The Adventures of Captain Africa

The Adventures of Captain Africa(Luo Yuchen, Lao Xun)
Original poster for the first chapter of this serial
Directed by	Spencer Gordon Bennet
Produced by	Sam Katzman
Written by	George H. Plympton
Starring	John Hart Rick Vallin Ben Welden June Howard Bud Osborne Paul Marion
Music by	Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Cinematography	Ira H. Morgan
Edited by	Earl Turner
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	June 9, 1955 (1955-06-09)
Running time	15 chapters
Country	United States
Language	English

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.

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 Hart as Captain Africa, masked government agent
Rick Vallin as Ted Arnold, government agent (and principal hero of the serial despite the title)
Ben Welden 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 Osborne as Nat Coleman, an animal trapper involved in the plot through his assistant Omar
Paul Marion as Abdul el Hamid, exiled but legitimate Caliph
Lee Roberts as Boris, agent of a foreign power attempting to take over the Caliph's nation
Terry Frost 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 Fox as Prime Minister

Production

It was conceived and filmed as a sequel to The Phantom (starring Tom Tyler).^[1]^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[3]

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.^[3]

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.

The Adventures of Captain Africa was Columbia's last Jungle serial.^[4]

Release

Home media

The serial is today available on VHS, it is available on DVD from a company called Serial Bowl which specializes in movie serials.

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."^[4]

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!

_Source:^[5]

References

↑ Review at New York Times
↑ Photos of Hart as the Phantom
1 2 3 Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 270–271. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
1 2 Cline, William C. (1984). "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 36. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
↑ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 257. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

External links

Columbia serials

Pre-war serials (1937–1941)	Jungle Menace The Mysterious Pilot The Secret of Treasure Island The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok The Spider's Web Flying G-Men Mandrake the Magician Overland with Kit Carson The Shadow Terry and the Pirates Deadwood Dick The Green Archer White Eagle The Spider Returns The Iron Claw Holt of the Secret Service

War-time serials (1942–1945)	Captain Midnight Perils of the Royal Mounted The Secret Code The Valley of Vanishing Men Batman The Phantom The Desert Hawk Black Arrow Brenda Starr, Reporter The Monster and the Ape

Post-war serials (1945–1956)	Jungle Raiders Who's Guilty? Hop Harrigan Chick Carter, Detective Son of the Guardsman Jack Armstrong The Vigilante The Sea Hound Brick Bradford Tex Granger Superman Congo Bill Bruce Gentry Batman and Robin Adventures of Sir Galahad Cody of the Pony Express Atom Man vs. Superman Pirates of the High Seas Roar of the Iron Horse Mysterious Island Captain Video King of the Congo Blackhawk Son of Geronimo The Lost Planet The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd Gunfighters of the Northwest Riding with Buffalo Bill The Adventures of Captain Africa Perils of the Wilderness Blazing the Overland Trail

The Phantom by Lee Falk

TV series	Defenders of the Earth Phantom 2040 (Episodes) miniseries

Films	Serial Film

Characters	Phantom Diana Palmer Guran Singh Brotherhood

Locations	Bangalla Skull Cave

Other media	Video game Novels The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks

Related articles	The Adventures of Captain Africa Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter The Last Phantom Betaal Pachisi

Films produced by Sam Katzman

1930s	Hot Off the Press (1935) Bars of Hate (1935) Alias John Law (1935) The Fighting Coward (1935) Danger Ahead (1935) The Phantom of the Range (1936) Shadow of Chinatown (1936) The Rogues Tavern (1936) Taming the Wild (1936) Rio Grande Romance (1936) Kelly of the Secret Service (1936) Put on the Spot (1936) Two Minutes to Play (1936) Silks and Saddles (1936) Amateur Crook (1937) Orphan of the Pecos (1937) Brothers of the West (1937) Cheyenne Rides Again (1937) Lost Ranch (1937) Flying Fists (1937) Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) Million Dollar Racket (1937) Sky Racket (1937) Mystery Range (1937) Feud of the Trail (1937) Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) Six-Gun Trail (1938) Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938) Texas Wildcats (1939) Code of the Cactus (1939) Outlaws' Paradise (1939) Trigger Fingers (1939) The Fighting Renegade (1939) Straight Shooter (1939)

1940s	East Side Kids (1940) Boys of the City (1940) That Gang of Mine (1940) Pride of the Bowery (1940) Flying Wild (1941) Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941) Spooks Run Wild (1941) Invisible Ghost (1941) Zis Boom Bah (1941) Mr. Wise Guy (1942) Let's Get Tough! (1942) Smart Alecks (1942) 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942) Kid Dynamite (1942) Bowery at Midnight (1942) Black Dragons (1942) The Corpse Vanishes (1942) The Ape Man (1943) Clancy Street Boys (1943) Ghosts on the Loose (1943) Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943) Spotlight Scandals (1943) Million Dollar Kid (1944) Follow the Leader (1944) Block Busters (1944) Bowery Champs (1944) Crazy Knights (1944) Voodoo Man (1944) Three of a Kind (1944) Return of the Ape Man (1944) Docks of New York (1945) Mr. Muggs Rides Again (1945) Come Out Fighting (1945) Trouble Chasers (1945) Junior Prom (1946) Hop Harrigan America's Ace of the Airways (1946) Freddie Steps Out (1946) High School Hero (1946) Betty Co-Ed (1946) Vacation Days (1947) The Vigilante (1947) Little Miss Broadway (1947) Last of the Redmen (1947) Sweet Genevieve (1947) Two Blondes and a Redhead (1947) Jungle Jim (1948) Racing Luck (1948) Congo Bill (1948) I Surrender Dear (1948) Triple Threat (1948) Tex Granger (1948) Mary Lou (1948) Glamour Girl (1948) The Prince of Thieves (1948) The Lost Tribe (1949) Chinatown at Midnight (1949) Barbary Pirate (1949) The Mutineers (1940) Manhattan Angel (1949)

1950s	State Penitentiary (1950) Revenue Agent (1950) Pygmy Island (1950) Last of the Buccaneers (1950) Chain Gang (1950) Captive Girl (1950) Tyrant of the Sea (1950) Mark of the Gorilla (1950) Captain Video (1951) The Magic Carpet (1951) Hurricane Island (1951) When the Redskins Rode (1951) Purple Heart Diary (1951) A Yank in Korea (1951) Fury of the Congo (1951) Jungle Manhunt (1951) Last Train from Bombay (1952) Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom (1952) King of Congo (1952) A Yank in Indo-China (1952) Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952) The Golden Hawk (1952) Brave Warrior (1952) California Conquest (1952) Voodoo Tiger (1952) Thief of Damascus (1952) The Pathfinder (1952) Slaves of Babylon (1953) Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) Valley of Head Hunters (1953) Jack McCall, Desperado (1953) Savage Mutiny (1953) Target Hong Kong (1953) Last of the Redskins (1953) Flame of Calcutta (1953) Serpent of the Nile (1953) Siren of Bagdad (1953) Sky Commando (1953) Killer Ape (1953) Conquest of Cochise (1953) Prince of Pirates (1953) The 49th Man (1953) Mission Over Korea (1953) Fort Ti (1953) Masterson of Kansas (1954) The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954) The Saracen Blade (1954) Jungle Man-Eaters (1954) Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954) The Iron Glove (1954) Charge of the Lancers (1954) Drums of Tahiti (1954) The Miami Story (1954) The Battle of Rogue River (1954) Cannibal Attack (1954) Jungle Moon Men (1955) Devil Goddess (1955) The Gun That Won the West (1955) New Orleans Uncensored (1955) Chicago Syndicate (1955) The Crooked Web (1955) Inside Detroit (1955) Teen-Age Crime Wave (1955) Duel on the Mississippi (1955) The Gun That Won the West (1955) Adventures of Captain Africa, Mighty Jungle Avenger! (1955) Seminole Uprising (1955) Pirates of Tripoli (1955) The Houston Story (1956) Miami Exposé (1956) Blackjack Ketchum, Depserado (1956) Cha-Cha-Cha Boom! (1956) Rumble on the Docks (1956) The Werewolf (1956) The Man Who Turned to Stone (1956) Uranium Boom (1956) Rock Around the Clock (1956) Utah Blaine (1957) The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957) Calypso Heat Wave (1957) Don't Knock the Rock (1957) The Giant Claw (1957) Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) The Night the World Exploded (1957) Escape from San Quentin (1957) The Tijuana Story (1957) The World Was His Jury (1958) Going Steady (1958) Crash Landing (1958) Life Beings at 17 (1958) The Last Blitzkrieg (1959) Juke Box Rhythm (1959) The Flying Fontaines (1959) Lock Up Your Daughters (1959)

1960s	The Enemy General (1960) The Wizard of Baghdad (1960) Tallahassee 7000 (1961) (TV series) Twist Around the Clock (1961) Don't Knock the Twist (1961) Pirates of Tortuga (1961) The Wizard of Baghdad (1961) The Wild Westerners (1962) Hootenanny Hoot (1963) Get Yourself a College Girl (1964) Kissin' Cousins (1964) Your Cheatin' Heart (1964) Harum Scarum (1965) When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965) Hold On! (1966) Hot Rods to Hell (1967) Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) The Love-Ins (1967) For Singles Only (1968) A Time to Sing (1968) The Young Runaways (1968)

Serials	Shadow of Chinatown (1936) Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) Who's Guilty? (1945) Jungle Raiders (1945) Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945) Chick Carter, Detective (1946) Son of the Guardsman (1946) Jack Armstrong (1947) The Sea Hound (1947) Brick Bradford (1947) Superman (1948) The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949) Batman and Robin (1949) Bruce Gentry (1949) Pirates of the High Seas (1950) Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) Cody of the Pony Express (1950) The Mysterious Island (1951) Roar of the Iron Horse (1951) Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952) The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953) The Lost Planet (1953) Riding with Buffalo Bill (1954) Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954) Perils of the Wilderness (1956) Blazing the Overland Trail (1956)

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