Johnny Weissmuller (Johnny Weissmuller) is approached by Ellen Marsten (Jean Byron). Ellen is an Egyptian archaeologist looking for a guide into the Baku country of the jungle. She is researching Ra the sun god and looking to find Egyptian secrets to life. She also believes that there once was a race of white people that lived in the Baku country. Before they set out they are visited by Nolimo (Michael Granger) chief of one of the African tribes. They are out looking for his eldest son Marro (Ben Chapman) who went out hunting. The other hunters returned but Marro is still missing. He tells Johnny that they found tracks of the Moon Men. The Moon Men are a tribe of pygmies. Their tracks end at a stone wall that has writing on it.
The next day Johnny, Ellen, Nolimo and some of his warriors head out into the Baku country to look for Marro. Soon they are joined by a friend of Ellen’s, Bob Prentice (Bill Henry). Bob hired Mark Santo (Myron Healey) to drive him out to find Ellen. Before Santo leaves Marro comes out of the jungle being chased by the pygmy moon men. Johnny manages to capture one of the moon men, Damu (Billy Curtin). Marro dies in his father’s arms. Before he died he said he was with Oma (Helene Stanton) the high priestess of the Baku. Marro is wearing a necklace with hieroglyphics on it. The necklace also has a large diamond in the center. Santo sees the diamond and figures there’s more where that came from.
While Nolimo and his men take Marro back to his village for burial the moon men rescue Damu and kidnap Bob. Johnny and Ellen follow the moon men’s trail and find the stone wall Nolimo mentioned. Santo and his buddy Max (Frank Sully) are hot on their trail. Johnny finds a way into the moon men’s temple with Santo and Max right behind. Inside the temple they are captured by the moon men and are taken to the high priestess Oma to learn their fate.
“Jungle Moon Men” was released in 1955 and was directed by Charles S. Gould. It is the 15th of 16 movies produced by Colombia that were based on the Jungle Jim character. Due to problems not having the rights to the Jungle Jim name the main character of the movie is now called Johnny Weissmuller. Weissmuller was under contract to do 16 films. This is the second of the three remaining films where Johnny’s name was used as the adventurer instead of Jungle Jim. The three films done as Johnny Weissmuller are still considered part of Colombia’s Jungle Jim cannon.
There is quite a bit of stock footage as a montage in the very beginning of the film but after the characters are introduced most of the movie is the actual story and was filmed on some back lot at Columbia. Except for Myron Healey the acting is underwhelming and the pacing is a little slow. It’s not one of the better Jungle Jim films.
Part of the plot of the film was taken from H. Rider Haggard's novel “She: A History of Adventure” written in 1887.
Ben Chapman played one of the Creatures in “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”. He was the one on land. (Ricou Browning played the gill-man in the water.) Billy Curtis is best known for playing one of the munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” 1939 and one of the mole men in “Superman and the Mole Men” 1951. Myron Healey Played Commander James Bradley in “Varan the Unbelievable” 1962. Angelo Rossitto played one of the moon men.