Law of the Jungle (1942)

Simply A Masterpiece

I'll tell you why so serious

Fresh and Exciting

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Singer Nona Brooks gets caught up in a murder at a nightclub in Rhodesia and flees into the jungle, re-encountering Larry Mason. Mason is a shy paleontologist looking for the "'missing link" accompanied by his gentleman's gentleman Jeff (from Brooklyn) and some native bearers. Nona is pursued by some Nazi agents seeking to stir up a rebellion against the British as she accidentally possesses a document that will lay bare their machinations. The police are also in pursuit. It's a typical low budget wartime jungle tale; walking round the same studio forest, stock footage of exotic animals, the sound of drumming in the background, an actor in a gorilla suit, lots of jabbering natives, wily Germans and heroic Americans. Not even Mantan Moreland, Arline Judge and Arthur O'Connell can bring life to the stilted and unoriginal story. And what the actually law of the jungle being invoked was, it was difficult to say. Arline Judge does have a lovely voice though with a pleasing Barbara Stanwyck kind of timbre. I noted she married and divorced eight husbands in her life. I hope they appreciated her appealing voice at the very least.

Arline Judge, John King, Mantan Moreland, Martin Wilkins, Arthur O'Connell, C. Montague Shaw, Guy Kingsford, Victor Kendal, Feodor Chaliapin, Lawrence Criner. Director: JEAN YARBROUGH. Screenplay: George Brick-er. Additional dialogue: Edmond Kelso. Photography: Mack Stengler. Film editor: Jack Ogilvie. Art director: David Milton. Music director: Edward J. Kay. Production manager: William Strohbach. Sound recording: William Fox: Producer: Lindsley Parsons.Copyright 6 February 1942 by Monogram Pictures Corporation. No New York opening. U.S. release: 6 February 1942. Australian release through British Empire Films: 2 July 1942. 6 reels. 5,824 feet. 64½ minutes.COMMENT: The most interesting thing about this wartime contribution is Arthur O'Connell's curious performance as a seedy innkeeper. Unfortunately, the O'Connell character gets himself killed soon after the action begins, leaving us to the mercy of George Bricker's cliché-ridden script — plus the inadequate acting of the rest of the players including Mantan Moreland, up to his usual eye-rolling antics, plus an unfortunate, if needy extra, dressed up in a very obvious monkey suit.

I won't even bother with a plot description. The plot isn't the reason anyone today is going to watch Law of the Jungle anyway. The only reason to watch this movie and the only thing its got going for it is Mantan Moreland. As un-PC as it is in today's world, Moreland's brand of comedy is often laugh-out-loud funny. While he's not given material in Law of the Jungle that's as good as he had in some of his other movies (For example, I think he's given better, funnier lines in King of the Zombies.), I still found a laugh or two and always a smile on my face. As for the rest of the movie, it's largely forgettable. From the ridiculous night club in the middle of the jungle to the completely unrealistic man-in-a-gorilla suit to star John "Dusty" King's wooden performance, there's little besides Moreland to recommend. The rating I've give Law of the Jungle (5/10) is based almost entirely on Mantan Moreland.One final thing, maybe I've missed something, but it seems a bit odd to me that Mantan Moreland's character's name is Jefferson "Jeff" Jones. If you go through his filmography, you'll notice that Moreland often played a character named Jefferson Jones or Jeff Jones or simply Jeff. Is this supposed to be the same person? It has no real bearing on Law of the Jungle, just something I noticed and thought was strange.

Nona Brooks is an American singer in a nightclub in the middle of the African jungles, is trying to scrape enough money to get back to the US. When a British intelligence officer is murdered by a pair of Nazi spies in order to get a document that would reveal their identity, Nona escapes from the nightclub, unaware that she is carrying the document. She joins up with Larry Mason, an American archaeologist, and they, along w/ Larry's valet Jeff, try to prevent the spies from capturing them, until they fall into the hands of a cannibalistic tribe. It seems Monogram was trying to cash in on the fun they had with King of the Zombies, but lacks the style that picture due to Yarbrough's listless direction, making this one feel just ho-hum. Not much to rave about from King, Judge, and Moreland, however Criner steals the show as the Oxford educated tribal chief, unfortunately he's only in the last 10 minutes of the movie. Rating, 4.