The Lost City (1935 serial)

Lore & Background

The Lost City was created and produced by Sherman S. Krellberg and directed by Harry Revier in 1935. Its plot involves scientist Bruce Gordon tracing electrically induced natural disasters to a secret complex in an African mountain, where he finds Zolok, the last of the Lemurians. Zolok has forced Dr. Manyus to create mindless giant slaves and transform the spider-worshipping Wangas into thin, impotent whites, as part of a plan to take over the world. Gordon, with the help of Manyus and his daughter Natcha, escapes Zolok and encounters a slave trader, a native queen, and various jungle perils before returning to stop Zolok.

Reader's Guide

The Lost City is significant primarily for its unusual production history: Krellberg edited the serial into four different feature versions over time, possibly a record for a serial. The first feature (1935) compiled the first three episodes and part of the fourth, adding new footage for a loose conclusion; the second (also 1935) used the first and last four chapters, omitting the slave trader, spider people, and queen Rama subplots. In the early 1940s, Krellberg created a third feature titled City of Lost Men, incorporating those omitted adventures. A final 1970s version clumsily appended most of the last chapter to the first feature, creating a continuity abyss, and reused the City of Lost Men title. The first City of Lost Men is believed lost; current video/DVD releases under that title derive from the final feature, while The Lost City feature prints come from the second feature version.

Did You Know?

• The serial was independently made by Sherman S. Krellberg and directed by Harry Revier in 1935.
• Krellberg edited the serial into four different feature versions over time, possibly a record for a serial.
• The first feature version (1935) included footage not part of the serial itself to draw the adventure to a loose conclusion.
• The first City of Lost Men feature (early 1940s) appears to be lost; current videos under that title are from a 1970s re-edit.

Production & Creative Vision

The Lost City stands as a testament to independent filmmaking in the golden age of serial cinema. In 1935, Sherman S. Krellberg both created and produced this twelve-chapter science fiction serial, entrusting the directorial chair to Harry Revier. Rather than relying on a major studio's infrastructure, Krellberg assembled the project on his own, a distinction that set it apart from the big-budget serials dominating the market at the time. The narrative premise drew a clear parallel to The Phantom Empire, another 1935 serial, but Krellberg made a deliberate geographic and tonal shift: where The Phantom Empire situated its lost civilization in the American West, The Lost City transplanted the ancient-society motif into the African jungle, a locale already well established in popular serial storytelling. This repositioning allowed the story to lean into exotic adventure elements—jungle hazards, indigenous cultures, and a hidden mountain complex—while retaining the core science-fiction conceit of a technologically advanced but morally corrupted ancient people. The result was a serial that blended genre conventions with a distinctly independent sensibility, produced without studio backing yet ambitious enough to sustain twelve full chapters of escalating spectacle.

Plot & Narrative Structure

The serial follows scientist Bruce Gordon, who travels to a remote stretch of Africa after determining that a string of electrically induced natural disasters traces back to that region. What he uncovers is Zolok, the final surviving Lemurian, holed up in a secret complex carved inside a mountain. Zolok engineered the disasters as a precursor to a global takeover, and he has imprisoned the brilliant Dr. Manyus and his daughter Natcha, compelling Manyus to transform indigenous people into mindless giant slaves for use as a private army. As the chapters unfold, the scope of Zolok's experiments widens: he has also converted the spider-worshipping Wanga tribe into thin, impotent white figures. Gordon's mission to free Manyus and Natcha pulls them into a web of further dangers. They cross paths with Ben Ali, a ruthless slave trader; encounter Queen Rama, a native ruler who extends her aid; and endure a gauntlet of jungle perils. The narrative ultimately circles back to the Lost City itself, where Gordon must confront Zolok and dismantle his world-dominion scheme before it can be executed.

Cast & Character Ensemble

The serial assembles a varied ensemble of character actors and serial regulars to populate its African adventure. William "Stage" Boyd takes on the central antagonist role of Zolok, the deranged last Lemurian, while Kane Richmond steps into the heroic scientist Bruce Gordon. Claudia Dell portrays Natcha Manyus, the daughter of the captive scientist, and Josef Swickard plays Dr. Manyus himself. The supporting cast rounds out the narrative's many threads: Eddie Fetherston appears as Jerry Delaney, George F. Hayes as Butterfield, and Billy Bletcher as Gorzo. Jerry Frank is cast as Apollon, while Gino Corrado embodies the villainous slave trader Ben Ali. Margot D'Use brings the role of Queen Rama to life, and Sam Baker appears as Hugo. The breadth of the cast reflects the serial's sprawling plot, which juggles multiple subplots—the captive scientist, the slave-trading ring, the spider-worshipping tribe, and the native queen—requiring a roster of performers capable of sustaining distinct character arcs across twelve chapters of escalating action.

Legacy & Feature-Length Adaptations

Krellberg's persistent re-editing of The Lost City into feature-length presentations may set a record for serial adaptations. In 1935, he produced two features both titled The Lost City: the first stitched together the opening three chapters plus the first reel of chapter four, padded with supplemental footage to reach a loose conclusion, and was designed so audiences could follow it with the remaining serial episodes; the second drew from the first and last four chapters, excising the slave-trader, spider-people, and Queen Rama storylines while preserving the serial's original ending. In the early 1940s, Krellberg assembled a third feature that wove in those previously cut adventures, releasing it under the new title City of Lost Men. In the 1970s, he grafted most of the serial's final chapter onto the first feature, creating what has been described as a "continuity abyss," and again attached the City of Lost Men title. The original 1940s City of Lost Men appears to be lost, while modern video and DVD releases under that name derive from the 1970s edit. The serial itself remains in the public domain, with a complete version hosted on the Internet Archive.