Captive Wild Woman (1943)

Acquanetta, sadly, isn't in this film much at all. And she's clearly an alluring star attraction for the film. These lower tier Universal studios films, churned out assembly line, with very little time, using a lot of circus footage, but gifted a rare starring credit for Carradine, could have been a lot worse. Man in Cheela ape costume is experimented on by glandular genius scientist, as obsessive Carradine will use a patient and nurse in order to be successful. It really feels thrown together and rushed production, but the cast helps boost the film. Lots of lions and tigers...no bears. Carradine isn't given a lot to work with, sort of handed tired mad scientist cliches but he has charisma and makes the most of it. Good for Stone to get a better role than usual, with Ankers reliably returning as another potential woman in peril. Acquanetta, unfortunately, isn't even introduced until much later, but she's stunning in a glittering two piece and she's striking when not under makeup. 2.5/5

User comments from November 2010

Mad scientist, Dr. Sigmund Walters(John Carradine), his glandular work heralded by the medical community, wishes to make a race of supermen(yeah, I know)and sees a golden opportunity when the glands extracted from a new patient, Dorothy(Martha Vickers), could very well transform a giant female gorilla into a human woman. When Walters' nurse, Strand(Fay Helm), threatens to expose him because of his constant use of a increasingly tired Dorothy's glands, the diabolical doctor kills her, removing her cerebrum as a means to give his subject a mental stability needed instead of a primitive animal mind. While this part of CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN is a classic Universal Studios plot often used in times past and future films, it unfortunately plays second fiddle to the animal acts and circus footage integrated into the central story of an animal tamer, Fred Mason(Milburn Stone), who sees the opportunity to work for the circus of his girlfriend's boss, John Whipple(Lloyd Corrigon). Evelyn Ankers(beautiful and sophisticated as always, thanks in part to the Vera West wardrobe)is Beth Colman, Dorothy's sister and Fred's lady. The exotic sensuality of Acquanette is poorly utilized(she's really not in the film that very long which is a crime)as she appears in the female human form of Cheela, the gorilla confiscated by Walters, his guinea pig in regards to his glandular experiments. As Paula, we see that she was in love with Fred as a gorilla and this remains when she is in her human incarnation. Paula has an amazing ability to keep the restless lions and tigers in line since her gorilla "aura" remains(the animals can sense what the humans around her can not), striking a fear in the dangerous animals, a major asset to Fred who begs Whipple to include her in the taming act of the circus portion. Meanwhile, Walters must deal with Paula's reversion to gorilla form when she becomes enraged with Beth as she embraces Fred, even attempting to attack her in her bedroom one night, killing the maid who awakens. Beth's life will be in peril as she answers the worried call of Dorothy, who has become fed up with Walters' glandular experiments on her. Walters isn't keen on allowing anyone to stand in the way of his mad dream, and Beth will try to save herself and Dorothy by turning Paula loose..will she succeed? Carradine's star power boosts this rather okay, but relatively minor Universal offering. Cheela is essentially a man in a gorilla costume which might give many horror fans the giggles. I think what maligns this particular film is the dependence on footage of a lion tamer and the animals he's working into a circus act..it kind of gets a bit tedious after a while.