wes-connors "A young girl is the only survivor of a plane crash that carried herself and her father, a bank embezzler escaping with the money. Befriended by a gorilla that protects and cares for her, the girl grows up in the jungle guarding the fortune. The son of the bank president, from which the money was stolen, tracks down the girl to recover the money, but falls for the girl and must protect her from an unscrupulous guide, who wants the money for himself," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.The "stock footage" is so obvious, it's annoying. Co-stars Buster Crabbe (as Ray Gorman) and Julie London (as Doreen Stockwell) are in very good shape. Mr. Crabbe gets to show off his chest, but Ms. London remains covered. Crabbe plays his scenes with London notably well (like a muscular Ozzie Nelson). In her first appearance on film, London is very beautiful. Since Ray "Nbongo" Corrigan plays the gorilla named "Samson", probably "Nabonga" means gorilla in another language.** Nabonga (1/25/44) Sam Newfield ~ Buster Crabbe, Julie London, Barton MacLane, Fifi D'Orsay

vitaleralphlouis NABONGA is just a low-budget gorilla adventure from PRC Pictures, but it offers a good story, more African wildlife shots than most Tarzan movies, and a reasonable level of sex appeal. At 75 minutes, the movie is never dull; and it matters not that Nabonga is an actor in a gorilla suit -- because audiences allowed some slack if the story was good. This rates a solid 7/10, if not better.Contrast this with Peter Jackson's overblown, miserable, and downright stupid 2006 gorilla movie --- that cost in excess of $100 million --- and was dying fast at the box office (per word-of-mouth) two weeks after its release. Jackson's movie had no entertainment value at all.Some say that Nabonga was the inspiration to the 1950 "Mighty Joe Young" --- a truly excellent classic made by the same skilled people that made the 1933 "King Kong". I'd say, not quite. "Nabonga" is a much slimmer story.You can rent Nabonga + Swamp Fire from Netflix, or buy a DVD for about $2.00 on eBay or elsewhere. Worth your time and money.

skoyles "Nabonga" is not merely a 1944 "B" movie of interest only to those far too interested in the history of "B" movies - though it is that. I was expecting a cardboard jungle "epic", but a superior one in that it has Buster Crabbe, Barton MacLane, Crash Corrigan and his gorilla suit and the luscious Julie London in her first motion picture. What a surprise to find Crabbe portraying not another version of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers or other perfect hero but a man driven to vindicate his father's reputation even if it should mean lying, cheating, theft from the girl to whom he is obviously attracted as well as trapping her beloved gorilla. Our hero is at least part anti-hero; not unheard of in a motion picture certainly but odd in a wartime Buster Crabbe vehicle. The moral uncertainty of Crabbe's character makes "Nabonga" different from its ilk. Apart from that interesting plot quirk, "Nabonga" is enjoyable on its own terms as a "white goddess" potboiler. There is an interesting relationship between Crabbe's character and Tobu, a black man who is treated as an equal not a servant and for whom the hero is willing to risk his life. "Nabonga" is an odd slice of 1940s cinema, ending with an exhortation to buy "war stamps and bonds at this theatre".

Chris Gaskin I've just watched Nabonga for the first time and quite enjoyed it, despite its rather low budget.An aeroplane with a girl and her dad on board plus the pilot crash lands in Africa into a jungle. Her dad has some treasure with him so he shoots the pilot and disappears some years later, leaving his daughter alone. But she has been "adopted" by a gorilla, (a man in a monkey suit) Nabonga, although she calls him Samson. A small party, including Ray Gorman looking for the treasure eventually finds it and the girl and after Nabonga fights another gorilla (another man in a monkey suit), he kills somebody else who is also after the treasure along with a woman. After that, Gorman and the now grown up Doreen plan to return to America.The cast includes Buster Crabbe (Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers), singer Julie London and Barton MacLane (Unknown Island, The Maltese Falcon).This movie is certainly worth watching if you get the chance. Great fun.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.