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4.5
There's only one actor who could have ever played the role of Bomba, the Jungle Boy, and he was the great Johnny Sheffield. Johnny was from a show business family and he learned his cinematic ropes from none other than Johnny Weissmuller when he was chosen to play "Boy" in the MGM Tarzan movies. When Sheffield outgrew that part, Monogram Studios signed him for the role of Bomba in a series of 12 films that ran from 1949 to 1955. This Warner Archive box set collects the final six jungle adventures, and they are as follows:1. "African Treasure" (1952, 70 min.): Bomba saves a young woman, portrayed by exotic beauty Laurette Luez, from a killer lion. Her name is Lita and she tells Bomba that she is in the jungle looking for her missing father who is a geologist. Bomba vows to help Lita, and soon they discover a village where all the natives have been massacred by a gang of ruthless diamond hunters. Bomba discovers clues in the village that he hopes will lead him to the killers, Lita's father, and a lost diamond mine.2. "Bomba and the Jungle Girl" (1952, 70 min.): This fast-paced film is one of the best of the series. Bomba is determined to learn the fate of his parents and begins a trek through the jungle to discover the truth. He soon encounters a young woman swimming in a river and saves her from crocodiles. She is Linda, played by stunning actor Karen Sharpe (who later married director Stanley Kramer). Linda takes Bomba to a nearby village to meet her father, a government surveyor. There Bomba meets the tribal chief and his daughter who immediately begin to act suspiciously toward Bomba. The Jungle Boy suspects that they know more about his parents than they are telling.3. "Safari Drums" (1953, 71 min.): A group of headstrong filmmakers invade the jungle looking for cheap thrills to film, even if it means killing animals in the process. Bomba saves one of their party, a petite brunette named Peggy, from a leopard in a cave, and soon is acting as guide for the group in order to protect the animals. Peggy is played by Barbara Bestar who later appeared in the cult classic "Killers From Space." The territorial police send a message to Bomba via jungle drums that one member of the film group is a killer and Bomba must determine which one.4. "The Golden Idol" (1954, 71 min.): Evil Prince Ali kills a Watusi chief, a friend of Bomba's, and steals the tribe's golden idol. Bomba manages to regain possession of the idol and hides it in the jungle. Prince Ali hires a mercenary and plans to track down Bomba and take the idol. In the meantime, a pretty blonde archeologist, played by Anne Kimbell, finds Bomba and wants the idol for a museum. Bomba tells her that the Watusi chief's dying wish was that the idol could be sold and the money used to help his people, but Prince Ali and his henchmen have other plans.5. "Killer Leopard" (1954, 70 min.): Beautiful movie star Linda Winters, played by cult favorite Beverly Garland, flies to Africa hoping to find her missing husband who has embezzled thousands from a movie studio. In the meantime, Bomba is on the trail of a killer leopard that has been attacking humans. Eventually, Bomba crosses paths with Linda who enlists his aid in finding her husband, but Bomba is not prepared for what he discovers when he finds him.6. "Lord of the Jungle" (1955, 70 min.): The final Bomba adventure centers around a trio of hunters hired by the territorial government to track down and kill a deadly rogue elephant. Their uncaring plan is to kill every elephant they see in hopes of killing the rogue. Bomba learns of their plan and does everything in his power to thwart their efforts. In the meantime, Asst. Commissioner Barnes' pretty niece Mona, played by Nancy Hale, pays him a visit and there she meets Bomba. Soon a romance develops with Bomba and he soon has a courageous ally in Mona to help him save his elephant friends.The Bomba jungle adventures were once widely popular with theater goers, and are still being enjoyed today thanks to DVD box sets like this one. Thank you Warner Archive for making these and other great films available. Keep in mind while enjoying this collection that those jungle drums you hear may be a message from Bomba to you, so listen closely!
