Bomba on Panther Island

Bomba gets pretty busy in this one: he has to face a killer panther, a white jerk who almost sets fire to half the African jungle, and two women fawning over him - and who can blame them? He looks even more bulked up than in the first film in the series, and frankly he is smoking hot. The two women who cannot keep their hands off his body are the cute, demure Allene Roberts and the "French" (actually Spanish) Lita Baron: the choice should be pretty easy. Like its predecessor, the film makes little attempt to integrate the stock footage of wild animals convincingly - not only does the film stock look different, but the footage seems to be set in different locations, if not in different continents altogether. And the jungle studio sets never look like anything other than jungle studio sets. ** out of 4.

In the 1940s, Johnny Sheffield played 'Boy' in several Tarzan movies for MGM...in the best of the various Tarzan incarnations of the era. However, when production ceased at MGM, both Johnny Weis smuller and Sheffield went on to other studios to make Tarzan-like films...Weissmuller's with his Jungle Jim series and Sheffield the Bomba series....both with small studios (Katzman and Monogram respectively). These were enjoyable films BUT also very low budgeted...and it showed. Reused scenes from various previous movies, the copious use of stock footage and a real sameness doomed these films to the 'adequate but just watchable' category. They are silly...and often very naive about what Africa and the jungles are like...they certainly aren't documentaries!

The story finds some Americans in the jungle...trying to build a plantation and having difficulty getting the superstitious natives to clear the land. At the same time, a killer black leopard is running amok...giving further problems for the fledgling plantation. But thanks to Bomba, they are able to eventually straighten things out and stop the rampaging leopard.

The Africa of this film is only vaguely African at best. After all, why is thre a white lady in a sarong who speaks French? Was she supposed to be in a Polynesian picture but just went to the wrong sound stage? And, then why didn't she look Polynesian?? Also, I'm no expert on the continent, though I have visited a few times...so where is this jungle and why are there all those rope-like vines all over the place?! Plus, why are some of the guys on vines obviously NOT Sheffield but some stuntmen? And, why are raccoons, Asian buffalo and American alligators in the jungle?! And, why do the plantation owner and his sister treat the natives like they are all addle-brained children?! Folks today clearly won't appreciate this!

Apart from being VERY naive and featuring lots of ill-fitting and grainy stock footage, is the film any good? Well, yes...provided your expectations are low AND you haven't already seen one too many cheap Tarzan style films. It's enjoyable and not as bad as some B-jungle pictures...but also quite silly at times.

By the way, there are a couple scenes where animals fight each other and I can only assume that for our 'entertainment' the filmmakers tossed them together and filmed it...which is pretty sad.

BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND (Monogram, 1949), written and directed by Ford Beebe, based on the character created by Roy Rockwood, marks the second of twelve entries to the "Bomba" franchise starring Johnny Sheffield. Following his debut performance as BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY (1949), Sheffield resumes his character with sameness appeal that of a lone jungle boy who comes around assisting those in need of his help. Along the way there's a killer beast Bomba needs to kill to save others from being killed and attacked along with his involvement with two young girls out for his attention.

As the story gets underway with view of the jungle and animal activities, Bomba's (Johnny Sheffield) pet monkey enters his home cave where the animal comes up with a 1939 diary belonging to a Cody Cassin where a page reveals what will happen to the boy he's raising after his death? With Bomba surviving the jungle environment over the years, this now teenage jungle boy starts off his day by going for a swim. His day of leisure is interrupted when he witnesses his pet monkey attacked and killed by a beastly panther at a distance. Bomba sets out after the killer beast later to discover this same panther has been responsible for other human attacks. Bomba soon assists Luke (Bill Walker), a native man attacked by the panther, over to the camp headed by Robert Maitland (Henry Lewis), a young architect assisted by his guides, Andy Barnes (Charles Irwin), and Eli (Smoki Whitfield), who happen to be Bomba's friends. Unable to get his native men to assist him with building a plantation, Maitland asks for Bomba's help. At first he declines, until Bomba meets up with Maitland's teenage sister, Judy (Allene Roberts), and her French speaking companion, Losona (Lita Baron), another girl her own age. While Bomba is more interested in Judy, Losona has her evil eye and affections on Bomba. As natives believe Bomba responsible for the superstitious curse regarding the killer panther, with intentions of killing him, Maitland also wants Bomba out of the way when he finds the jungle boy and Judy are spending too much time together. With Losona's chance in having Bomba all to herself. the killer panther continues to become a great danger to the surrounding area.

An average Bomba adventure with few high points during its slightly overlong 76 minutes. Allene Roberts, best known for her movie debut in THE RED HOUSE (1947) opposite Edward G,. Robinson, makes an attractive female companion for Bomba as Peggy Ann Garner did in the initial entry of BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY. A pretty face that resembles a younger profile of actress Phyllis Thaxter, sadly Roberts, whose movie and television career were short-lived, never reached the top of the ranks as Teresa Wright or other sweet looking young actresses of the time. Aside from getting a dose of jungle life, Roberts has her swimming scenes with Bomba along with assisting him when danger lurks their way. Others in the supporting cast are far from top-marque names, but are satisfactory in their assigned roles. Other than being obviously filmed in a studio set, the movie features enough stock footage of African animals and their battle of survival for that African setting feel.

Other than its frequent television showings during the 1960s and 70s, BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND has become a welcome addition of jungle adventure added to Turner Classic Movies cable channel where this and others in the Bomba entries have been shown since 2011. Next installment: THE LOST VOLCANO (1950), hailed as one of the better entries in the series. (**)

I am very satisfied with this BOMBA film, as I was with the previous one which I saw today. Not boring, despite the lame directing and stock footage that is a bit too much galore for my taste. But that's the rule in this kind of films, including the first TARZAN films and I don't even speak of JUNGLE JIM stuff too. So, yes, this little celluloid jungle adventure flick is fun, agreeable, but you need to be prepared to watch it. I mean don't be too hard in terms of judgment. It was destined to young audiences in saturday and sunday matinees. I even prefer this movie to most of JUNGLE JIM ones, starring Johnny Weissmuler. The fight between Bomba and the panther, in the end, is quite surprisingly good.

Bomba the Jungle Boy loses his monkey companion to a black panther. He sets off for revenge. Robert Maitland is struggling to build a plantation from the forest. Commissioner Barnes has trouble recruiting men for Rob. Most fear the jungle and the man-eating panther. Rob recklessly suggests burning down the forest. Bomba saves a worker after a panther attack. He is taken with Rob's sister Judy.

I don't want Bomba to kill the panther. I definitely don't want Rob to chop down the forest. Losana's seduction of Bomba is bad romance. It speaks to a general racial tone in this franchise. This is a lot of I don't want happening. Bomba has always been discount Trazan. In this one, he's the worst aspects of that. In a way, it's not unexpected.