From the 1930s through the 1950s, Hollywood made a ton of jungle films. Some, such as the Tarzan films made by MGM with Johnny Weissmuller, were very good. Most, however, were pretty dreary--filled with tons of bad stock footage (often with animals that weren't even African) and bad acting. So, it isn't surprising that a jungle film made Harry Medved's book "The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time". However, competition was fierce, as so many rotten jungle films were made--such as "Tarzan's New Adventure" (where the man of the jungle goes to Guatemala of all places) and "White Pongo". Yet, somehow, Medved chose "Daughter of the Jungle" to place on his infamous list. While I don't think I would have included it (Medved made his list in the days before videotapes and cable so his access to terrible films was more limited), it is pretty bad.
The film begins with some government men taking a gangster back to America to prison. How and why they ended up flying in a tiny plane above the most remote region in Africa is beyond me! And, not surprisingly, the plane has engine trouble and they are forced to land. Fortunately, they happen to land exactly next to where a white man and his daughter live. This daughter has lived in the jungle most of her life, yet she wears a dress that looks as if it were made by Gucci, she has nicely permed hair and her diction is perfect. The overall effect is as if she were a débutante from Wellesley, not a Tarzan-like jungle maiden! My assumption is that this is most of the reason the movie made the list--this character was just ridiculous.
Soon after landing, you learn that the gangster (Sheldon Leonard--playing a VERY stereotypical crook) is determined never to go back and will do anything to avoid it. First, he destroys their radio and then later he stirs up the natives. And, speaking of natives, it looks like Republic Pictures only had about 5 or 6 extras--and so the fierce tribe seemed amazingly tiny! Can our heroes and the jungle minx manage to avoid death and will Leonard get what's coming to him? And, will anyone really care?! Overall, this is actually not that terrible a film, as it's just another dumb low-budget B-movie--and Hollywood made a bazillion of them. However, this really isn't much of a reason to see it--just saying 'yes, it's bad but they made a lot of bad ones' isn't a glowing endorsement!! The acting isn't very good, the story predictable and clichéd and the production values only fair...at best.
By the way, this film marks a milestone for me. I finally have seen EVERY single film from Medved's list--each and every one. And, considering how difficult some of the films are to find (I could only get a few by buying Chinese and German copies of a couple films), this is an achievement--a dubious one, I'll grant you!! Wow...do I need to get a life!
