CLUB HAVANA

"Isabelita" (Lita Baron) does her stuff

CLUB HAVANA (1945). Director: Edgar G. Ulmer.

"You know darling, even when I hate you the most I still love you."

In a fashionable Latin-themed nightclub that could be anyplace, several people converge. Newly divorced Rosalind (Margaret Lindsay) discovers that her lover, Johnny (Don Douglas), no longer wants her. Piano player Jimmy (Eric Sinclair) realizes that he can smash the alibi of mobster and accused murderer, Joe Reed (Marc Lawrence) and calls the police, causing consternation for his girlfriend, the entertainer Isabelita (Lita Baron). Wealthy old Mrs. Cavendish (Renie Riano) proposes marriage to borderline gigolo, Rogers (Paul Cavanagh), who obviously needs an income. A middle-aged separated couple decide whether or not to reconcile, and an intern (Tom Neal) goes on his first date with the nervous Lucy (Dorothy Morris). Myrtle (Sonia Sorel), the switchboard operator, tells Joe Reed what Jimmy has done, leading to a dramatic climax. Hovering over everything are the host, Charles (Pedro de Cordoba) and the ladies room attendant, Hetty (Gertrude Michael). Club Havana is a snappy and entertaining picture with music that could have benefited from another twenty or thirty minutes of character development and background. Using the same name as her character, Isabelita (which she also used for other pictures), Lita Baron [Jungle Jim] sings s nifty version of "Besame Mucho." The picture is smoothly directed by Ulmer and quite fast-paced. The performances are all good, with Michael [Flamingo Road] and an emotional Lindsay [Dangerous] taking top honors.

Verdict: Fun movie with nice music and some very good sequences. ***.

BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND

BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND (1949). Writer/director: Ford Beebe.

Rob Maitland (Harry Lewis) has traveled to Africa with his sister Judy (Allene Roberts) and is consulting with Commander Andy Barnes (Charles Irwin). While a dangerous panther is stalking and killing natives, Rob gets the idea of starting a fire to clear the brush on an island so he can have a base for agricultural research. Two attractive young women compete for the attentions of Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) as a fire rages out of control during a wild storm, and the panther makes its move. Bomba on Panther Island is an improvement on Bomba the Jungle Boy, with a more interesting story and some exciting developments. Bomba may have been called the Jungle Boy, but at 18 Sheffield (and his alter ago) was a man, something that is definitely noticed not just by Judy but by the sensual and beautiful native girl, Losana (Lita Baron), who is seen as a mysterious creature by the other natives. Baron [Jungle Jim] isn't bad, but Roberts isn't much of an actress. Irwin and Lewis are also professional. In this entry Sheffield is adept and quite charming as Bomba.

Verdict: Bomba better watch out for those "predatory females." **1/2.

JUNGLE JIM

JUNGLE JIM (1948). Director: William Berke.

A middle-aged Johnny Weissmuller (pictured) trades in the loincloth of Tarzan for the safari suit of Jungle Jim, which was based on an Alex Raymond comic strip. The snappy Virginia Grey plays Dr. Hilary Parker, who is hoping to get a cure for polio from a witch doctor -- while others are just hoping to find treasure. George Reeves gives a lively performance as a creepy photographer and Rick Vallin plays, of all things, a native chieftain. Lita Baron is the bitchy native girl who tells Parker that she's "like a man." There are elephant stampedes, falling boulders, an attack by alligators, an odd crocodile with a tail that's more like a tentacle, and a trained crow that pecks at typewriter keys. The best scene has Jim dangling from the side of a cliff; his wrestling with a lion isn't bad, either. This may be mostly stock footage, but it plays. Reeves is more interesting as a bad guy than as a hero. Grey also appeared in Black Zoo.

Verdict: Fast-paced jungle fun. **1/2.