Panther Girl of the Kongo
| Panther Girl of the Kongo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Franklin Adreon |
| Produced by | Franklin Adreon |
| Written by | Ronald Davidson |
| Starring | Phyllis Coates Myron Healey Arthur Space John Daheim Mike Ragan Morris Buchanan Roy Glenn |
| Cinematography | Bud Thackery |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time |
12 chapters (167 minutes (serial)[1] |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $172,793 (negative cost: $179,341)[1] |
Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955) is a Republic movie serial. It used a lot of stock footage from the 1941 Republic serial "Jungle Girl". This was the penultimate (sixty-fifth of sixty-six) serial produced by Republic. As with any serial produced in this period, it is not considered to be the best of the medium.
Panther Girl of the Kongo mixes several stock serial plots including the "land grab", exotic location, jungle girl and mad scientist.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Mad Scientist Morgan wants sole access to secret diamond mines in the local area of Africa. In order to accomplish this he breeds giant crayfish ("Claw Monsters") to scare away any other inhabitants. Jean Evans, the Panther Girl, and friend Larry Sanders encounter this plot while on a photo safari in the region.
[edit] Cast
- Phyllis Coates as Jean Evans, the Panther Girl
- Myron Healey as Larry Sanders, a big game hunter
- Arthur Space as Dr Morgan, a Mad Scientist
- John Daheim as Cass, one of Dr Morgan's henchmen
- Mike Ragan as Rand, one of Dr Morgan's henchmen
- Morris Buchanan as Tembo
- Roy Glenn as Chief Danka
[edit] Production
Panther Girl of the Kongo was budgeted at $172,793 although the final negative cost was $179,341 (a $6,548, or 3.8%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1955.[1]
It was filmed between 16 August and 4 September 1954 under the working title Panther Woman of the Kongo.[1] The serial's production number was 1939.[1]
In order to make it possible to use significant stock footage from the earlier Jungle Girl, and cheaply pad out Panther Girl of the Kongo, a duplicate costume was used. As a result, Republic's last female lead wore the same costume as its first.[2][3]
[edit] Stunts
- Tom Steele as Larry Sanders (doubling Myron Healey)
- Helen Thurston as Jean Evans/Panther Girl (doubling Phyllis Coates)
- Dave Sharpe as Panther Girl (doubling Phyllis Coates via stock footage from Jungle Girl)
- Fred Graham as Nick Burgass
[edit] Special Effects
Special effects created by the Lydecker brothers.
[edit] Release
[edit] Theatrical
Panther Girl of the Kongo's official release date is 3 January 1955, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]
This was followed by a re-release of Jesse James Rides Again instead of a new serial. The last new serial, King of the Carnival, followed in the summer.[1]
[edit] Television
Panther Girl of the Kongo was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to The Claw Monsters. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.[1]
[edit] Critical reception
Cline believes that the greatest problem that faced the writers was how to lead the heroine from one piece of stock footage to the next.[4]
[edit] Chapter titles
- The Claw Monster (20min)
- Jungle Ambush (13min 20s)
- The Killer Beast (13min 20s)
- Sands of Doom (13min 20s)
- Test of Terror (13min 20s)
- High Peril (13min 20s)
- Timber Trap/Double Trap (13min 20s)[5]
- Crater of Flame (13min 20s)
- River of Death (13min 20s)
- Blasted Evidence (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
- Double Danger (13min 20s)
- House of Doom (13min 20s)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mathis, Jack. Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 140–141. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
- ^ Stedman, Raymond William. "5. Shazam and Good-by". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 141. ISBN 9780806109275.
- ^ Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut. "1. The Girls "Who Is That Girl in the Buzz Saw?"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 17. ISBN 9780713000979.
- ^ Cline, William C.. "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. p. 38. ISBN 078640471X.
- ^ "Timber Trap" is recorded as the title of the seventh chapter in William C. Cline’s ‘‘In the Nick of Time’‘ while "Double Trap" is recorded as the title in Jack Mathis’ ‘‘Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement’‘.
- ^ Cline, William C.. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. p. 256. ISBN 078640471X.
[edit] External links
- Panther Girl of the Kongo at the Internet Movie Database
- Panther Girl of the Kongo at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience
| Preceded by Man with the Steel Whip (1954) |
Republic Serial Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955) |
Succeeded by King of the Carnival (1955) |
