Bomba on Panther Island
December. 18,1949In this second film in the Bomba, the Jungle Boy series, Bomba tracks a dangerous panther.
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People are voting emotionally.
One of my all time favorites.
hyped garbage
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
The Tarzan films declined in quality significantly after Johnny Weissmuller left the series, and even poorer of quality knock-off/unofficial spin-off series about Bomba the Jungle Boy, played by Johnny Sheffield, who played "Boy" in the Weissmuller Tarzan films, represented an even further decline. Loads of stock footage, poorly done rear projection, and lousy looking backlot jungles make this series pretty weak. This particular entry finds Bomba fighting a dangerous black panther (I only with is was the 1960s activist kind or the Marvel Cinematic Universe kind, which would have made a much more interesting of film). Bomba also has to fight some stereotypically superstitious natives.
This second of the dozen films made in the Bomba series focuses on the search for an evil black panther believed through superstition to be an evil spirit. It's all because the white man is there, cutting down trees, angering the alleged jungle gods and bringing one to earth to possess the wildcat and get revenge. Another father and daughter team have come along to replace Onslow Stevens and Peggy Ann Garner, making this series quite different than the MGM Tarzan series which had started with an ensemble cast. Other than Johnny Sheffield and his pet monkey, the only other actor returning is Smoki Whitfield as the African native who continues to work along side the white man as guide and protector. Allene Roberts is the female lead here, the daughter of Harry Lewis whose desire for the lumber brings about the alleged curse. While Sheffield was busy protecting Garner in the first film, here he is much closer to his distant "cousin" Tarzan, once again swinging from trees and doing much more physically than he did in the plot heavy first film. This entry is enjoyable but standard B jungle fare, entertaining as far as Saturday matinees go, but often stagnant and definitely about a reel too long. It's obvious how this will end, and just barely passes muster as a minor diversion. The continued usage of stock footage provides thrills, but a bit of it was an obvious repeat of what was already used in the first film.
Fairly weak follow-up to 1949's "Bomba, the Jungle Boy" has a better production (with much-improved nature footage from stock), but a terribly nonsensical script to contend with. Johnny Sheffield returns as Bomba, a teenage Tarzan complete with loincloth and stunted English, here tracking a killer black panther through the jungle; meanwhile, an American architect and his kid-sister (in matching pith helmets!) try persuading the jungle natives to chop down the trees to make room for their experimental farm, but the workers are scared off by the marauding beast who represents an ancient taboo. Also frightening the men is Lita Baron, a glinty-eyed French maid who may be possessed by the soul of a cat (paging Simone Simon!). Bomba certainly isn't afraid of the bewitching lass, taking momentary delight in her frisky caresses and excitable hands! Sheffield, with his thickly-sculpted physique and junior high school grin, is still a charmer...but what good can be said about a jungle adventure in which most of the action comes courtesy of the second-unit add-ons? (a buffalo fighting an alligator, for example). Monogram Pictures did keep the series going after this, but were already running low on fresh ideas. *1/2 from ****
Bomba On Panther Island is the one I remember best from watching the series in my childhood. Mainly because with the presence of Lita Baron in the cast the story came close to being adult.Johnny Sheffield is on a jungle island where brother and sister Harry Lewis and Allene Roberts hope to build a plantation. But on that same island is a black panther with a taste for killing humans. When the panther kills one of Bomba's little monkey friends he goes on a mission.There are two women admiring Bomba's physique in this one, Allene who is a good girl and Lita who is one sexy dish. In fact the closest sex ever came to this series was when Lita gives Bomba the come hither glance while at a jungle stream. If this had been an adult picture you better believe Bomba would have been putty in her hands. In the entire Bomba series there was never anyone else like Lita Baron in it. I think more than the kids will like Bomba On Panther Island.