Awesome Movie

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Blistering performances.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I guess it's a toss up as to who's the 'Jungle Girl' of the title. You have Linda Ward (Karen Sharpe), daughter of a government inspector, and Baru (Suzette Harbin), the daughter of a tribal chief, who it turns out acquired his status by nefarious means. Ultimately it doesn't make much difference because the story is a rather haphazard affair, as hero Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) attempts to learn about his origins and why he's the only jungle inhabitant that can't lay claim to a mother and father.This is only the second 'Bomba' film I've seen but I've already noted that just like Tarzan and Jungle Jim, Bomba can get involved with the deadliest of animal foes and come away without a scratch. In this one he wrestles a crocodile out to make dinner of Linda Ward, but it's actually the young lady who turns things around by shooting the croc. I thought I recognized Nancy Sharpe in her role here, turns out she portrayed the character Laura Thomas in the single season TV Western "Johnny Ringo" during the 1959/1960 season. Oh yeah, someone actually watched that show on a regular basis.As I keep tabs on these jungle features I'm always keen on catching wild animals outside their natural element. That leopard that fought off the water buffalo was actually a South American jaguar as you can note by the small rosettes inside the larger spots. How he got to Africa is anyone's guess.Well high above the Jeruti village, Bomba finds what he's looking for. The remains of his murdered parents were buried in a cave, killed on orders of Gamboso (Martin Wilkins), the village chief. The jungle lad didn't have much time to think about it as the wicked daughter Baru set the jungle on fire as a way to fend off the Wards and approaching Commissioner Barnes. The film may have one significant but dubious credit in as much as it features what might be the very first cat fight between a black and a white woman as Baru tussles with young Linda Ward. After it was over, did anyone else think it strange that when Baru walked out of the cave, you hear her scream off screen and that's it - she's gone! I guess Linda was the jungle girl after all.

****SPOILERS*** Reaching the age of 21 and now being qualified to vote smoke and drink Bomba, Johnny Sheffield, realizes that unlike his animal friends in the jungle he doesn't have a mommy or papa since he was abandoned by them when he was three years old. Going on a journey of self discovery to find out just who he is and whom his parents were Bomba runs into Linda Ward,Karen Sharpe. It's Linda whom he saved from a crocodile attack while she was taking a swim in the Congo River. As things tune out Linda's pop Mr.Ward,Walter Sande, who's a good friend of Bomba also happens to work for the local British Commissioner in the district Andy Burns, Mudie Barnes.It's from Andy that Bomba gets a clue to who his parents were in that they were in fact murdered by the local natives in the area. As it soon turned out it was the local Chief Gambosa, Martin Wilkins,and his power hungry daughter Princess Baru,Suzette Habrin,who were not only responsible for Bomba's parents murders but were also involved in the murder of the real chief of the village whom Bomba's parents were very friendly with. Chief Gombosa who took control of the village had Bomba's nanny Linasi, Amanda Randolph, who's husband was the true village chief blinded to keep the villagers in line and from rioting against him. It's now up to Bomba and his new found girl friend Linda to track down where is parents are buried and find the evidence in his father John Hasting's diary to prove once in for all who's the real chief of the village! Which just happens to be Linasi's son Kokoli, Morris Buchanan, who's secretly working behind the scenes with Bomba to bring his father's killers to justice!With the phony village chief Gambosa and his daughter Princess Baru finding out that Bomba was on to them and their phony act as chief and princess of the native village they pull out all stops to shut him up and shut him up permanently. Bomba for his part has the British Commissioner Andy Bearns in his corner but with Gambosa getting the jump on him it may well be too late for Andy,in being miles away from all the action, to do anything for him. ***SPOILERS*** Bomba together with Linda finally track down the cave where his parents are buried as well as get his hands on his father's diary that proves that Gabosa and daughter are fakes. The only problem for Bomba is that it may be too late for him to get that evidence back to the village and the local British Commissioner Barnes with the determined Princess Baru and a bunch of her henchmen about to set the entire jungle on fire! And thus burn to a crisps not only the incriminating evidence against her and her pop Chief Gambosa but Bomba and Linda along with it!

Writer-director Ford Beebe surprisingly didn't lose steam helming this, the eighth picture in Monogram's "Bomba" serial; rather, Beebe comes through with one of his meatiest scripts for the low-budget franchise, allowing Bomba to have normal thoughts, questions and emotions about his own history. It's springtime in the Congo, with Bomba taking notice of the circle of life happening all around him, yet feeling saddened by his own lack of family. After saving the daughter of a government agent from an alligator attack, Bomba learns his parents were killed many years ago and that a native nurse (presumed dead as well) knew the secret behind their mysterious fate. Like the previous "Bomba" movies, this installment's charm is of a strictly modest variety--only nostalgic grown-ups need apply--however, the film's villainess (the daughter of a phony village chief) is amusingly intimidating, and Johnny Sheffield's Bomba thinks clearly and acts cleverly. The production is predictably crude, though the stock footage is kept to a minimum and the dialogue (strong this time) carries the plot ably without being chopped up into staccato bits and pieces. **1/2 from ****

This film in the Bomba series finds Johnny Sheffield both finding out his true identity and dealing with a usurper who has taken the leadership of the Masai tribe. The title is a real misnomer, what Sheffield has not done is find a sister.It seems as though Bomba's real parents were government agents who knew the truth of the coup in the Masai tribe. Martin Wilkins is the usurper and he reals with help of Suzette Harbin who has the meatiest role in the film that of his daughter and chief enforcer. She's a real piece of work and goes out in quite the diva fashion.Helping Bomba is Walter Sande who is in the Masai village on a survey and his daughter Karen Sharpe and of course that symbol of jungle authority Commissioner Barnes as played by Leonard Mudie, the other recurring character in the Bomba series.Masai politics and Bomba's identity, makes for a nice film.