Line #7 Radio/MoonOverAfrica


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moon_over_africa_old_time_radio_show.jpg]]
2
3	-> ''African drums are talking''
4	-> ''Speaking of voodoo, withcraft, mystery, and madness''
5	-> ''Their rhythmic beat breaks through walls of silence to bring you a story of Africa''
6	-> ''Africa, that land where anything can happen''
7	-> ''Listen''
8
9	''Moon over Africa'' is a South African radio serial from 1937. The story follows the adventures of Professor Anton Edwards as he journeys through [[DarkestAfrica French West Africa]] in search of the lost {{Atlantis}}, accompanied by a talking head that speaks a mysterious ancient language and guides their way. Prof. Edwards is accompanied by his daughter Larna, their assistant Jack, and their loyal Masai warrior companion Nguru.
10
11	Not much is known about the production of the serial, but the whole thing is available on the [[https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Moon_Over_Africa_Singles/ Internet Archive]].
12
13	----
14	!!This work contains the following tropes:
15	* AdventurerArchaeologist: Prof. Edwards is a professor, an expert in ancient languages who goes on an exciting journey through DarkestAfrica to uncover a lost civilization.
16	* BoldExplorer: Prof. Edwards is the first white man to explore or enter many of the dangerous and uncharted areas the party travels, although the unexpected (and often ominous) presence of other white men is a frequent plot twist.
17	* CapturedByCannibals: In one episode Edwards, Jack, and Larna are captured by a CannibalTribe who intend to eat them, only to be rescued by Nguru.
18	* {{Cliffhanger}}: Every single episode ends with the characters in the midst of a dangerous situation, which is resolved in the next episode.
19	* CloserToEarth: The African Nguru, the party's native guide, and Larna, the nervous woman, are very attuned to danger and usually provide warning of something going off, but they are typically ignored by Prof. Edwards, who is inevitably wrong about the level of danger.
20	* DamselInDistress: Larna is frequently in need or rescue or menaced by supernatural forces.
21	* DarkestAfrica: See page quote. Africa in this story is full of jungles, terrifying beasts, magic, hostile and primitive natives, and adventure.
22	* EvilLaugh: The talking head has outbursts of creepy cackles that scare the heck out of Larna.
23	* GenreBlind: Even though the characters are almost always in danger, Prof. Edwards always ignores the warnings of Larna or Nguru that something dangerous is afoot, usually leading to the group being captured or threatened.
24	* LiteralCliffhanger: One episode ends with all the characters dangling off the edge of a volcano.
25	* LostWorld: Prof. Edwards believes that {{Atlantis}} is somewhere hidden in Africa, and full of white people. In one episode, the characters stumble on a hidden, unmapped kingdom inside a volcano that's stuck in the middle ages.
26	* JungleDrums: Featured in the intro to every episode. The natives use drums to communicate, and the main characters sense whether they are in danger or not by the messages they send.
27	* JungleOpera: The characters search for (and find) a LostWorld in remote parts of Africa, and the whole story is filled with a mix of political intrigue and magic.
28	* NeverWakeUpASleepwalker: Prof. Edwards asserts this, and he and Jack carefully escort Larna back to her bed without waking her after she wandered out into the savanna alone.
29	* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Nguru knows the landscape like of the back of his hand, and no matter what happens to Edwards et al., he is always able to find and rescue them.
30	* ScienceHerosBabeAssistant: Larna, Prof. Edwards' daughter, doesn't seem to know anything about Africa or archeology, and often asks basic questions to her father that allow him to deliver exposition about the area they're in or their short-term goals. Many of the plotlines involve rescuing Larna when she gets possessed by demons, CapturedByCannibals, or menaced by lions. While it's hard to have fanservice in a radio serial, Larna is a love interest for Jack, Prof. Edward's other, more competent assistant.
31	* SecretHistory: Apparently a bunch of Crusaders left England for Africa, and founded their own civilization there, but you'd never know.
32	* TheWatson: One of Larna's main narrative purposes is to be ignorant about Africa and the other characters, asking obvious questions and allowing Prof. Edwards to deliver exposition.
33	* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: The volcano dwellers supposedly speak Middle English, but it sounds pretty much like regular English but with lots of "thou"s and "thee"s.
34	* YouNoTakeCandle: Nguru speaks very slowly and doesn't conjugate his verbs, sounding much like a stereotypical Native American.

Context Radio / MoonOverAfrica