein". This is GREAT stuff! Good-guy lead Kane Richmond went on to become 1942's "Spy Smasher", and played Lamont Cranston ("The Shadow") in THREE flicks. But the guy who really sets the tone of this frantic actioner is William "Stage" Boyd. (He started using "Stage" as a differentiator from the "other" William Boyd, better known to all as "Hopalong Cassidy".) Boyd is obviously intoxicated through most of this, but was rip-roaring drunk during the filming of the final episode, establishing himself as perhaps the maddest scientist of all time. He can hurl thunderbolts across the planet, sink ships, cause earthquakes, turn normal men into giants and black men into white. His strong-man assistant Appollyn (Jerry Frank) struts around in an outfit that looks like Aquaman's scaled undershorts with suspenders. He never "made it" - a look at the Internet Movie Database shows him playing assorted thugs and "sharkmen" in everything from "Flash Gordon" to 1957's "Bop Girl Goes Calypso" (remind me to check THAT out sometime!) The acting is more over-the-top than an Italian opera - it approaches the stratospheric heights of "Fiend of Dope Island", and that's the, ummmm, highest (sorry) accolade I can possibly give. Never a dull moment, endlessly entertaining, and sets the standard for serials for at least the next decade. The VCI print is well cleaned-up, but the sound does get a bit murky in spots (unfortunately, one being the very first run of the opening credits - DON'T let that put you off!) My absolute top recommendation! "Put him in the Brain Destroyer!!"

The last of a race of super geniuses (William Boyd) lives in a hidden city in the jungles of Africa. He decides that he wants to rule the world and sends out a ray that causes flooding, tidal waves and other ecological disasters. A strapping young scientist (Kane Richmond) figures out where the signal is coming from and leads an expedition to Africa to put a stop to it. They come across "giants" (African natives who are enlarged by the evil ruler's machines, becoming mindless zombies), "spider men" (African natives who are turned into white men by a serum that Kane Richmond's character calls one of the greatest inventions ever) and treachery both from within their group and from others they meet. Naturally, there is a kindly scientist, and naturally he has a beautiful daughter who longs to run off into the sunset with Kane Richmond's character. The evil ruler has a bodybuilder henchman who spends much of the story running around in the jungle, periodically stopping to use his belt radio (he kneels down and pushes a grounding rod into the earth, then pulls a microphone off the radio box and says "Appollon listening!"). All in all, an unusual mix of science fiction and jungle action, with numerous racist comments that would definitely arouse angry comments today. The acting was almost always over the top, even for a movie serial. I bought it because I'm a Kane Richmond fan, and I watched it all the way through more out of fascination that they were able to get away with this stuff than anything else. Definitely different.

VCI Entertainment, Super Serial Productions Inc, Sherman S. Krellberg present..."The Lost City" (1935) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes loaded with jungle action sequences...story line takes us to Central Africa where there are disturbances threatening civilization ...could it be Magnetic Mountain is behind all of this and Bruce Gordon (Richmond) has invented a machine to locate and eliminate the problem...who is this scientific wizard Zolok (Boyd) and the inventor Dr.Manyus (Swickard) who does his evil bidding....will Zolok succeed in conquering the world with his giant African army of slaves...what strange power keeps Gorza (Bletcher) the dwarf in check, and will Appolyn (Frank) the strongman woo Natcha (Dell) daughter of Dr. Manyus into marriage...what can our hero Gordon do to stop the "Destroying Rays" and Zolok's evil intentions...has everyone gone bananas Prof. Reynolds (Lewis), Dr.Colton (Millman), Andrews (Moranti) and Butterfield (Hayes) all want to have Manyus the giant maker under their thumb...now enters more problems with Ben Ali (Corrado) and Queen Rama (D'Use) both up to no good slave traders, who want a piece of the action...now the big question is can Bruce Gordon and Jerry Delaney (Fetherston) save the good Dr. Manyus and thwart all who stand in their way, plus save the world within those exciting 12 Chapters......don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Mad Scientist"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director Harry Revier, producer Sherman S. Krellberg, Original story by Dialogue director Zelma Carroll, Geo. M. Merrick and Robert Dillon, continuity by Perley Poore Sheehan, Eddy Graneman, Leon D'Usseau, dialogue director Zelma Carroll, musical score by Lee Zahler, special effects by Ken Strickfaden....the cast includes William Stage Boyd (Zolok), Kane Richmond (Bruce Gordon), Claudia Dell (Natcha Manyus), Josef Swickard (Dr. Manyus), George "Gabby" Hayes (Butterfield), Billy Bletcher (Gorzo), Eddie Fetherston (Jerry Delaney), Milburn Morante (Chet Andrews), Margot D'Use (Rama, Queen of the Wangas), Jerry Frank (Appollon), Ralph Lewis (Prof. Reynolds), William Millman (Dr. Colton), Gino Corrado (Sheikh Ben Ali), Sam Baker (Hugo, lead giant), Everett Brown (Boyo, a Giant)....special note that actor George Francis Hayes gained fame as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick "Windy Halliday" between 1936-39 in the Cassidy B-Western series...after leaving the Hoppy films in 1940 he took the nickname of "Gabby" through some legal requests not to use "Windy", from then on he worked with Roy Rogers, John Wayne and Randolph Scott under the name of Gabby Hayes, became a favorite character in B-Westerns, was always in the Top Ten Western Box Office stars, inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2000, and he deserved it you're durn tootin'....meanwhile back to our Super Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Living Dead men
2. Tuinnel of Death
3. Dagger Rock
4. Doomed
5. Tiger Prey
6. Human Beasts
7. Spider Men
8. Human Targets
9. Jungle Vengeance
10.The Lion Pit
11.Death Ray
12.The Mad Scientist

BIOS:
1. William Stage Boyd (not to be confused with Hopalong Cassidy's William Boyd)
Birth Date:12/18/1889 - New York, New York
Died: 3/20/1935 - Los Angeles, CA (
2. Kane Richmond
Birth Date: 12/23/1906 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died: 3/22/1973 - Corona Del Mar, CA
3. Claudia Dell
Birth Date:1/10/1909 - San Antonio, TX
Died: 9/05/1977 - Hollywood, CA
4. George "Gabby" Hayes (aka George Francis Hayes)
Birth Date: 5/07/1885 - Wellsville, New York
Died: 2/09/1969 - Burbank, CA
5. Josef Swickard
Birth Date: 6/26/1866 - Coblenz, Germany
Died: 2/29/1940 - Hollywood, CA
6. Harry J. Revier (Director)
Birth Date: 3/16/1889 - Philadelphia, PA
Died: 8/13/1957 - Winter Park, Florida

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 265 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video ~ (12/19/2006)

"The Lost City" (1935) is a 12-chapter bungle in the jungle. Despite the electrical effects of Kenneth Strickfaden, amateurish acting and inept direction create many unintentional laughs. William "Stage" Boyd (who plays the evil ruler Zolok) was reportedly drunk throughout the production and really lets it rip during the final chapter. Ironically, Zolok turned out to be the scandal-ridden actor's most famous role. A guilty pleasure for many serial buffs.

i love old "b" movies and serials. this serial seems like it looks into the future with all the gadgets the villians possess. the acting is bad but lots of the effects are great. television, wireless walkie talkies, and a stun gun. thats pretty impressive for a 1935 picture.