Saturday, June 13, 2020

Nabonga!


NABONGA-1944-A crook named Stockton (Herbert Rawlinston) is fleeing the police with his young daughter Doreen (Jackie Newfield). During a storm they crash land in the jungle. Stockwell kills the pilot and Doreen finds a wounded gorilla (it was shot by the search party). Later in a jungle village, a mysterious guy named Ray Gorman (Buster Crabbe) is looking for a “white witch” said to live in some forbidden mountains. He and a local named Tobo (Prince Modupe) go off to find her. 

Meanwhile bad guy Karl (Barton McLane) and his moll Maria (Fifi D'Orsay) lead their own safari to find her. Of course the witch is the now grown up Doreen (Julie London) who has a gorilla (named Samson played by Crash Corrigan) for her protector and Gorman is looking for the money Stockton stole from his father's company causing his old man to commit suicide. Unfortunately when the duo find the plane, the gorilla kills Tobo and later traps Gorman in a cave but Doreen saves him. Despite the presence of the killer 'rilla the dialogue between Doreen and Gorman is intentionally humorous. Maria arrives on the scene making Doreen jealous and helping Gorman build a trap to cage Samson. When it works Gorman combs Doreen’s cave looking for the loot and Maria gets Karl. Later Karl gets his paws on the loot and leaves Gorman for dead (after they have a sped up fist fight). He dumps Maria when he meets Doreen. Dumb cluck Maria releases Samson from the trap and it kills her. It's then shot and killed by Karl but not before Samson kills him. This PRC production is very slow going and not much happens. 

Director Sam Newfield also made THE MONSTER MAKER and I ACCUSE MY PARENTS the same year (along with with 9 other features!). It's his young daughter who plays Doreen as a child. As was usual his brother Sigmund Neufeld was the producer.

Thanks for reading!




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