It all begins when Frank Newberg, his wife and their daughter are returning from Australia with their circus. They're discussing his father, Joseph Dowling. He doesn't approve of the circus life, and wants to raise his grand-daughter who, even at the age of 7, has an uncanny command of the elephants, lions and gorilla. A storm sinks the ship, but she escapes with a few of the animals to a jungle island. Meanwhile, Dowling has a mystic vision and goes around seeking spiritualists who can help him. When he almost runs over Norman Kerry, he discovers him a mystic seer, who leads him to that island, discovering that the little girl has grown into Patsy Ruth Miller. She, however, won't leave without her beloved gorilla -- as who would? -- played by Fred Humes. This leads into the third act...
It's an awkwardly assembled movie, with Kerry's character typical. At first he's a depressed spiritualist, refusing to fight against fate, yet by the end of the second act, he's turned into a man of action, and by the third act, has added suaveness to his repertoire. Neither is there much well-executed humor, as one would expect of a film directed by Eddie Sedgwick; it's all Miss Miller pounding on terrifying animals. Yet despite that, it seems to have its place in movie history. Although gorillas trying to carry young girl across staid lions for immoral purposes seems like a fixed melodramatic trope, the final sequence here, with the gorilla carrying Miss Miller to the top of the house seems like a precursor of the finale of KING KONG.
It's an awkwardly assembled movie, with Kerry's character typical. At first he's a depressed spiritualist, refusing to fight against fate, yet by the end of the second act, he's turned into a man of action, and by the third act, has added suaveness to his repertoire. Neither is there much well-executed humor, as one would expect of a film directed by Eddie Sedgwick; it's all Miss Miller pounding on terrifying animals. Yet despite that, it seems to have its place in movie history. Although gorillas trying to carry young girl across staid lions for immoral purposes seems like a fixed melodramatic trope, the final sequence here, with the gorilla carrying Miss Miller to the top of the house seems like a precursor of the finale of KING KONG.
