Call of the Jungle

One for the kiddies, this one, despite the presence of Ann Corio in the stellar role.

Actually neither Miss Corio nor her dull leading man James Bush (whose acting career was mostly confined to small roles and uncredited bits) are particularly appealing. It's left to the support cast to turn in spirited performances. Fortunately, director Phil Rosen had enough flair to take good advantage of this pool of talent. The acting in fact — from all but the inadequate leads — is far more polished and engaging than the script (an unsophisticated melange of story clichés and equally laughable dialogue) deserves.

Ex-Broadway showgirl, Claudia Dell (here making the second last of her 41 movie appearances) turns in an excellent performance as Gracie, while prolific character actor, Eddy Chandler (who appeared in well over 300 movies) makes his "Boggs" equally appealing.

On the technical side, Arthur Martinelli's lustrous cinematography leads the way — and it's far more inspiring than the comic strip writing.