Customer Reviews

Panther Girl of the Kongo [VHS]

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As far as serials go I really loved this one dispite the cheesy blown up crawfish/lobsters. They don't look all that bad and aren't really the focus of the serial. It's apparently the or one of the last Republic serials. I have a hard time watching these things more than once during a short period of time, but I am watching what is actually called 'Panther Girl Of The Kongo' for a second time in a row. Panther Girl plays a good tuff girl. She takes on lions and all that and of course looks good doing it. If you are a lover of serials and have yet to see this one it is definitely a must to do so.

Republic Pictures present "PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO" (1955) (167 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Phyllis Coates, Myron Healey, Arthur Space, John Daheim & Mike Regan, relive those thrilling days week after week venue brought you to the theater, as you were mesmerized in your seat waiting for the final chapter ... exciting action within 12 episodes from the Republic Serials department, released in January 1, 1955, the plot line has Jean Evans of an international wildlife foundation has made herself at home in Africa as the elephant-riding, vine-swinging, "Panther Girl". On safari, Jean and her hunter friend Larry encounter a giant crayfish monster which has created by a greedy scientist who hopes to scare the locals off, then secretly mine diamonds ... remember this serial from the Saturday double features at our neighborhood theatre ... 12 breathtaking chapters come across with all the gusto Republic Studios has to offer.

Under Franklin Adreon (Director/Associate Producer), Ronald Davidson (Screenwriter), R. Dale Butts (Original Score), Bud Thackery (Cinematographer), Cliff Bell Sr.(Editor) ------ the cast includes Phyllis Coates (Jean Evans, Panther Girl), Myron Healey (Larry Sanders), Arthur Space (Dr. Morgan), John Daheim (Cass (as John Day), Holly Bane (Rand (as Mike Ragan), Morris Buchanan (Tembo), Roy Glenn (Chief Danka), Archie Savage (Ituri), Ramsay Hill (Comm. Stanton), Naaman Brown (Orto), Dan Ferniel (Ebu), James Logan (Const. Harris), Steve Calvert (Gorilla), Fred Graham (Nick Burgass), Gene Roth (Bartender), Tom Steele (Man) ... great stunt work by the Republic stunt personnel John Daheim (stunt double), Tom Steele (stunt double: Myron Healey), Helen Thurston (stunt double: Phyllis Coates), Fred Graham (stunt double (uncredited) --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter ... another winner from the vaults of Republic Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.

BIOS:
1. Phyllis Coates (aka: Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell)
Date of birth: 15 January 1927 - Wichita Falls, Texas
Date of death: Still Living

Special footnote, Coates got some of her first motion picture experience in comedy
short subjects at Warner Brothers and then graduated to roles in early '50s films.
After a one-season stint with the Man of Steel (George Reeves as TV's "Superman"),
Coates began to divide her time between TV, B-movie assignments and serials at Republic.

2. Franklin Adreon (Director)
Date of birth: 18 November 1902 - Gambrills, Maryland
Date of death: 10 September 1979 - Ventura County, California,

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.The Lost City (Kane Richmond, William Stage Boyd & George Gabby Hayes)
16.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
17.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
18.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
19.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
20.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
21.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
22.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
24.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
25.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
26.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
27.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
28.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
29.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author: Trail Talk), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author: The Real Bob Steele) as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 167 mins on VHS ~ Republic Video ~ (5/30/1995)

50's movies were obsessed with the idea of overblown insects and scientists. This serial used the idea and put them in Africa with a panther girl. A scientist and his two helpers discover that the diamond mine in the village has started producing again. To drive away the people they decide the best device is scare them off with huge claw monsters. Not if the Panther Girl (Phyllis Coates, the first Lois Lane) can help it. She does the impossible -wrestles alligators and saves the village. It's long (almost three hours) but fun.

I haven't seen this film, but I have a feeling that "Tarzan And His Mate" will be better. Maureen O'Sullivan plays a very good "Jane" and even shows a bit of skin in "Tarzan And His Mate" and that really counts for something for such an old movie!