LOST ISLAND OF KIOGA (1966)
TV-Movie version of serial HAWK OF THE WILDERNESS (1938)
Article 2596 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-14-2008
Posting Date: 9-21-208
Directed by John English and William Witney
Featuring Bruce Bennett, Mala, Monte Blue
Country: USA

A boy whose parents died in a shipwreck grows up on an island in the arctic regions that is kept unseasonably warm by an active volcano. Years later, friends of his parents show up along with a set of modern-day pirates after a treasure. He also has to contend with a hostile band of Indians.

Here’s more serial-converted-into-feature action for you. It’s better edited than is usual for this sort of thing, and it helps that the serial itself didn’t really follow the standard-issue serial plot. It’s still pretty episodic, and Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones is far from my favorite comic relief actor, but it is nice to see Noble Johnson in a much larger role than usual for him as Kioga’s Indian friend. The island itself and a haunted cave provide the fantastic content. And, since it’s now been quite a while since I’ve done one of these serials-into-features, I’m not in the mood to be my usual cranky self about them; in fact, I rather enjoyed this one.