Mark of the Gorilla

This Jungle Jim advenrure flick is not better nor worse than the other ones. It is only the best example of what Sam Katzman's productions for Columbia are able to make. It is laughable without being funny, lousy, amusing under the condition you watch it with the proper glance, the proper spirit, state of mind. Don't expect too much, if you have never seen any Jungle Jim before. Concerning me, I prefer Tarzan movies, even the RKO ones. For those who already know Jungle Jim, I repeat, there is nothing special here, you can easily confound it with the other ones, they are all alike. Maybe the giant lizards struggle is worth watching and not predictable. Keep fun, that's all.

Stock footage shown in the preview, is the same stock footage used in the Ramar Of The Jungle episodes. Suzanne Dalbert starred in the Lady Of The Leopards.

Apparently all these stock shots have been traded around in pretty much every early "Jungle" movie. It would be nice to know where they came from and who made all these inserts.

It's going to be tough coming up with additional commentary on the use of completely unrelated scenes, dropped into movies, that do not look fake as all get-out. The constraints of miniscule budgets severely limit any additional shooting schedules, which leaves few alternatives.

How wonderfully silly. Johnny Weissmuller stars as Jungle Jim, getting himself in a serialisation of a character not a million miles away from the Tarzan role that would define his film career. Plot has Jungle Jim going about his jungle business, hunting in the wild and larking about with his animal pals, when he is suddenly thrust into a mystery involving dubious Gorillas, stolen Nazi treasure and the protection of a couple of babes. Nefarious treasure hunters will stop at nothing to get the treasure, but they hadn't counted on Jim and his animal pals. Hooray!

What follows is a blend of stock wildlife footage with Jungle Jim wrestling a number of fake creatures, including men in Gorilla suits who are about as subtle as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Dummies are flung off of cliffs when the chance arises, the human acting is about as useful as a brick built toilet at the Rhinoceros swamp, and Jim's indestructible being puts Captain Scarlet to shame. The animals are really cool, with Caw Caw the crow smarter than your average Gorilla and Skipper the dog capable of fighting off a lion and celebrating with a good smoke when survival of the fittest is assured.

Crappy but honest with it, a good time assured for those of us who trawl the lowbrow splinter of jungle based adventures... 6/10

Watching this film Mark Of The Gorilla I was hearkening back to Johnny Weissmuller playing Tarzan in Tarzan Triumphs which was made during World War II. In that one the Nazis invade a hermit jungle city and Tarzan deals with them in his usual fashion. Some of them must have buried some loot because that's what this film deals with.

It's hidden on what is now a government game preserve and people who get too close get dealt with by a couple of guys in gorilla suits. As gorillas are not known to inhabit the area, that gets Jungle Jim immediately suspicious.

Onslow Stevens is the chief villain here, he wants to get the loot and get it out of there without the authorities or anyone else interfering. He sets more traps for Johnny Weissmuller than you would find in your average movie serial.

Two women are in the cast and in danger from the 'gorillas' as well, Trudy Marshall niece of game warden Selmar Jackson and mysterious foreign lady Suzanne Dalbert who is also looking for the Nazi loot.

By now the Jungle Jim series was dealing strictly with the kiddie trade and it shows.

Johnny Weissmuller reprises his "Jungle Jim" character in this entertainingly dreadful drama that sees him having to face down some marauding gorillas. Except. Wait for it... Are they actually gorillas? Perhaps they are really people dressed up? Why? Well, it turns out that there is some long lost Nazi bullion hidden amongst the dense jungle of California. What's more, these creatures can throw a rock a mean distance and they have a top secret hideout too. Luckily (or not) "Jim" has two damsels to help him out on his quest to thwart this evil plan. "Barbara" (Trudy Marshall) and the local "Nyobi" (Suzanne Dalbert) but will they be enough against the menacing "Brandt" (Onslow Stevens) and his gang? It's so bad it's funny, this, with precisely no effort made to create the supposed leafy environment as these nimble furry critters clamber over the desert boulders trying to stop their heads coming off or knocking over the pot plants. There's an annoying little dog in here too, and by the denouement you almost want the baddies to win just because you know that despite their overwhelming cunning and firepower, good will prevail. The acting and writing merit no mention at all and basically it's just terrible.