Bad Movie of the Week

Number 33 of a series

Many thanks to Nick for putting me onto Konga, a really bad science fiction film from 1961. Remember, I watch these so you won’t have to.

Credit where credit is due.

Of course, it’s streaming on Amazon Prime. Details are from Wikipedia, including the cast of characters.

• Michael Gough as Dr. Charles Decker
• Margo Johns as Margaret
• Jess Conrad as Bob Kenton
• Claire Gordon as Sandra Banks
• Austin Trevor as Dean Foster
• Jack Watson as Superintendent Brown
• George Pastell as Professor Tagore
• Vanda Godsell as Bob’s Mother
• Stanley Morgan as Inspector Lawson
• Grace Arnold as Miss Barnesdell
• Leonard Sachs as Bob’s Father
• Nicholas Bennett as Daniel
• Kim Tracy as Mary
• Rupert Osborne as Eric Kenton
• Waveney Lee as Janet Kenton
• John Welsh as Commissioner Garland
• Paul Stockman as Konga (uncredited)

So this is going to be one of those giant ape movies, and it’s not King Kong. Anyhow it starts in Africa, where a small plane crashes in the Jungles of Uganda. At first it is reported there were not survivors.

But nearly a year later Dr. Charles Decker turns up alive, and he is coming back to London with some amazing findings to report. He is intercepted at the airport and interviewed by reporters. He does not hold back on his effusive description of his own accomplishments and self worth. We are beginning to think he is something of an asshole. He describes he alone has discovered a link between plant and animal life. Soon the entire world will learn of his world-shaking accomplishments.

He carries with him a young chimpanzee, which animal supposedly located him after he bailed out of the doomed aircraft, bringing him to a nearby village, where he made his amazing discoveries. Unfortunately, the pilot failed to bail out and is now dead. Dr. Decker has named the chimp Konga.

Back at his London home, where he maintains his research laboratory, he reunites with his trusted and attractive assistant Margaret. All the while he was missing she maintained the place and was sure he would return. We wonder why there is not something more than a working relationship between the two. We eventually will learn there is a sexual element. Dr. Decker tends to keep multiple irons in the fire.

Immediately the two go out to the greenhouse, where Dr. Decker commences to rip out the decorative flowers growing there. There will no longer be any need for them. Their lifeless remains will serve as mulch for the new plant forms he has brought back. We wonder why he began pulling up the plants before changing out of his business suit. We also wonder why, once he has started the task, he quickly abandons it and returns to the house with Margaret. Our thinking is a scientist of such acumen would be better organized.

The new plants have amazing powers, as demonstrated to him previously by a witch doctor in Uganda. They are carnivorous, and they grow at an astounding rate. Juice from them will transfer this growth to animals. He mixes up a stew from the plants. It boils over. The household cat licks some of the fluid off the floor. It’s fatal for the cat, because Dr. Decker cannot a cat growing to immense size. He searches through a storage bin and produces a pistol, putting two rounds into the unfortunate cat. We are getting a clearer picture of Dr. Decker’s true character.

He develops his serum and injects Konga. Before out eyes the adolescent chimp grows to adulthood. The transformation is depicted in the film by waves of blur passing over the field of view. We will see this several times in the movie.

He returns to teaching his classes. He shows a film. He explains that he was able to rescue his movie camera before the plane crashed.

After class he confers with his favorite student, Sandra Banks. All the while he was away she continued her studies, and now she is prepared to complete them under Dr. Decker. He tells her he sees in her remarkable qualities. We can spot two of them right away.

Dean Foster, head of the college, is not pleased with Dr. Decker’s public assertions of greatness. He is sure the professor is promising more than he can deliver and will prove to be an embarrassment to the school. There is a heated confrontation in the dean’s office. The dean will have to go.

Dr. Decker injects Konga again, and the ape grows to the size of an enormous gorilla, also taking on the appearance of a gorilla. Dr. Decker directs Konga, and the ape carries out his command, surprising the dean in his office at night and breaking his neck.

Margaret is disgusted when she learns Dr. Decker was involved in the homicide. He consoles her and enlists her complicity, promising marriage and a future. The two throw a party. Attending is Professor Tagore, who tells of doing work similar to Dr. Decker’s. A meeting later that night at Professor Tagore’s house.

Dr. Decker brings along Konga, who kills Professor Tagore.

Next there is a field trip. Dr. Decker’s class ventures into the wild to bring back samples of ferns. Sandra is there along with her boyfriend Bob. Bob sees what is going on with Sandra and Dr. Decker. He confronts Dr. Decker after the other students return to the van for the trip back. The confrontation turns violent. Bod will have to go.

And it’s goodbye Bob. As he sets out for a date with Sandra Konga comes out of the bushes and kills him.

Things are finally coming to a head. After Bob’s funeral Dr. Decker invites Sandra over to the house. After a brief conversation he takes Sandra out to the greenhouse. There he tells her he has great plans for her. He will make her his assistant after discarding Margaret. He forces himself on Sandra, who repulses him.

But Margaret has been watching, and she decides to turn the tables. She gives Konga an extra shot of the serum and instructs the ape to kill Dr. Decker. But first Konga kills Margaret, setting the place on fire in the commotion.

He grows to enormous size, bursting through the roof of the house.

He crashes into the greenhouse, grabbing Dr. Decker in one of his giant hands. The last we see of Sandra she is finding herself with one arm caught up by one of the carnivorous plants.

With Dr. Decker in on of his hands, Konga rampages through the streets of London. We see people running and screaming. We see the military called up. We see the order given to open fire. We see tracer bullets flying past Konga. We are wondering how trained soldiers can miss a target that large at close range.

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We see Konga drop Dr. Decker crashing onto the pavement, immediately dead. Konga dies from the thousands of rounds that pierce his body, and he falls next to Dr. Decker’s lifeless corpse. Konga’s body returns to the form of the adolescent chimp that Dr. Decker brought back from Uganda. We are impressed by the stupidity of it all.