Too much of everything

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Bomba has to help the beautiful Sue England (who has kind of a cute Bettie Page bangs thing going on), who is the rightful heir to the throne, but is instead forced to marry the dastardly Hassan who seeks to steal the kingdom. Silly, low budget, and completely unoriginal, but I will say I enjoyed this one slightly more than the other Bomba films I've seen.

Fourth chapter in Monogram Pictures' faintly-amusing "Bomba" serial, based upon Roy Rockwood's character of a teenage Tarzan who lives in the jungle and communicates with the animals like a high school variation of Doctor Dolittle. This time, Bomba is tracked through the wilds by a photographic expedition team who have gotten the evil Emir from the Hidden City and his army involved; the Emir is about to pick a new maiden for his harem, with only Bomba aware of the selected girl's forgotten childhood (she's actually a Princess!). Husky-yet-boyish Johnny Sheffield literally takes a beating in this episode (knocked unconscious near the opening, he is later stabbed and must be nursed back to health by the village maidens after floating down river on a log). Despite the curious insistence on action scenes (which are an improvement over the stock footage which permeated the first two "Bomba" installments), this B-level matinée item gets bogged down in plot, little of which makes sense. Sheffield is still engagingly sincere, but Bomba has been made too knowledgeable here, which takes away from his purity; he's so matter-of-fact with his information that he comes off indifferent. Sue England gets the role of the requisite pretty girl (with teased hair and lipstick!); she makes a valiant attempt to win Bomba's heart, nearly winning him over even though she can't swim or catch a fish. There's a lovely shot of England falling asleep in a tree, with Sheffield watching her from above, but the rest of the picture doesn't impress. Supporting cast is underwhelming, and the interiors of the Emir's fancy digs are atrocious. *1/2 from ****

"Bomba and the Hidden City" is a slipshod chapter of a very cut rate series of adventure sagas. It was directed, however, by a master of the serial form, Forde Beebe. This kiddie clunker was the kind of thing Beebe could direct in his sleep and judging from what follows the title, that's where he spent most of his time, jungle hammock style, collecting a cool $150 salary while waiting for the bus to another part of the forest.The storyline follows our semi-intrepid jungle boy, by now really filling out his French cut Tarzan loin wrap. He galumphs and swings through the eucalyptus trees of the Santa Anita Racetrack Botanic Gardens, searching for some supposed hidden city. This "city" more of a couple of shacks with a forlorn palm-tree and a few added stumps,seems to be known by everyone especially the Arab suits, read villains. The plot is something like "Tarzan's Desert Mystery" or "Tarzan's Nazi Adventure" or "The Return of Somebody with a Name like Schnarzan". Forgive me, sometimes I get carried away with all the excitement. The city, hidden or not, has the sister of another member of the cast who may or may not have been there before. Nobody knows for sure. Also, in the village is somebody called "Ferengi", perhaps an escapee from a space opera, though that is probably doubtful. As can be expected, Bomba makes everything right while hardly having to fling his spear.The bad guys get their well deserved drenching and just when we are sitting on the edge of our thrones with the possibility of the jungle boy getting his first lady friend, the end comes. But one big thing we can be sure of, in the next outing of our titular hero, he still won't have any body hair, a true "child" until all the film runs out!

***SPOILERS*** Bomba, Johnny Sheffield,gets himself in hot water here by being Johnny on the Spot in witnessing the murder of pretty Zita's, Sue England, parents and living to talk about it. This happened a while ago back in WWII when the person who took over Zita's father leadership of the Hidden City Hassan, Paul Gulpoyle, was working with Gen. Rommel's Afrika Corps as him being a traitor to his people.We have to wait until the film "Bomba and the Hidden City" is almost over for Bomba to reveal his big secret which he kept from Zita who from the shock of her parents being murdered had completely lost her memory about that tragic event! But of course Hassan and his top henchman Abudllah, Charles La Torrer, didn't forget what they did and try eventing they can to shut Bomba up before he spills the beans on them!Bomba does his usual heroics in the movie swinging on tree vines and saving damsels, or Zita, in distress but of course he needs help from his many jungle friends, monkeys and chimpanzees, to do it. As for the beautiful Zita who's been adopted by her now step father Raschid, Leon Belasco, she has no idea to who she really is which is the only reason keeping that's her alive! That's until a sharp eyed Bomba finds a number of snapshot photos of her and her real parents to jog back her memory. The funny thing about all that is that it was Hassan himself, her parents murderer, who unknowingly provided Zita or Bomba with the incriminating photos!***SPOILERS*** Bomba who was on the run throughout the entire movie from the Hassan Mob finally turns the tables on them with the help of his friends great white hunter Dennis Johnson, Damian O'Flynn, and his faithful native companion Hadja, Smoki Whitfield. It's really that double-crossing and sleazy rat Hassan who ends up really getting the worst of it, of what his gang of cut throats got, in the entire movie. Running for his life from Bomba and his monkey friends in the jungle Hassan ended up, by falling into the river, as food for the local crocodile population! The hungry crocodiles in how many they were and how little Hassan, being of average size and weight, had to offer them just couldn't get enough of the guy.