ELEPHANT STAMPEDE

Johnny Sheffield as Bomba and Donna Martell as Lola

ELEPHANT STAMPEDE (1951). Writer/director: Ford Beebe.

"If I was thinking of myself, I wouldn't have come to Africa." -- Miss Banks

Some evil men have come to Africa to, naturally, get some ivory, and, also naturally, don't care who gets hurt as they take after some tusks. Bob Warren (John Kellogg) and Joe Collins (Myron Healey of Varan the Unbelievable) murder Deputy Commissioner Mark Phillips (Guy Kingsford), with Warren pretending to be the dead man so he can ingratiate himself with some villagers and their white teacher, Miss Banks (Edith Evanson of Life with Henry). The villagers know of a secret cache of ivory that can pay for their continued schooling, but the bad guys have other plans. Enter the almost mythical Bomba (Johnny Sheffield), who routs the villains, saves the ivory, and breaks the heart of pretty little native girl, Lola (Donna Martell of Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff), who teachers Bomba how to read but gets swimming lessons in return instead of kisses. Dumb Bomba! Leonard Mudie is back as the official, Andy Barnes, and Martin Wilkins plays Chief Nagala. The elephants create a minor ruckus at the end of the film,. but it can't really be called a "stampede" -- the budget for this Monogram cheapie was too low. The film has a kind of bittersweet coda involving the non-lovers.

Verdict: Sheffield and Martell make an appealing almost-couple. **1/2.

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. ***.