Congo Bill

I feel with this adventure serial , a ground breaking template was struck for such future movie blockbusters as Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and his later film "The Temple of Doom" featuring the character Indiana Jones. Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" also springs to mind , where the action star is even dressed like Congo Bill. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" features many of the same white knuckle death defying near misses seen at the end of each of the fifteen chapters in Congo Bill. There is also congruity in the protagonists having geographical names : "Congo" Bill/"Indiana" Jones. A runaway boulder chasing Congo Bill and Indiana Jones in both respective movies is also strikingly similar. Also as an aside , both Congo Bill and Indiana Jones have their travels to distant locales traced by an animation of an aeroplane flying across a map.

Don McGuire plays a very convincing Congo Bill , a hero and adventurer. He would have been cheered on by scores of kids in packed movie houses back in the late forties and early fifties , myself included ! Cleo Moore as Lureen the "White Queen" is the epitome of a Love Goddess and Beauty Queen , sitting on her throne in darkest Africa. Charles King as Kleeg , proprietor of the infamous "Green Parrot Inn" is great comic relief and a pleasure to watch. I firmly believe Spielberg may have got his inspiration for the Indiana Jones movies from "Congo Bill" , if he had seen the serial as a child (from little acorns giant oak trees grow).

The "good guys" and "bad guys" in Congo Bill , indistinguishable in their pith helmets and white suits {no black and white hats here as in early cowboy movies) , are reminiscent of a bygone colonial era. Anyone lucky enough to see "Congo Bill" is in for an adrenalin charged ride ! Ten out of ten and two thumbs up!