Monday, May 10, 2021

Nabonga (1944)

A standard jungle adventure with the obligatory big ape played by a man in a suit and a white woman who has grown up in the distant jungle but still looks like she just came out of a beauty salon! 

Years ago, Stockwell (Herbert Rawlinson) made off with a fortune in gems along with his young daughter Doreen (Jackie Newfield). Their plane crashes in the jungle, Doreen befriends a gorilla (Ray Corrigan) who has been wounded...

Some years later Ray (Buster Crabb) is in Africa looking for these gems. His father took the blame for Stockwell's crime and Ray wants to clear his name. With the help of Tobo (Prince Modupe) he heads into the jungle to the realm of a mysterious white witch. Carl (Barton MacLane) and Marie (Fifi D'Orsay) are also on the trail though Carl just wants the gems for himself! Ray discovers that the white witch is Doreen, now a young woman (Julie London) and guarded by her friendly gorilla Samson. Doreen isn't interested in giving the gems back...

Standard jungle adventure fare with Buster Crabb fulfilling the Tarzan-like hero role with some bare chested wild animal fighting. The film is pretty low budget with limited "jungle" scenes which make the most of stock footage. Samson the gorilla's suit is a highlight as is Doreen's rather fetching jungle print cocktail dress. Remarkable what you can pick up in the deepest darkest jungle.