TARZAN AND THE AMAZONS

TARZAN AND THE AMAZONS (1945). Director: Kurt Neumann.

Jane (now played by Brenda Joyce of Little Giant) returns to Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller), Boy (Johnny Sheffield), Cheeta, and Africa in this entertaining installment of the highly popular series. Tarzan rescues a young lady, Athena (Shirley O'Hara), and takes her back to her people, a race of Amazons in a handsome city nestled in a valley. Jane importunes archaeologist Sir Guy Henderson (Henry Stephenson) to lead his group to this hidden city for the sake of science, but Ballister (Barton MacLane of The Mummy's Ghost) and his cohorts have no such noble motives, being primarily interested in looting the city's treasure. The Amazon queen (Maria Ouspenskaya of Dance, Girl, Dance) refuses to let the men leave, and even tries to sacrifice Boy, who foolishly leads the group to the city even after Tarzan has forbidden it. Tarzan and the Amazons is entertaining and well-done, its one flaw being a much too abrupt climax.

Verdict: Tarzan Always Knows Better! ***.

TARZAN TRIUMPHS

TARZAN TRIUMPHS (1943). Director: William Thiele.

Jane is out of Africa looking after her sick mother when who should show up but the beauteous Zandra (Frances Gifford of Jungle Girl). She saves Boy's life but then finds herself in trouble when a pack of loathsome Nazis -- who first pretend to be friends -- descend on her tribe in the city of Pallandria and begin to enslave them. At first Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) stays out of the conflict, making him seem not very heroic, but he cries "Now Tarzan make war!" when Boy (Johnny Sheffield of Bomba the Jungle Boy) is kidnapped and he, Zandra, Boy -- and of course, the magnificent Cheeta -- roust the invasion of German soldiers. Tarzan seems pretty hot for Zandra in at least one sequence when they go swimming. The actors are all fine for this sort of thing, and Cheeta proves once again that he is the most wonderful and talented creature in all of Hollywood's animal kingdom. Cheeta dances to band music, steals grapes from monkeys (and then has to return them, chastened) and even talks on the radio to the Germans. The final shot of Cheeta about to talk to Hitler is priceless! Sig Ruman plays a Nazi sergeant.

A note of sheer disillusionment: Apparently Cheeta was actually played by a wide variety of chimpanzees. The Cheeta feted here died in 2011 and may not have appeared in any movies. Well, whichever Cheeta played what, these chimps were cute and talented and the highlight of every movie they were in.

Verdict: They should have given Cheeta -- whoever he was -- his own picture! **1/2.

TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY

TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY (1943). Director: William Thiele.

In this very entertaining Cheeta vehicle -- oh, yes, Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) and Boy (Johnny Sheffield) are along for the ride -- an absent Jane asks Tarzan to go to a certain jungle to obtain plants that can be used in a serum. But before he and Boy can get there, they have an adventure in the desert involving Prince Selim ( Robert Lowery), a young lady magician named Connie (Nancy Kelly), and bad guys played winningly by Otto Kruger and Joe Sawyer. In the aforementioned jungle Tarzan and company encounter some big lizards [courtesy of stock footage], carnivorous plants, and a giant spider that sets its sights on Boy trapped in its web. All this is lots of fun, but the highlight is when that wonderful chimp Cheeta puts on a show for the natives in the arab city.

Verdict: Cheeta [aka Cheetah] steals the show! ***.

HERE'S TO CHEETA!

Last April, the lovable and talented chimpanzee who graced so many Tarzan movies turned 76! Yes Cheeta (whose name has also been spelled Cheta and Cheetah) is still alive and in retirement in Palm Springs, the oldest living non-human primate (seen here in a still from one of the Tarzan movies). Incredibly, although a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was assigned to the fictional character of Tinkerbelle, Cheeta has no star -- and he isn't getting any younger. Let's hope that this miscarriage of justice will be corrected in the near future! Cheeta also appeared in Doctor Doolittle, Bedtime for Bonzo with Ronald Reagan, and played Ramona the chimp ( a daring sex-switch) in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, never giving less than stellar performances. Read all about the adventures and misadventures of our favorite chimpanzee at his website.

Let's face it -- Tarzan and Jane were fun, but didn't we all watch the Tarzan flicks just to get a look at the lovable Cheeta! Yes!

Verdict: Give Cheeta his star! He's a heck of a lot more talented than a lot of human "actors" like, say, Pamela Anderson and many, many others.

BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA aka THE BOYS FROM BROOKLYN

BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA (1952). Director: William Beaudine.

Two nightclub entertainers named Duke and Sammy (Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo) somehow wind up on the isolated island of Coca Cola and intrigue the natives, not to mention the sinister Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi). When Zabor realizes that lovely Nona (Charlita), whom he is smitten with, has fallen for Duke, he turns the latter into a gorilla. Meanwhile, Nona's sister, the hefty and sweet Saloma (Muriel Landers, pictured with Petrillo), whom Sammy calls "Salami," develops a big hankering for him. And Ramona the chimp walks off with the picture. (No wonder -- Ramona is played by the incredible Cheeta of the Tarzan films!) Al Kikume plays the chief.

The short-lived team of Mitchell and Petrillo were only created to feed off the popularity of Martin and Lewis, whom they resemble. A gifted mimic, Petrillo does a dead-on Jerry Lewis imitation. Duke Mitchell isn't a bad singer, but he's definitely a dead-common, lower case version of Martin. Dino was amused by the two fellas; Jerry wanted them wiped off the planet. Bela Lugosi, who deserved much, much better is still charming and professional as Zabor. The film isn't even "so bad it's good" -- it's just bad -- boring, unfunny, and a pathetic waste of everyone's talents, including Mitchell's and Petrillo's.

Verdict: Satisfy your curiosity if you must, but don't say I didn't warn you. *.