Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

BOMBA AND THE JUNGLE GIRL

BOMBA AND THE JUNGLE GIRL (1952). Writer/director: Ford Beebe.

"Every animal in the jungle has a mother and father but me. I don't even know who I am."

Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) begins to wonder who "his people" are when he realizes that he has no true identity. He was raised by an older man who died, and has been living on his own ever since. Now he gets a clue from Linda Ward (Karen Sharpe) and from a tribe who remember the native nurse, Linasi (Amanda Randolph), who took care of him years before. Chief Gamboso (Martin Wilkins) and his wicked daughter, Princess Baru (Suzette Harbin), tell Bomba that Linasi is dead, but a young man named Kokoli (Morris Buchanan) tells Bomba otherwise. Bomba discovers the evil plot engineered by Gamboso and the fate of his parents, the Hastings. With a better story than usual, Bomba and the Jungle Girl emerges as one of the more interesting Bomba movies. The picture features two strong female characters in Linda, who is an intrepid, brave and fairly tough heroine, and the princess, who is equally tough if completely amoral. The climax features a jungle fire, a cat fight in a cave, and has a nice score by Raoul Kraushaar. The acting is generally good, with the best performance provided by Suzette Harbin. Andy (Leonard Mudie) and Kimbbo the chimp also appear. There are more black actors with roles and dialogue than usual.

Verdict: Good conflicts and story make this a more than decent Bomba adventure. ***.

No comments: