Law of the Jungle (1942)

Directed by Jean Yarbrough, Law of the Jungle is a brisk, 61-minute adventure film that blends wartime intrigue with exotic escapism. Released by Monogram Pictures, this black-and-white B-movie stars Arline Judge, John ‘Dusty’ King, and Mantan Moreland, and offers a curious mix of musical interludes, jungle peril, and Nazi villainy—all set in British West Africa.

Plot Summary
Nona Brooks (Arline Judge), a stranded American singer from a theatrical troupe, finds herself stuck in a colonial hotel in Duakwa, British Rhodesia (implied to be Sierra Leone) due to a missing passport. Unbeknownst to her, Nazi agents have stolen her papers and plan to use her in their schemes. She escapes into the jungle and is rescued by American paleontologist Larry Mason (John King) and his assistant Jefferson Jones (Mantan Moreland). Together, they fend off hostile natives and Nazi collaborators, until the Oxford-educated tribal chief, Chief Mojobo, steps in to restore order.

Cast Highlights

• Arline Judge as Nona Brooks
• John ‘Dusty’ King as Larry Mason
• Mantan Moreland as Jefferson ‘Jeff’ Jones
• Arthur O’Connell, Laurence Criner, and Feodor Chaliapin Jr. in supporting roles
• Emil Van Horn appears uncredited as a gorilla—yes, really

Trivia & Fun Facts

• The film was first televised in 1948, making it one of the earliest jungle adventure films to hit American TV screens
• Arline Judge performs the song “Jungle Moon”, backed by a full orchestra—though only a piano is shown on screen, a classic B-movie goof
• The tribal chief, played by Laurence Criner, is portrayed as an Oxford graduate, adding a surprising twist of sophistication to the jungle setting
• The film was later edited into a 2015 parody project titled Dark Jungle Theater: Law of the Jungle