alexanderdavies-99382 "Captive Wild Woman" is a more obscure horror film from "Universal" but it works quite well. The monster in this film is a crossbreed between an African woman and an ape. It's another make-up triumph by Jack Pierce.John Carradine is on hand as the scientist who creates the monster of the film.

Michael_Elliott Captive Wild Woman (1943)** 1/2 (out of 4)The setting for this Universal horror movie is a circus where a group of animals have just landed and they are trying to be whipped into where they can perform on a stage. Dr. Walters (John Carradine) takes a liking to a female gorilla that shows signs of intelligence. He ends up stealing the gorilla and transforms her into Paula (Acquanette) who in human form still has signs of an animal.The "Paula the Ape Woman" series certainly wasn't one of the best from Universal. During the opening title credits there's a big thank you to Clyde Beatty who was able to help with the various animal stunts in the film and this is where the movie goes wrong. These stunts are certainly wonderfully entertaining but they also add a rather cheap feel to the picture because of the obvious doubles that are used when the characters are in cages with the animals.I'd also argue that there's way too much footage of the animals because it eats away at the really short sixty-minute running time. In fact, I'd argue it eats up so much of the running time that the Paula story really become a subplot, which is too bad because it works as a female version of the Wolf Man character. The film does a pretty good job at building up sympathy for the Paula character and especially during one scene where her hearts get broken. The transformation scene was also quite good and the look at the ape woman was a winner.CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN also benefits from the atmosphere in Acquanetta's performance. She really does seem like a wild woman. Evelyn Ankerks and Milburn Stone offer up nice performances and it's always a lot of fun to see Carradine.

AaronCapenBanner John Carradine plays insane Dr. Walters, who is obsessed with his human gland experiments, where he turns a female ape named Cheela into a beautiful woman he names Paula Dupree(played by Acquanetta)! She was in the circus run by Fred Mason(played by Milburn Stone) whom she is in love with, but is driven to murderous rage when she discovers that he is already involved with Beth Colman(played by Evelyn Ankers). How will this unlikely soap opera turn out? Utterly preposterous film with absurd science and hokey plot. Sad to see perennial Universal Studios "scream queen" Evelyn Ankers wasted here. Amazingly, the first of a trilogy!(though the last two are not on DVD).

dougdoepke This is probably the only movie on record with more whip-cracks than dialog, so you may need earplugs. Actually I kept waiting for the Wild Woman to, you know, like get wild— like tear up the scenery or at least a bunch of hot-blooded men. But no. All this wild woman does is stand stock-still and plant a big-eyed stare on the big cats who really are wild. And for some strange reason only mad scientist (is there any other kind) Carradine knows, this scares the heck out of the big cats. She's definitely not a woman to monkey with. But then, Carradine goes and monkeys around with gorilla glands so that the Wild Woman turns into a perfect mate for the Wolf Man. Which, of course, allows the studio to re-use all that left-over Lon Chaney makeup.Forget this plot, which is too goofy and poorly blended in, anyway. The real attraction are the big cats and trainer Clyde Beatty (look-alike Stone in close-ups). Those lion vs. tiger tussles are real grabbers and about the only reason to tune in. Can't help noting another weirdness. Namely, that blacklisted director Ed Dmytryk helmed this decidedly a-political effort. Talk about a fish out of water. Also, look for a real wild woman in person of Martha Vickers (Dorothy, the sister) who later heats up the screen in Bogart's The Big Sleep (1946). Too bad she didn't get her chance here. Anyway, a more accurate title would be A Day at the Circus, but then, Hollywood never did believe in Truth in Advertising.