The Lion Hunters (1951)

Director:

Ford Beebe

Writers:

Ford Beebe (screenplay)
Roy Rockwood (characters)

Release Date:

25 March 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

Bomba the Jungle Boy informs ne'er-do-well lion hunters that the lions were meant to roam the jungle freely. Since they pay him no attention, Bomba must save the lions (and Jean, incidentally).

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Bomba | Jungle | Canoe | Sequel

Cast

Johnny Sheffield	...	Bomba
Morris Ankrum	...	Tom Forbes
Ann E. Todd	...	Jean Forbes (as Ann Todd)
Douglas Kennedy	...	Marty Martin
Smoki Whitfield	...	Jonas
Davis Roberts	...	Lohu (as Robert Davis)
Woody Strode	...	Walu (as Woodrow Strode)

Directed by
Ford Beebe

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ford Beebe		screenplay
Roy Rockwood		characters

Produced by
Walter Mirisch	....	producer

Original Music by
Marlin Skiles

Cinematography by
William A. Sickner		(as William Sickner)

Film Editing by
Otho Lovering

Art Direction by
Dave Milton		(as David Milton)

Set Decoration by
Vin Taylor

Production Management
Allen K. Wood	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward Morey Jr.	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Tom Lambert	....	sound recordist

Music Department
Marlin Skiles	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Monogram Pictures

Distributors

• Monogram Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Nostalgia Collectibles (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Nostalgia Collectibles (2005) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #15095) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Monogram Pictures

Quotes:

Jean Forbes:You know, Dad, I've had the strangest feeling for the past few minutes that we're being watched from cover.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Lord of the Jungle (1955)

Pretty Bland for an "Adventure" Film

Lion Hunters, The (1951)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

The fifth of twelve films in Monogram's "Bomba, The Jungle Boy" series, which Ford Beebe featured Johnny Sheffield as Bomba but he's probably still best remembered for playing Boy in the original MGM Tarzan series. In this entry Bomba is saddened when he comes across a lion that has been seriously wounded and must be put to rest. Soon Bomba learns that lion trappers are in the area and he must try and convince them that lions were meant to be free in the jungle. This is the first entry in the series that I've seen so I can't judge the entire thing but this movie here was pretty bad from start to finish. There's no doubt that this thing was meant to be a poor man's Tarzan and I'm going to guess that they did pretty well at the box office for so many films to be made but that doesn't mean we get quality. The biggest problem is the screenplay, which for an adventure film doesn't contain too much excitement. For the most part Bomba simply talks and talk and then talks some more about how lions are friendly creatures and that they should be left alone. It goes without saying but the talk of lions being nice creatures made for a few laughs as did many of the special effects including an embarrassing sequence towards the end when Bomba and his lady love are stuck in a tree with a lion jumping up at them. The fake claw being used to poke at them was downright hilarious as were some of the other effects when men are fighting the lions. Another problem are the performances with Sheffield coming off extremely bland in the role. He's certainly trying to recapture what Johnny Weissmuller did with Tarzan but the poor guy doesn't come close. He just doesn't contain enough energy to really be interesting and the screenplay certainly doesn't do him any favors. Douglas Kennedy pretty much steals the film as the crazed hunter as he's so over the top during certain scenes that you can't help but laugh. Ann E. Todd plays the love interest and is absolutely horrible. The early scenes she's acting as if she's a 12-year-old girl, which is rather confusing since she is playing an adult. The way she talks and tries to carry herself is just downright annoying to watch. Woody Strode has a brief role as one of the natives. As bas as this movie is, I'll admit to being a completest so I'll check out the other eleven as soon as they appear on TCM but I'm certainly hoping for better.