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Nabonga (1944) with the cast consisting of Julie London, Gorilla (Ray Corrigan), and Buster Crabbe: Nabonga blends genres reminiscent of adventure films like Tarzan the Ape Man and King Kong. Similarly, Terry Moore played a role similar to London’s in Mighty Joe Young.
Review: Unlike other films, Sam Newfield’s Poverty Row jungle film does not spark excitement and thrills of interest, and while lacking production values, it does feature an interesting cast that included Buster Crabbe, Flash Gordon, Julie London, Fifi D’Orsay the former Fox leading lady ‘’Nabonga’’ and some extremely hot crocodile wrestling.
Nabonga’s average ‘Girl and Her Gorilla’ tale featuring Julie London and Buster Crabbe alongside an eclectic supporting cast and plenty of stock footage was directed by Sam Newfield.
Although this Producers Releasing Corporation is not at the same level of King Kong or the glimmering polish of Mighty Joe Young, this low budget production does not intend to be high art.
Nabonga heads the list of Poverty Row productions alongside being directed by infamous B filmmaker Sam Newfield and co-written by his equally prolific partner, Fred Myton.
Regardless, the Nabonga cast is undeniably fascinating.
Once a little girl, Doreen also known as Sam Newfield’s daughter Jackie, was in a plane flight accident in the African jungle. Also onboard was her villainous father, Herbert Rawlinson who was a popular actor in the early silent era, and a few years later he was trying to escape with some stolen money. Nevertheless, the corpse of Ray Gorman who happened to be a handsome Buster Crabbe, was framed.
Years later, Ray set off for a mission to find the wreckage along with surviving victims of the crash to set his father free from all the allegations.
During her youth, Doreen met a wounded gorilla that lived deep within the jungle, and began nursing him back to health. Following the death of her father, along with her new lifestyle, she adapted to using form-fitted sarongs. The only companion that stayed with her was the once wounded gorilla, Samson, who accompanied her everywhere and became her protector.
Bwana Ray and his trusted African aide, Tobo (Prince Modupe), set out on an expedition to locate an airplane crash site, or as Tobo puts it, ‘the great bird that fell from the sky.’ Unknown to them, a duo of grave robbers is tailing them a couple named Carl and Marie (Barton MacLane and Fifi d’Orsay, dressed in pith helmets and Bermuda shorts) who plan on absconding with the treasure.
Predictably enough, once Ray meets Doreen he ends up infatuated with her.
He attempts to get through her thick skull and explain that her father misappropriated funds, but in the end, Ray ends up pairing with Marie in order to devise a con and capture Doreens equally repugnant bodyguard.
The amateur nature of this PRC movie is made bare from their stock footage and random animal sound CDs. On a brighter note, Buster header to shaves ridden a few times which was nice, as was watching him tussle with an alligator.
Julie London’s performance, however, is something awful. More often than not, she seems to talk in a form of English resembling pidgin, with a vacant stare as if she is unable to grasp the reality of life around her. Perhaps she was deep in thought pondering the same thing that I was.
If the name of the monkey is Samson, who the hell is Nabonga?
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