Devil Goddess

I guess it is the last film of the JUNGLE JIM series. And this time, unlike the other movies, proves that the pace and inspiration begins to run out of breath. It remains agreeable but it's a good news that there will be no more because there is nothing new anymore. The villains are not uninteresting however, they are as "juicy" as ever, if not better than in other episodes. But besides this, sorry, I searched but could not make it. The natives are always shown in the same manner, clichés galore and I think of all those naive, nearly idiotic audiences to whom it was destined. But it was JUNGLE JIM, and BOMBA film series was more or less the same.

Columbia Pictures failed to renew the rights to the "Jungle Jim" character so Johnny Weissmuller plays a character with his own real name in the final three. Wiley Tightwad alias producer Sam Katzman pre-sold titles to exhibitors prior to a single scene of these films being shot so he covered his costs beforehand. This explains why "Devil Goddess" involves neither a Devil nor a Goddess. Instead the ramshackle story such as it is concerns a bunch of superstitious natives whose encampment is about to be buried in lava from a volcano and some idiot treasure hunters. The main plot element involves two scientists played by Selmer Jackson and Angela Stevens searching for an old explorer who has disappeared on an earlier safari. Johnny Weissmuller is hired as their guide and protector. So dumb are the plot machinations that they end up protecting him! To slash costs even more, not only does this entry incorporate stock footage of wild animals but also recycles scenes from earlier "Jungle Jim" movies which have no relevance to this film. They also had to hire comely Angela Stevens again, who had been in the previous superior "Savage Mutiny", wearing the same clothes so they could match the stock shots. Perfunctory direction of the new scenes is by old pro Spencer Gordon Bennett. Most of the cast is strictly third division.The good news is that this is the last of the series. The bad news is that subsequently a television series was shot. This film is only of interest to those who have seen the rest of the film series. As to the rest of the potential audience, this film should come complete with a label warning against puerile films.