British railway workers in Kenya are becoming the favorite snack of two man-eating lions. Head engineer Bob Hayward becomes obsessed with trying to kill the beasts before they maul everyone on his crew.
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Title: Bwana Devil (1952)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert Stack | ... | Bob Hayward | |
| Barbara Britton | ... | Alice Hayward | |
| Nigel Bruce | ... | Dr. Angus McLean | |
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Ramsay Hill | ... | Major Parkhurst |
| Paul McVey | ... | Commissioner | |
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|
Hope Miller | ... | Portuguese girl |
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John Dodsworth | ... | Sir William Drayton |
| Patrick O'Moore | ... | Ballinger (as Pat O'Moore) | |
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Patrick Aherne | ... | Latham (as Pat Aherne) |
|
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Edward C. Short | ... | (as Edward Short) |
| Bhogwan Singh | ... | Indian Headman | |
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Paul Thompson | ||
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Bhupesh Guha | ... | The Dancer |
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Bal Seirgakar | ... | Indian Hunter |
|
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Kalu K. Sonkur | ... | Karparim (as Kalu K. Sonkar) |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
When the construction of the East African railway comes to a grinding halt Bob Hayward, the chief engineer, undertakes to kill the lion that is terrifying the construction crews and preventing them from working. Hayward isn't very happy in his job. He's been away from his home and his wife for 8 months and has taken to drinking and carousing.As the lion continues to attack the laborers, Hayward seeks the help of the local Masai tribesmen but they too have little success. Despite the arrival of several hunters to assist him - and his wife who unexpectedly arrives from England - the killer beast remains elusive, killing them one by one. It's left to Hayward to overcome his self-doubts and go up against the lion. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
The Miracle of the Age!!! A LION in your lap! A LOVER in your arms! See more »Genres:
AdventureParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 November 1952 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Lions of Gulu See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Anscocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film is notable for sparking the first 3-D film craze in the motion picture industry, as well as for being the first 3-D film in color and the first 3-D sound feature in English. See more »Connections
Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Suzanne Pleshette/Argus Hamilton/Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston (1982) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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The first film shot in 3D finds an inebriated Robert Stack pining away for his fiancé and trying to get a railway constructed in the heart of Africa at the turn of the last century. He's in British Equatorial Africa which later became Kenya colony and where the Sahara meets the veld. What's stopping the progress of the colonial British dream of a railway from Capetown to Cairo is a pair of lions.
These two lions have the natives scared out of their wits. Lions are not known to attack humans, you leave them alone and they'll leave you alone unless they're hungry. But these two, a male and female have developed a real taste for human flesh. Showing no fear of man or anything man made, they attack humans indiscriminately at will. No one wants to work until this lion problem is solved.
Stack's got both a lion problem and an unsatisfied testosterone problem. The second is remedied by the arrival of Barbara Britton, no one it seems can deal with the first.
Bwana Devil was shot in Africa and it's writer Arch Oboler owes a lot to Moby Dick. These two lions and Stack's obsession with them are taken from the Herman Melville classic. Good thing Barbara Britton arrived when she did, she provides something Captain Ahab didn't have.
Best scene in the film and it's almost laughable was when these three white hunters, best in their line of work are imported by the railroad to kill these lions. So what do the lions do, but actually enter the private railroad car where the hunters are hoisting a few with Nigel Bruce who plays Stack's sidekick and a doctor and proceed to kill them all and carry the cadavers off for a later snack.
Presumably based on a true story according to the credits, don't you believe it. The 3D jungle scenes are nice, but it's attached to one ridiculous story.