Pygmy Island
Jungle Jim in Pygmy Island

USA 1950
produced by
Sam Katzman for Columbia
directed by William Berke
starring Johnny Weissmuller, Ann Savage, David Bruce, Steven Geray, William Tannen, Tristram Coffin, Billy Curtis, Billy Barty, Selmer Jackson, Tommy Farrell, Pierce Lyden, Angelo Rossitto, Larry Steers, Rusty Wescoatt, Harry Wilson
screeenplay by Carroll Young, based on a comic strip by Alex Raymond, musical direction by Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Jungle Jim, Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller)

review by
Mike Haberfelner

Jungle Jim number 5:

Somewhere in darkest Africa, a tribe of white (!) pygmies has discovered a fiber that can be used to produce inflammable lassoes. But since anything that can be used to produce inflammable lassoes can be used to produce a whole range of other things too that can be used as war material, and since the Cold War is on, the American gouvernment decides to send Captain Ann R.Kingsley (Ann Savage) to find the pygmies - who have the tendency to remain well hidden in the deepest jungle but speak a pretty good English - and get the secret of their fiber from them ... and the pygmies, it seems really like Captain Ann, and instinctively realize the NATO is the right side to be on in the Cold War. However, then the pygmies are attacked by an evil tribe of thought extinct Witchdoctors ...

Eventually, the Pentagon sends Major Bolton on a mission to rescue Captain Ann and if possible get the fiber back, and Bolton soon enough teams up with Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller), who knows his ways in the jungle, and who soon finds out that the evil Witchdoctors are in fact white men (probably Commies) who have only disguised as Witchdoctors to give the pygmies a mighty good scare and make them reveal their secret. And he finds out the brains of the organisation is a seemingly harmless trader, Leon Marco (Steven Geray). Ultimately, Jim even finds Captain Ann ... but to no avail, he and Captain Ann are captured by Marco and his men, who have by now also found out the secret of the fiber, and Major Bolton and his men are miles behind - and thus unable to save Jim and Ann. But the Commies haven't taken into account the pygmies, who might be short in height but high in cunning and fighting prowess, and soon enough, the Commies are overcome, Captain Ann gets the secret of the fiber, and the NATO is saved from those evil Commies.

Jim gets to fight a crocodile and a gorilla in this one, plus it is the first film in which he has no longer his crow and doggie, but instead a more customary chimp who "has instincts like a bloodhound" ...

You can either hate this film (like most of the Jungle Jim series) for its silliness or love it for its high camp value. I have to admit, it's not quite as good (or bad) as my synopsis makes it sound, but it definitely has potential.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find Pygmy Island at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find Pygmy Island here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Thanks for watching !!!