Moviecut—Nabonga

source: Nabonga

Nabonga

This low-grade production is nevertheless a slight upgrade, if you can believe that, compared to "Jungle Siren" which I saw yesterday and which was also directed by Sam Newfield and starred Buster Crabbe. Don't expect too much excitement, though; the "perils of the jungle" alternate between obvious stock footage of random animals and a man in an obvious gorilla suit. At the end there is a long fistfight between Crabbe and bad guy Barton MacLane, but because they are dressed almost exactly the same, you can't tell who's punching whom! Julie London is quite stunning in her film debut. *1/2 out of 4.

Well, I bought this gem for a fiver out of the blue. I thought: "Buster Crabbe is in it, so it can't be all bad!" Then I watched it in the German dubbing, and had to laugh quite a few times, but at spots neither the original movie makers nor the dubbing crew would have intended to be for laughter. The German dubbing sounds like from a bad * movie. Really. The lines of the native people are just ridiculous, and the voice of the girls sounds like the voice of a 60 year old woman. Its crap! They even attached new music to it. Somekind of psychedelic syntho-pop, but a really bad one. So I switched over to the original soundtrack, and so I could finally enjoy this movie. Buster Crabbe is like usual awesome in action scenes, but his character play too is definitely better than in any Flash Gordon. I recommend this movie (in English!!!!) for anyone who is interested in fantastic movies from before the fifties. But its not King Kong tho! Therefore: 5 out of 10

As you can guess from the cover and title, Nabonga is about a man in a gorilla suit named "Samson." A plane crashes in the jungle with stolen jewels and securities. Doreen, a Shirley Temple clone, survives the crash and lives until adulthood becoming a gorilla whisperer. She has become a legend as "the white witch." Buster Crabbe, sometimes known a "Bwana" looks for the treasure as bad guys follow him. Doreen (Julie London) as an adult living in the jungle has smooth silky white skin without a scratch, like most real live Hollywood Jungle women. The film I watched was restored, at least the part filmed on a set. The stock footage, films from the jungles in Africa...and around the world, was edited into the film at random points. It wasn't restored that well. The film is camp nostalgia. The end included a plea to buy war bonds and stamps.

A goofy, studio-bound melange of fisticuffs, stock footage and men in gorilla suits, atmospherically lit by Robert Cline. Enjoyable for a late appearance by Fifi D'Orsay as Barton McLaine's saucy henchbabe (it's McLaine who sprains his ankle rather than D'Orsay) and the film debut in the title role of a provocative 18 year-old Julie London as the White Witch, who's grown up all alone in the jungle save for her tame gorilla, her makeup team, wardrobe designer and hairdresser, and - like the young Helen Mirren in 'Age of Consent' - projects a precocity way beyond her actual years.

The Popular and Prolific (113 Screen Credits) Buster Crabbe (Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers) Headlines this Above Average PRC Flick. A Handsome Olympian with a Charming Screen Presence, Crabbe made a Career in B-Movies and is Remembered Fondly Today. This Jungle Pic Surprises with a Great Amount of Animal Footage for the Youngsters. For Grown-Ups, Julie London's Film Debut Looking Absolutely Gorgeous. Barton Maclane is the Heavy. There are Fisticuffs Galore and a Gorilla Named 'Samson" that Protects Luscious London (who wouldn't?). Similar to Many of its Type that Spun Off the Popularity of "Tarzan". The Movie moves through the Jungle with Ease and has some Brutal Killings and is Low-Budget Constrained but Contains more than most of its Gorilla-Suit Cousins. Crash Corrigan's Gorilla doesn't Look as Fake as Others and is Menacing at Times. Worth a Watch for Fans of Cheap Jungle Adventures. Kids of the 1930's thru the 1950's Ate this Stuff Up during Saturday Matinees.

It's just an adventure story. A young girl is raised by a gorilla after her father, a crook, dies. A really boring man played by Buster Crabbe finds her and needs her to give some money and jewels back. Of course, there is another guy who wants the loot. Most of the movie is the discovery of the White Witch who is really just a good looking young woman and the efforts to keep her alive by the duo of Crabbe and gorilla. Most of the scenes are silly and forgettable. There are a lot of animals (stock footage) and lots of vines and trees. It is entirely predictable and there are few surprises. The relationship between the girl and Crabbe goes nowhere. Can you imagine the reality of her being put back into Western society.

NABONGA is a jungle adventure cheapie churned out in the 1940s. It was made in 1944 so perhaps wartime audiences were a little more forgiving of time-wasting, non-serious material like this. Watching it these days it's a real chore to sit through, and that comes from somebody who loves old Tarzan movies, serials, and the like. The film sees a bunch of has-been characters flying into a jungle set and finding themselves menaced by the usual guy in a gorilla suit. There's some dated romance stuff and a strapping hero played by genre mainstay Buster Crabbe. I love Crabbe in his other roles but he gets very little to do here other than look dashing, which is no difficulty for him. The jungle girl aspect of the plot is never used very effectively, and the gorilla makes noises and hangs around in the background a lot. It's not exactly what I would team a crowd-pleaser.