I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Absolutely the worst movie.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

(Some Spoilers) Traveling to darkest Africa in the unexplored and forbidden, by the local natives, Nabonga Mountains Ray Gorman,Buster Crabbe, is determined to find the money that was embezzled from his father's bank back in New York City and return it to its rightful owners: The banks depositors. With the local natives refusing to help him in getting into Naboga Country in fear of a "White Witch" who rules the area Ray gets a lucky brake in Tobo, Prince Madupe, more then willing to help him go there. It was Ray who saved Tobo from being killed by an outraged fellow native, Fred Snowflake Toones, who accused the innocent Tobo of putting a hex on his brother that resulted in his death. Earlier on in the movie we find out that what really happened back in New York it was that Ray's father's top accountant T.F Stockwell, Herbert Rawinson, who framed him by bankrupting his bank. It was T.F who then checked out of the country with the stolen bank money converted to jewelry and ended up, via Cairo Egypt, together with his 10 year old daughter Doreen, Juli London, in the African jungles. that's after his plane crashed during a violent summer monsoon. With T.F dead from his injuries his daughter Dooreen is adopted ,like Tarzan of the Apes was, by this big 400 pound gorilla "Samson", sporting what looked like a punk rock hairdo, played by Ray "Crush" Carrigan dressed in a gorilla suit.As Ray is out to find the stolen or embezzled bank funds he's followed in the jungle by American Carl Hurst, Barton MacLane, who found out about the money and wants to get his hands on it before Ray does. In the jungle Ray and his native guide Tobo finally get to the cash site where the plane with T.L & daughter came down only to be confronted by "Samason" the gorilla! "Samson" in thinking that Ray & Tobo are a threat to his master Doreen, now fully grown at 17 with a 36-24-35 figure, and ends up taking a terrified Tobo apart. It's when Doreen gets to know Ray and what a nice guy he is that "Samson",in him getting the message, desist from any violence towards him. But it's when both the greedy and murderous Carl Hurst and his non-African, she actually look Polynesian, native girlfriend Marie,Fifi Diorsay, come on the scene to make trouble is when "Samson" resorts to type. And it's then when the action in the movie really starts to get both hot & heavy!***SPOILERS*** Despite Julie London's, as Doreen the Jungle Girl in her movie debut, knockout looks that even had actor and Olympic swimming champion Buster Crabbe, as Ray Gorman, a bit taken back and almost speechless it was the monkey or gorilla that ended up stealing the show. Without "Samson" the gorilla coming to Ray and Doreen's aid it would have been curtains for both of them. It fact it was Marie who after Hurst got his hands on the jewelry and dumped her for the far more sexier Doreen ,who was anything but interested in him, who then released "Samson" who was trapped in a bamboo cage to finish the two timing rat off. That's after an outraged Samson in thinking her to be his enemy finished Marie off first. It was "Samson's" confrontation with the gun wielding Hurst that ended up doing the big gorilla in. But it took a full load of lead from Hurst's revolver to do the job! With a fatally wounded "Samson" still having enough left in him to tear Hurst apart limb from limb just before he finally expired.

That's my favorite line, spoken by Buster Crabbe after he's tussled with one, an activity that provides convenient opportunity for him to take his shirt off. This isn't a good movie or a camp classic, but a "B" (or "C") with just enough energy and silliness to be entertaining rather than merely mediocre and tedious.Julie London, a comely 18 years old in her film debut, plays the young woman who's grown up from childhood in the jungle after a plane crash, protected by a giant ape (Ray Corrigan wears the suit). Buster is the intrepid explorer determined (for virtuous reasons) to find the stolen treasure she doesn't know she's hoarding. Somehow after a decade-plus with no one to talk to she speaks perfect English. She also wears a nice little print cocktail dress she presumably got on sale at the jungle Bloomingdale's. Buster looks great in his pith helmet and has some funny moments in his initial nervous interactions with London's Doreenand the ape she calls "Samson"--he might have been a good light comedian if anybody had given him the chance. When she amorously caresses Buster's face, his obliviousness is conveyed by another good line: "What's the matter? I need a shave?" This in a brief moment between the usual stock footage animal attacks involving exotic critters from around the globe.As others have noted, the relationship between "Bwana" Buster and his native guide Tobo (the rather stiff Prince Madupe, who seemingly never made another movie) is less condescending than the norm in such movies--Buster treats him more as partner and friend than servant. Too bad Tobo gets handed an early exit.

"Nabonga" marks the debut film of Julie London. It's also the first and only movie of Jackie Newfield, daughter of director Sam Newfield (and niece, of course, of Newfield's brother, Sigmund Neufeld).By the humble standards of the Neufeld Brothers, this entry is reasonably entertaining. The story is a familiar one (it was later re-used with great effect in "Mr Joseph Young of Africa"), but here it moves with sufficient pace and encompasses enough action to satisfy second-feature fans. True, Buster Crabbe breezes through his part with plenty of charm, but little conviction. As a good guy, his motives towards and treatment of the heroine often seem a little dubious, but such subtleties don't worry Buster at all. Julie London, however, makes quite an impression, while Ray "Crash" Corrigan has a grand time as the gorilla (though he is outclassed in the acting department by young Jackie Newfield). Fifi D'Orsay seems an unnecessary addition to the story, an opinion oddly shared by scriptwriter Myton who gives her little to do and then removes her from the plot with little ceremony. We would have liked to see more of Prince Modupe, however, whose dignified and knowledgeable native guide is far removed from the usual Hollywood stereotypes.Production values seem adequate enough for Poverty Row and are helped out enormously by Robert Cline's always attractively glossy and often noirishly lit photography.Available on DVD through Alpha. Quality rating: nine out of ten.

I've just watched Nabonga for the first time and quite enjoyed it, despite its rather low budget.An aeroplane with a girl and her dad on board plus the pilot crash lands in Africa into a jungle. Her dad has some treasure with him so he shoots the pilot and disappears some years later, leaving his daughter alone. But she has been "adopted" by a gorilla, (a man in a monkey suit) Nabonga, although she calls him Samson. A small party, including Ray Gorman looking for the treasure eventually finds it and the girl and after Nabonga fights another gorilla (another man in a monkey suit), he kills somebody else who is also after the treasure along with a woman. After that, Gorman and the now grown up Doreen plan to return to America.The cast includes Buster Crabbe (Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers), singer Julie London and Barton MacLane (Unknown Island, The Maltese Falcon).This movie is certainly worth watching if you get the chance. Great fun.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.