The Adventures of Captain Africa
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Captain Africa (1955) is a Columbia
serial
starring John Hart
. It was the third to last serial to be produced by Columbia.
The main villain does not actually make an appearance anywhere in the entire serial.
(starring Tom Tyler
). Well into production, Columbia found that its film rights to the comic strip had expired. King Features wanted more money than Katzman was willing to spend and negotiations broke down.
Hurried retakes and major re-editing followed, with John Hart now wearing an amended costume that only used part of the original Phantom outfit, with the addition of a leather aviator's cap and riding britches.
The new story featured a new hero, Captain Africa, who still bears a strong resemblance to The Phantom
in both appearance and behavior.
The serial features heavy use of stock footage
from earlier serials Jungle Menace
(1937
), The Desert Hawk
(1944
) and The Phantom
(1943
) itself. Footage from The Phantom
was reduced when this stopped being a sequel. Only a few minutes of new material were included per chapter.
The serial was produced by legendary Hollywood cheapskate Sam Katzman
. Serial producers often economized by including a "cheater" chapter, in which flashbacks to earlier chapters are shown instead of new scenes. The Adventures of Captain Africa audaciously uses four cheaters within its 15-chapter length. The frequent recaps were possibly necessitated by the hasty rewrites during production.
Adventures of Captain Africa was Columbia's last Jungle serial.
, but has so far not experienced a DVD release.
Source:
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
starring John Hart
John Hart (actor)
John Hart was an American motion picture and television actor, born in Los Angeles, California. In his early career, he appeared mostly in Westerns...
. It was the third to last serial to be produced by Columbia.
Plot
Trapper Nat Coleman and government agent Ted Arnold come upon a plot to take over an African nation. Its leader, Caliph Abdul el Hamid, has been exiled from his country and replaced by a look-alike usurper allied with an unnamed foreign power. The Caliph intends to return but enemy agents Boris and Greg are out to stop him. Captain Africa a masked jungle lord, appears occasionally to aid Nat and Ted.The main villain does not actually make an appearance anywhere in the entire serial.
Cast
- John HartJohn Hart (actor)John Hart was an American motion picture and television actor, born in Los Angeles, California. In his early career, he appeared mostly in Westerns...
as Captain Africa, masked government agent - Rick VallinRick VallinRick Vallin was an actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1938 and 1966.Born Eric Efron in Russia, Vallin came to America while still young. He started his Hollywood career with an uncredited part in the film Freshman Year...
as Ted Arnold, government agent (and principal hero of the serial despite the title) - Ben WeldenBen WeldenBen Welden was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters in various movies and television shows...
as Omar, the Caliph's servant and Nat Coleman's assistant (since rescuing him in the jungle) - June Howard as Princess Rhoda, the Caliph's daughter
- Bud OsborneBud OsborneBud Osborne was an American film actor. He appeared in over 600 films and television programs between 1912 and 1963.Osborne was born in Knox County, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack...
as Nat Coleman, an animal trapper involved in the plot through his assistant Omar - Paul MarionPaul Marion (actor)Paul Marion is an American actor, notable for roles in To Have and Have Not , Mysterious Doctor Satan and Captain Midnight. He was once married to the actress Isabel Jewell. He acted on film from the late 1930s to 1955's Devil Goddess, when he left acting to become an agent....
as Abdul el Hamid, exiled but legitimate Caliph - Lee RobertsLee RobertsLee Roberts was a film actor during the Hollywood Golden Age. Sometimes he is credited as Robert Allen or Lee J. Roberts.-Career:Little is known about this man who appeared in over 100 films between 1943 and 1959, according to the Internet Movie Data Base...
as Boris, agent of a foreign power attempting to take over the Caliph's nation - Terry FrostTerry Frost (actor)Terry Frost was an American actor who appeared in dozens of Western films during the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:...
as Greg, agent of a foreign power attempting to take over the Caliph's nation - Edward Coch as Balu, native ally of Captain Africa
- Michael FoxMichael Fox (American actor)Michael Fox was an American character actor who was in numerous movies and television roles. Some of his most famous recurring roles were as various autopsy physicians in Perry Mason, as Coroner George McLeod in Burke's Law, as Amos Fedders in Falcon Crest and as Saul Feinberg in The Bold and the...
as Prime Minister
Production
It was conceived and filmed as a sequel to The PhantomThe Phantom (1943 movie serial)
The Phantom is a 1943 classic Columbia Pictures cliffhanger serial starring Tom Tyler in the title role. The serial is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom...
(starring Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler was an American actor in silent and sound motion pictures, best known for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the acclaimed 1941 movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel.-Biography:...
). Well into production, Columbia found that its film rights to the comic strip had expired. King Features wanted more money than Katzman was willing to spend and negotiations broke down.
Hurried retakes and major re-editing followed, with John Hart now wearing an amended costume that only used part of the original Phantom outfit, with the addition of a leather aviator's cap and riding britches.
The new story featured a new hero, Captain Africa, who still bears a strong resemblance to The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
in both appearance and behavior.
The serial features heavy use of stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
from earlier serials Jungle Menace
Jungle Menace
-External links:* * * **...
(1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
), The Desert Hawk
The Desert Hawk
The Desert Hawk is a Columbia film serial. It was the 23rd serial produced by Columbia.-Cast:* Gilbert Roland - Kasim, The Desert Hawk and Hassan, his Evil Twin Brother...
(1944
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) and The Phantom
The Phantom (1943 movie serial)
The Phantom is a 1943 classic Columbia Pictures cliffhanger serial starring Tom Tyler in the title role. The serial is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom...
(1943
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) itself. Footage from The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
was reduced when this stopped being a sequel. Only a few minutes of new material were included per chapter.
The serial was produced by legendary Hollywood cheapskate Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...
. Serial producers often economized by including a "cheater" chapter, in which flashbacks to earlier chapters are shown instead of new scenes. The Adventures of Captain Africa audaciously uses four cheaters within its 15-chapter length. The frequent recaps were possibly necessitated by the hasty rewrites during production.
Adventures of Captain Africa was Columbia's last Jungle serial.
Home media
The serial is today available on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
, but has so far not experienced a DVD release.
Critical reception
Serial historian William C. Cline writes that The Adventures of Captain Africa is "an obvious remake of The Phantom, it contained many stock shots from the earlier release and at times seemed almost like a repeat run."Chapter titles
- Mystery Man of the Jungle!
- Captain Africa to the Rescue!
- Midnight Attack!
- Into the Crocodile Pit!
- Jungle War Drums!
- Slave Traders!
- Saved by Captain Africa!
- The Bridge in the Sky! -- Re-Cap Chapter
- Blasted by Captain Africa! -- Re-Cap Chapter
- The Vanishing Princess!
- The Tunnel of Terror! -- Re-Cap Chapter
- Fangs of the Beast!
- Renegades at Bay! -- Re-Cap Chapter
- Captain Africa and the Wolf Dog!
- Captain Africa's Final Move!
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