Secret Service in Darkest Africa

Infobox Film
name = Secret Service in Darkest Africa


director =Spencer Gordon Bennet
producer =William J. O'Sullivan
writer =Royal Cole
Ronald Davidson
Basil Dickey
Jesse Duffy
Joseph O'Donnell
Joseph Poland
starring =Rod Cameron
Joan Marsh
Duncan Renaldo
Lionel Royce
Kurt Kreuger
Frederic Brunn
cinematography =William Bradford
editing = Wallace Grissell
Tom Malloy
music = Mort Glickman
distributor =Republic Pictures
released =Flagicon|USA 24 July 1943
runtime =15 chapters
country = USA
language =English
budget = $174,536 (negative cost: $210,033)Mathis, Jack; "Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement"; 1995; ISBN 0-9632878-1-8 ]
preceded_by = "G-Men vs the Black Dragon" (1943)
amg_id = 1:123879
imdb_id =0036337

"Secret Service in Darkest Africa" (1943) is a Republic movie serial. It was Republic's thirtieth serial, of the sixty-six produced by the studio.

It was a sequel to "G-Men vs the Black Dragon" released earlier in 1943, again starring Rod Cameron as American secret agent Rex Bennett. This time Bennet faces the Nazis rather than the Japanese. As with the earlier installment, Bennet is supported by characters from some of the allied nations in World War II.

Plot

In an attempt to control the entire Middle East and defeat the Allies, Nazi agent Baron von Rommler (Lionel Royce) captures and impersonates Sultan Abou Ben Ali (also Lionel Royce), leader of all the Arabs. Opposed to him is American Secret Service Agent Rex Bennett (Rod Cameron), along with reporter Janet Blake (Joan Marsh) and Chief of Police Captain Pierre LaSalle (Duncan Renaldo).

Cast

*Rod Cameron as Rex Bennett, US agent
*Joan Marsh as Janet Blake, intrepid reporter and aviatrix
*Duncan Renaldo as Captain Pierre LaSalle, head of the French police in Casablanca and code breaker
*Lionel Royce as Baron von Rommler, a Nazi impersonating Arab leader Sultan Abou Ben Ali
*Kurt Kreuger as Ernst Muller, Sultan Abou Ben Ali's personal secretary and Nazi agent
*Frederic Brunn as Wolfe, Nazi agent
*Sigurd Tor as Luger
*Georges Renavent as Armand

Chapter titles

#North African Intrigue
#The Charred Witness
#Double Death
#The Open Grave
#Cloaked in Flame
#Dial of Doom
#Murder Dungeon
#Funeral Arrangements Completed
#Invisible Menace
#Racing Peril
#Lightning Terror
#Ceremonial Execution
#Fatal Leaf
#Victim of Villainy
#Nazi Treachery Unmasked

This was the only 15-chapter serial produced by Republic in 1943. The other two productions were both 12-chapter serials. It had been the standard since 1938 for Republic to release two of each (which they did again for the last time in 1944).

Production

Filming on "Secret Service in Darkest Africa" took place between 12 April and 27 May 1943. The production budget was $174,536 but the negative cost rose to $210,033 ($35,497, or 20.3%, overbudget compared to a studio average of $8,199, or 5.7%, over all its serial production). Not only did this make the serial the most expensive of 1943 it was also the third most expensive and third most over budget of all the sixty-six serials Republic produced. The only serials that were more expensive were "The Lone Ranger Rides Again" (1939, $213,997) and "Captain America" (1944, $222,906). While "Captain America" was also the most overbudget (by $40,283 or 22.1%), the second most overbudget Republic serial was another 1944 serial, "Haunted Harbor" (by $37,757 or 22.2%).

At forty-five days, the serial's production also shares the title of the second longest shoot of all Republic serials with "Jungle Girl" (1941). The longest was "Drums of Fu Manchu" (1940) at forty-seven days.

tunts & Effects

tunts

*Tom Steele as Rex Bennett (doubling Rod Cameron)
*John Daheim
*George DeNormand
*Bud Geary
*Duke Green
*Carey Loftin
*Eddie Parker
*Ken Terrell
*Joe Yrigoyen

pecial Effects

The special effects in this serial were produced by Republic's in-house effects duo, the Lydecker brothers

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0036337|title=Secret Service in Darkest Africa
* [http://www.serialexperience.com/showarticle.php?fldRecNum=243 Secret Service in Darkest Africa Article] at [http://www.serialexperience.com/ Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Republic Serial
before=Daredevils of the West (1943)
years=Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943)
after=The Masked Marvel (1943)