AFRICA SCREAMS / Huntington Hartford Productions - 1949

Welp, here's another Moldie Oldie Monday feature, this time with Tabonga's very favorite comedians when he was just a little twig! My aunt used to show 8mm shorts back in the day, and Abbott and Costello were in the lineup...

The music is by Walter Schumann, he's best known for 36 episodes of TV's DRAGNET he composed for, but he also worked on BUCK PRIVATES COME HOME, THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP and THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.

In keeping with our comedy theme, here's our lil' Dungeon helper pal, Rufus The Gnat, to push that big red 'GO' button (he's flexing his bicep to indicate he's ready) and start tonight's Eariffic Earclip rollin' along, and straight into your awaiting earifice!! Hit the button, Rufus!.. AFRICA SCREAMS!

This flick has some interesting actors in it! Here are brothers Max and Buddy Baer. Max, on the left, was World Heavyweight Champion for 364 days, losing the title in 1937. And, father of Max Baer, Jr. Buddy was the younger but larger (6'7") bro and was the GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN! Here, they swing a deal for a grand with Lou, who plays Stanley Livington, pretend big-game hunter and book salesman.

Buzz and Stanley have to go meet their meal ticket, and who answers the door? That's right, Joe Besser, he plays the butler and bartender, Harry. Later, him and Stanley get in a tangle with some Chinese fingercuffs!

Stanley makes a complete ass out of himself when he acts like he's a famous big-game hunter in front of the real Clyde Beatty!

Buzz and Stanley finally get to meet the money person, the beautiful Hillary Brooke... Oh, and there's Shemp Howard!

Shemp plays Gunner, the almost blind hunter with coke-bottle glasses. He pretends to shoot Stanley and Stanley falls for it!

We get to watch a line being drawn on the map to show their progress into the deep jungle. Along the way, Stanley gets acquainted with some of the local inhabitants!!

Whatever the hell happened to hammocks?!

Stanley and The Ape meet, face to face! The Ape was played by Charles Gemora, a very interesting character to say the least, and was one of Hollywood's premier gorilla imitators! He played a simian in such films as THE CIRCUS KID, WHY GORILLAS LEAVE HOME, SEVEN FOOTSTEPS TO SATAN, THE UNHOLY THREE, INGAGI, GHOST PARADE, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL, WHITE WITCH DOCTOR and played a Martian in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS!! He suffered a heart attack during the filming of PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE in 1954! And, he played one of the aliens in I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE and even got a make-up credit!! Talented guy!!

And now, it's time for a morning dip in the old stream!.. Hey, Babbit!!!

Then, there's this little lion act with the real Frank Buck!

Buzz and Stanley are about to end up on the menu as Jungle Gumbo, but The Ape comes to the rescue!

What great costumes!

I'll give you such a pinch, ya craa-zy!

It's always fun when the big tough guys turn against each other, you can almost feel the ground shake here!!

Stanley's curiously looking at the natives, he can't figure out why they stopped chasing him...

It's unbelievable, how really, really, really bad the set behind Jumbo looks!..

Still used today!.. "It's right behind me, isn't it?!"

Notice Lou's thick black eyebrows, hey, want to make sure and capture that expression!!

At the end, Stanley, now rich and famous, drives up to his own building in his lil' jungle car. When he opens the door to his top floor office, The Ape has the blocks stacked perfectly! Cut!.. Print!.. That's a wrap!!