JUNGLE HEAT

Mari Blanchard and Lex Barker

JUNGLE HEAT (1957). Director: Howard W. Koch.     

Roger McRae (Glenn Langan) and his wife, Ann (Mari Blanchard), arrive in Hawaii and discover that the manager of the plantation where they are to reside has been murdered. Roger takes over, while his unhappy wife becomes friendly with Dr. Jim Ransom (Lex Barker). There is a lot of talk of Japanese fifth columnists in Hawaii during this pre-WW2 period, as well as difficulties with the plantation workers, whom the entitled McRae sees mostly as slaves. Major Dick Grey (Rhodes Reason of the Bus Stop TV series) has a Japanese wife, Kimi-San (Miyoko Sasaki), whom is unfairly suspected of being a fifth columnist. Meanwhile a planter named Mathews (James Westerfield) manipulates things behind the scenes as a worker named Felix Agun (Glenn Dixon) is hunted by the law.

Rhodes Reason and Lex Barker

Jungle Heat tries to add some substance to its melodramatic story but nothing ever really jells. With this cast, one would have hoped for a sexy and lurid romp but the movie only briefly veers in that direction and never goes anywhere. As usual, Barker reads his lines without adding any nuances, although Blanchard, Langan, and Westerfield, as well as the other cast members -- including an intense Dixon -- are more on target. The score by Les Baxter seems to do most of the work, giving the flick an energy it generally lacks. The ironic ending isn't much of a surprise given the time period. Another cheap production from Bel-Air.    

Verdict: Half-baked melodrama with interesting elements that don't quite add up. **.