Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Nabonga

  • 19441944
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
625
YOUR RATING
Ray Corrigan, Buster Crabbe, and Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
ActionCrimeDrama
When a treasure hunter seeks a downed airplane in the jungles of Africa, he encounters one of the passenger's young daughter, now fully grown, and with a gorilla protector.When a treasure hunter seeks a downed airplane in the jungles of Africa, he encounters one of the passenger's young daughter, now fully grown, and with a gorilla protector.When a treasure hunter seeks a downed airplane in the jungles of Africa, he encounters one of the passenger's young daughter, now fully grown, and with a gorilla protector.
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
625
YOUR RATING
    • Sam Newfield
    • Fred Myton(story)
  • Stars
    • Buster Crabbe
    • Fifi D'Orsay
    • Barton MacLane
    • Sam Newfield
    • Fred Myton(story)
  • Stars
    • Buster Crabbe
    • Fifi D'Orsay
    • Barton MacLane
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 25User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    Buster Crabbe in Nabonga (1944)
    Buster Crabbe and Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
    Buster Crabbe, Fifi D'Orsay, Julie London, and Barton MacLane in Nabonga (1944)
    Nabonga (1944)
    Ray Corrigan, Buster Crabbe, and Jackie Newfield in Nabonga (1944)
    Ray Corrigan and Buster Crabbe in Nabonga (1944)
    Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
    Ray Corrigan, Buster Crabbe, and Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
    Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
    Buster Crabbe and Barton MacLane in Nabonga (1944)
    Ray Corrigan, Buster Crabbe, and Julie London in Nabonga (1944)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Buster Crabbe
    Buster Crabbe
    • Ray Gorman
    Fifi D'Orsay
    Fifi D'Orsay
    • Marie
    Barton MacLane
    Barton MacLane
    • Carl Hurst
    Julie London
    Julie London
    • Doreen Stockwell
    Bryant Washburn
    Bryant Washburn
    • Hunter
    Herbert Rawlinson
    Herbert Rawlinson
    • Stockwell
    Prince Modupe
    • Tobo
    Jackie Newfield
    • Doreen Stockwell - as a Child
    Ray Corrigan
    Ray Corrigan
    • Gorilla
    • (as Nabongo)
    Jack Gardner
    • Pilot
    • (uncredited)
    Fred Humes
    Fred Humes
    • Gorilla Fighting Samson the Gorilla
    • (uncredited)
    I. Stanford Jolley
    I. Stanford Jolley
    • Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Edmund Mortimer
    Edmund Mortimer
    • Trader
    • (uncredited)
    Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
    Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
    • Native Attacking Tobo
    • (uncredited)
      • Sam Newfield
      • Fred Myton(story) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Flight to Mars
    5.1
    Flight to Mars
    Reptilicus
    3.6
    Reptilicus
    White Pongo
    3.0
    White Pongo
    King of the Jungle
    6.2
    King of the Jungle
    Jungle Siren
    3.7
    Jungle Siren
    Jungle Woman
    4.7
    Jungle Woman
    Search for Beauty
    6.1
    Search for Beauty
    The Fat Man
    6.2
    The Fat Man
    Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
    3.7
    Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
    The White Gorilla
    2.8
    The White Gorilla
    The Devil's Hand
    4.6
    The Devil's Hand
    Nevada
    5.3
    Nevada

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      To play the role of Doreen as a child, director Sam Newfield used his own daughter, Jackie Newfield.
    • Quotes

      Marie: Oh, wait! I'm afraid of that gorilla!

      Ray Gorman: He won't hurt you - not after she's told him not to.

      Marie: And suppose she tells him different... what then?

      Ray Gorman: He'd tear you to pieces.

    • Connections
      Edited into Dark Jungle Theater: Nabonga (2015)

    User reviews25

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Just Don't Take It Too Serious
    Nabonga (1944)

    ** (out of 4)

    A thief steals some priceless jewels and heads off in an airplane with his young daughter. The plane ends up crashing and the little girl befriends an injured gorilla in the jungle. Flash forward several years and explorer Ray Gorman (Buster Crabbe) hears about a "white witch" from the jungle that "fell from a big bird" and heads there to search for the jewels. He finds the now woman (Julie London) being protected by a large gorilla but must find a way to get her to lead him to the jewels.

    NABONGA, meaning gorilla, is a rather silly and low-budget jungle adventure that manages to be slightly entertaining as long as you don't take it too serious. if you're looking to find a meaning for life or some sort of great art then it's best you avoid this film at all costs and I'd also recommend not even looking at the posters for it. However, if you like cheap entertainment and just want 71 minutes to kill then there's certainly much worse out there.

    I think the best thing about the film are the leads. While neither Crabbe or London give excellent performances, they at least have a nice chemistry together and I thought they were good enough to carry the picture. There's a scene where Crabbe is trying to act afraid of her pet gorilla that is quite funny and especially some of the flirtation going on between them.

    The biggest problem with the movie is the fact that the budget was probably a tad bit higher than a pack of gum. There's a ton of stock footage in the movie that makes it look even cheaper and there's no doubt that the majority of the "real" footage was probably shot on one set with very limited range. More times than not the characters just stay in one spot and talk.

    NABONGA was meant to be cheap entertainment, which is what it pretty much is.
    helpful•1
    2
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Oct 22, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 25, 1944 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production company
      • Sigmund Neufeld Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 15 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ray Corrigan, Buster Crabbe, and Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Nabonga (1944) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.