CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN!

Just to show you that not every Universal monster has been re-introduced to today's fans, the folks at Dimensional Designs have released a resin scale model kit of Paula Dupree, the Captive Wild Woman, played by the exotically-named Acquanetta. The makeup was created by Jack Pierce, who was still working for Universal at the time. The kit comes with a diorama and looks to be a really nice sculpt.

From the manufacturer:

Captive Wild Woman 1/6 Scale Diorama Art Statue Model Kit:

Captive Wild Woman is a 1943 American horror film directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film stars Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, Milburn Stone, and features Acquanetta as Paula, the Ape Woman. The film involves a scientist, Dr. Sigmund Walters, whose experiments turn a female gorilla named Cheela into a human by injecting the ape with sex hormones and via brain transplants.

Here is an amazing 1/6 Scale model kit of Paula the Ape Woman from the  Captive Wild Women 1943 film. The kit is made of expertly cast resin parts for easy build and paint.

Retail price: $159.99

WILD WOMAN!

 Known in 1940's Hollywood as "The Venezuelan Volcano", the woman with the singular name, Acquanetta, was actually born in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Arapaho Indian parents. After finding her way to the Big Apple for a modeling career, she ended up on the West Coast and signed a contract with Universal Pictures.

As the character Paula Dupree, the studio attempted to make something of a new horror cycle with the exotic "ape-woman", and yielded two films in a series, JUNGLE WOMAN and CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN.

As unlikely a place as one could expect, the photo shown below is from the May/June 2013 issue of WORLD WAR II magazine (!). Nevertheless,the lovely Acquanetta was never camera-shy, so it is not surprising to see her among the "pin-up gals" who were extremely popular in the day. It is also not inconceivable that her image -- or at least a likeness inspired by her image -- found its way as nose art on some crew's B-24 or other bomber.