Killer Leopard ** (1954, Johnny Sheffield, Beverly Garland, Donald Murphy, Barry Bernard, Leonard Mudie) – Classic Movie Review 11,018

The 1954 American jungle adventure film Killer Leopard is written, produced and directed by Ford Beebe, and stars Johnny Sheffield, Beverly Garland, Donald Murphy, Barry Bernard and Leonard Mudie. It is the eleventh in the 12-film Bomba the Jungle Boy series made by Monogram and then Allied Artists.

Bomba is hunting a rogue leopard when Deputy Commissioner Andy Barnes (Leonard Mudie) asks him to help the famous movie star Linda Winters (Beverly Garland), who is trying to find her lost husband Fred Winters (Donald Murphy), who, it turns out, is in Africa trying to use money he embezzled to buy illicit diamonds. Obviously Bomba and Linda encounter a killer leopard, or the title would not make much sense.

The cast are Johnny Sheffield as Bomba, Beverly Garland as Linda Winters, Donald Murphy as Fred Winters, Barry Bernard as Charlie Pulham, Leonard Mudie as Deputy Commissioner Andy Barnes, Smoki Whitfield as Eli, Russ Conway as Sgt Maitland, Rory Mallinson as Deevers and Roy Glenn as Daniel.

It is again filmed at Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California.

It is the penultimate entry in the Bomba series, followed by Lord of the Jungle (1955).

The ‘crocodiles’ in the jungle pond scene are American alligators found only in Florida.

Linda Winters is the name used by actress Dorothy Comingore in some of her early films. Comingore is best known as Susan Alexander Kane in Citizen Kane (1941). Her career ended in 1951 when she was caught up in the Hollywood blacklist.

Killer Leopard is directed by Ford Beebe, runs 70 minutes, is made by Allied Artists Pictures, is released by Allied Artists Pictures (1954) (US) and Associated British-Pathé (1954) (UK), is written by Ford Beebe, is shot in black and white by Harry Neumann, is produced by Ford Beebe and Walter Mirisch (uncredited), and scored by Marlin Skiles, with Art Direction by Dave Milton.

The 12 Bomba films, all directed by Ford Beebe, are: Bomba, the Jungle Boy (1949), Bomba on Panther Island (1949), The Lost Volcano (1950), The Hidden City (1951), The Lion Hunters (1951), Elephant Stampede (1952), African Treasure (1952), Bomba and the Jungle Girl (1952), Safari Drums (1953), The Golden Idol (1954), Killer Leopard (1954) and Lord of the Jungle (1955).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,018

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com