Wonderful character development!

disgusting, overrated, pointless

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The title 'Queen of the Amazons' with Patricia Morison led me to hope that Morison (who recently celebrated her 102nd birthday) would be in the title role, but alas no. She's playing Jean Preston, looking for her missing fiancé somewhere in the Dark Continent, where she trades in her fetching forties suits for a fetching pair of jodhpurs and riding boots and her party eventually encounters the amazons promised by the title.In support are veterans J.Edward Bromberg (first seen reciting 'Three Fishers' by Charles Kingsley to his pet monkey) and John Miljan, who serves as the film's narrator. About half the film consists of stock footage (some of which I recognised from Martin & Osa Johnson's 'Simba: King of the Beasts' [1928]), and the film actually does a pretty good job of integrating the actors into the actuality scenes.Ironically it's when we finally meet the tribe of "white she-devils" that the film loses its grip; and despite all their build-up both Jean (having earlier shown herself to be a crack shot with a six-shooter) and Queen Zita (equally deadly with a bow & arrow) both prove disappointingly useless when they actually find themselves confronted with a crisis. The day is instead saved by Zita's blonde handmaiden Sugi (Cay Forester), whose quick thinking in grabbing a blowpipe and killing the villain should have resulted in Zita abdicating in her favour, and instead doing Sugi's hair from now on.

A safari travels from India to darkest Africa to rescue a survivor from the clutches of the legendary amazon women. Along the way, however, the travelers are plagued by a mysterious murderer. From the title, I was expecting 60-minutes of pure camp. Instead I got about 15 and those come at the end, mainly with Amira Moustafa as Zita, the amazon queen. The trouble is she's got to be one of the worst actresses I've heard in a while, even if she's all kinds of eye candy in that tight wrap-around sarong. No wonder she only had three movies. But what's the delectably fine actress Morrison doing in a z-grade production like this. She had such an erratic career, yo-yoing between prestige and programmers. Z-grade or not, I did enjoy the lengthy stock shots of the real Africa, the wild animals and natives on the savanna. Actually, the cheapo production did a pretty good job blending exterior studio shots with the stock footage. Then there's the poetry spouting Bromberg who adds a colorfully creepy element, while Lowery, a veteran of low-grade horror, lends an energetic touch when he could have just walked through. On the whole, the campy title tells a lot, but there are unexpected compensations.

The fact that nothing about this movie makes any sense is what also gives it it's dubious charm. I have to say the movie's opening had a pretty decent hook with the elephant procession in Akbar, India, while a pretty but demure Indian girl held out the hope of a mysterious adventure. Once on safari though, things take a downhill turn as wildlife stock footage threatens to overtake the main story, easily eating up a third of the film.Even the movie's title, "Queen of the Amazons" turns out to be a contradiction, as the main story plays out in Africa. In retrospect, the action could have taken place in South America just as easily, but then the film would be making a concession to at least one plot point. After all the intrigue inspired by talk of bad voodoo surrounding the jungle white goddess/she devil, it's almost comical to observe the Amazon Queen Zita (Amira Moustafa) coochie cooing with her boyfriend Greg Jones (Bruce Edwards). Greg never bothered to get in touch with his fiancée about a change in plans, so now Jean Preston (Patricia Morison) is leading the search to find him.Side stories abound in this clunker, as expedition guide Gary Lambert (Robert Lowery) has it bad for Jean after it was established that he considers women on safari a nuisance. There's also the identity of an ivory poacher to be revealed, which doesn't take too much to figure out. Hint, it's the cook spouting bad poetry (J. Edward Bromberg), who could have been given any kind of name besides Gabby, because after all, Gabby belongs in a Western.By the time it's all over, you'll be pretty much standing on your head trying to sort this all out. Fearless Zita (remember that speech to Jean) screams in fright when Gabby throws a spear in her direction. The icing on the cake though is the double ring ceremony at the end of the film, with the Amazon leader proclaiming that she's ready to leave her paradise - huh? It was at that point that Greg Jones' earlier comment made a whole lot of sense to me - "Zita dear, you're quite a queen."

The film opens in India. We meet a professor type, a military type, a young seedy male type and a gorgeous female type. Hints are dropped about how dangerous such a half-civilized place can be. The young woman insists they find out what happened to "Greg", the Colonel's son who came here a month since; a desk clerk proves unhelpful, and a young woman watches them. A silhouetted figure tells the man to detain the party. The girl tells them of a safari attacked by a tiger--which might not have been "Greg's". Jean, (Patricia Morison) wants to talk with the young woman's husband, who was on the safari; we find out later, when Jean shows her "Greg's" picture, Greg was on the safari before the last. The husband is shot while telling them Greg was after a fortune in ivory, in "Kybo", in Africa. Fortunately, no one heard the shot; the young man, Wayne, suggest they leave. They board a clipper for Africa. Wayne wonders why Jean doesn't give up. She tells him to quit, but that she won't. Once arrived, the Colonel gets them help, a guide, Gary, who hates women in wild places (Robert Lowery). The Commissioner fills them in on the man. Jean has to shoot bullseyes in the man's targets to win him over. Gary recruits one Gabby as cook and we learn soon that Greg had been on a mission--a contraband ivory ring needed stopping. They kill two days, then are off. At a village, they buy supplies and hire bearers. The chief mentions what they all fear is a white woman. A flashback shows where a luxury liner sinks; the local "Amazons" are survivors of a shipwreck, females sent out in the available lifeboats. Days of trek later, they find a coin Jean gave to "Greg". That night Gary and Wayne drive off a lion, and Wayne and Gary argue; Wayne hints he knows who's responsible for incidents that have scared the bearers. That night we learn Jean and "Greg" weren't that happy, Wayne is a frustrated suitor too, and Gary is interested. Next dawn, they find a footprint--and Wayne, with a spear in his back. Gary says the print was made by a white man; he wonders if it were "Greg" who made it. This is a dangerous zone, with locusts and lions. The native who found the coin takes off, pursued by someone, only to be eaten by a lioness--the only one who knew the way to find the "Amazons". He wasn't killed because until then, no one knew who had the directions...The chief and his men hunt down the offending lioness. We meet the mysterious white goddess, on the knee of a man painting a picture--"Greg". She asks if he is tired of her; she's had the safari watched. Greg wants to meet the intruders. She insists he has to attend the Council--to keep her natives in line. They kiss. But she, Zita, has plans. Back at camp, her heralds say only 3 can enter her court; it will be Gary, the Colonel and Jean. Zita prepares for the audience. Greg asks her to detain the safari till he returns. The visitors are led in; Zita is cold. Gary notes a safari disappeared near here--everyone but Greg died therefore. Zita blames the trouble on her female warriors; she might have been able to save the others, she says. They are entertained, Zita finds out Jean has come for one reason--to find Greg. She wonders if ivory had anything to do with their coming also. It is why they have to enforce their isolation. Zita tells how her mother taught the children of the survivors, and she became leader after her. She wonders about getting white men for her women; then asks to speak to Jean alone; she says Greg loves her. Jean says if he wants to be free, she'll not hold him. Zita talks about the "law of the jungle", that if she had not said that, she would have had her killed; She admits she may be half savage, but Greg means that much to her--and then offers to be friends. This is a sophisticated and powerful scene in every respect. Zita rescues the Professor from two amorous Amazons and notes Gary and Jean have spent much time together. Gary interrupts her hints, to try to find out who is behind the nefarious goings on. It turns out to be Gabby the cook. Gabby pulls a gun and has the warriors herd everyone out but the ladies. The safari folk come to rescue the captives, with a bit of trickery; and Greg arrives with Amazons, so the Colonel and he have a talk while Gary is off rescuing the women. Gabby hurls a spear at Zita, but misses. Gary arrives there's a strong fight between the two; one of the Amazons kills Gabby with a dart. Next day, two happy couples are married. They go back with ivory heading to the real wild spots--New York nightclubs. Edward Finney produced, and also directed the film with Roger Merton its credited writer. The very talented cast included gorgeous Patricia Morison as Jean, powerful J. Edward Bromberg as "Gabby", handsome Robert Lowery as Gary, John Miljan as narrator and the Colonel, Amira Moustafa as Zita, Keith Richards as the luckless Wayne, Bruce Edwards as the Greg, and Wilson Benge as the Professor. The film's makers tried to break new ground in the plot; they used stocj footage cleverly blended it into the inexpensive narrative. This film is memorable for several good reasons but especially Patricia Morison.