Wonderful character development!

What makes it different from others?

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Another corny Bomba tale has our hero, Johnny Sheffield, rescuing some great white hunters after they mistakenly kill some lions on sacred Masai burial grounds. As with most of the Bomba films, they are even more racist in their depiction of native African people than the much derided Tarzan films, and which is again the case with "The Lion Hunters." The only thing to set this Bomba entry apart from others is the presence of the great Woody Strode (credited as Woodrow Strode) in a before-he-was-famous role playing a tribal warrior.

Many of the MGM Tarzan films were exceptionally good and well made. Wanting to cash in on the studio's success, many lesser production companies also made similar films, though with a fraction of the budget or attention to details. Most of these Tarzan and Tarzan-like films from other studios stink when you see them today. Too often, the films are filled with poorly integrated stock footage and silly acting...and Monogram Studio's "The Lion Hunters" is really no exception. The story involves an expedition which has come to the jungle to trap lions. Unfortunately, the trapper they have hired, Marty, has zero regard for the animals or the locals. When Bomba the Jungle Boy finds a dying lion which Marty shot, he demands the folks leave and never return. Naturally, they don't just leave...otherwise the film would last only about 10 minutes! There are several awful things about the film. First, too often the flick relies on stock footage that obviously doesn't match the film stock. Some include non-African animals (such as alligators) ad the footage of the guy fighting the gator is OBVIOUSLY not the actor!! There also is the god-awful use of rear-projection--and it's so obvious that Johnny Sheffield (Bomba) is no where near any adult lions! And, speaking of Sheffield, I never understood having a guy who speaks much like any American high school student playing a guy raised in the jungle! He's also pretty stiff and lacks charisma....making the film a bit of a chore to watch. By the way, at one point in the film Bomba tells a girl that the baby lions need the male lions to provide food for them and hunt for the pride. Well, Bomba, it doesn't generally work that way. Female lions do the 'lion's share' of the hunting while males often lie about and do nothing to provide meat for the rest of them.

This predictable programmer has Johnny Sheffield once again playing Caucasian jungle boy Bomba, the most pale man to ever be barely covered in the wilds in the heat. But big hearted and caring about the big cats, Bomba is out to save the fury beasts who are being slaughtered or left to die slowly or he captured for zoos. Bomba has already been down this territory, and once again, shares adventures with a photo taking American girl (Anne E. Todd). Bomba visits friendly natives who explain that they only kill lions when being attacked, or as a sign of becoming a man. Some of the scenes with Bomba and the lions are obviously stock footage mixed with Bomba superimposed, although he does appear to be playing with an adorable cub. Never have I seen a series that became so repetitive and run out of ideas do fast. It appears that they are just going to basically just cross out loom and write in either monkey or elephant in future scripts. How Bomba deals with supposed civilized man becomes the main plot point, as does their efforts to stop him from interfering. But at least these do show the fighting for keeping these beautiful mammals free rather than justify the captivity of zoo's that don't emulate the real habitat of each of the creatures Bomba encounters. A little coconut toss between a spider monkey and Bomba, plus his visit with an eagle, show that Sheffield had great rapport with them, even though his acting is entirely one dimensional.

The Lion Hunters have come to Africa to do just as the title of the picture says they do. But what they don't know is that the lions are both held as sacred by the Masai tribe and that the area they've chosen is the home of the legendary Bomba the Jungle Boy. He just doesn't like white folks trapping or killing his animal friends as a matter of general principle. Between the two of these facts, white trappers Morris Ankrum and Douglas Kennedy haven't a chance. Especially Kennedy whose hubris gets the better of him. It's always interesting in these B films how the villains never know when to quit.Johnny Sheffield is allowed a little puppy love here in the person of Ann E. Todd who is also Ankrum's daughter. She's checking the well built Sheffield out, but he's got his mind on his animals.The Lion Hunters never gets off the Monogram back lot with plenty of stock jungle footage supporting a hackneyed plot.