Drums of the Congo
Cast & Crew
Christy Cabanne
Ona Munson
Stuart Erwin
Peggy Moran
Don Terry
Richard Lane
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
At the office of Col. S. C. Robinson of the Bureau of Intelligence, intelligence officer Capt. Kirk Armstrong is told that a new ore called "Vioo Mezi," which is as hard as diamond and could be invaluable in the construction of armaments for the war effort, has been found in the African interior. Kirk is sent to Africa to meet with Dr. Ann Montgomery, the discoverer of the ore. Aboard ship, Kirk comforts a crying Enid Waldron, who claims that she is going to Africa to search for her missing father. Upon arriving in the port town of Bangali, Kirk and Enid go to a crocodile pool, and there Enid is met by George Coutlass, who tells her that her father has been found in the interior, but is very ill. Back at their hotel, Enid tells Coutlass that she has arranged for them to join the Armstrong safari into the African interior. Meanwhile, Kirk meets with Ann and her assistant, the much-married Congo Jack. Ann tells Kirk that her father died while treating a native epidemic in the interior, and that he was given the ore as a token of friendship. She and Congo Jack then agree to lead the safari to the Taroka tribe. That night, working on orders from Coutlass, foreign agent Juma tries to steal the ore, but he is discovered by Ann. Kirk breaks into the room, and he and Juma struggle until the foreign agent is shot dead by Enid. The safari party later begins its journey into the interior by steamship, and the animosity between Ann and Enid soon becomes apparent. After reaching the interior by canoe, the safari begins its trek to the Tarokas on foot, and Congo sends tribesman Kalu ahead of the group in order to seek permission for the safari to enter his tribal homeland. Along the way, the safari is attacked by a Taroka raiding party. In the battle, Kirk defeats the Taroka leader in hand-to-hand combat, and Congo warns the intelligence officer that he has brought disgrace upon the tribal chief, and thus, made a deadly enemy. The safari finally arrives at a Tiganda village, where Kalu presents the party to King Malaba. Later, Kirk questions Malaba and learns that Enid's father has never been in the area. Meanwhile, Coutlass attempts to steal the sample ore, but he and Enid are caught by Kirk, who tells them that he has known that they are foreign agents all along and announces that their fellow spies have already been arrested in Bangali. The two spies then go to Malaba and tell him that Kirk and his party have brought the forbidden Taroka ore into their village. The safari party is then arrested, while Coutlass and Enid steal the ore from the tribal witch doctor. The party is spared when Ann nurses the witch doctor back to health, and Kirk and Congo then travel to the Taroka tribe. Against Kirk's wishes, Ann follows him with the help of Malaba's daughter, Princess Malimi, and the two women cause the safari to be captured by the Taroka raiding party. Kalu manages to escape, however, and he goes back to his tribe for help. Meanwhile, at the Taroka village, Enid tells Chief Madjeduka that she is Ann in an attempt to gain the vital ore. Convinced of Enid's sincerity, Madjeduka orders the execution of Kirk's party, but Kirk, Ann, Congo and Malimi are saved when the Tigandas attack the Taroka village. The Tarokas are defeated, Coutlass is killed, and Enid is captured. On the way back to Bangali, Ann agrees to return to the United States with Kirk, but Congo isn't sure he can go with them, as he is afraid that he may be arrested as a bigamist.
Director
Christy Cabanne
Cast
Ona Munson
Stuart Erwin
Peggy Moran
Don Terry
Richard Lane
Jules Bledsoe
Turhan Bey
Dorothy Dandridge
Ernest Whitman
Ed Stanley
Jess Lee Brooks
Napoleon Simpson
Ken Christy
Lee Phelps
Marty Faust
Gene O'donnell
Ray Martin
Crew
Bernard B. Brown
Everett Carter
Roy Chanslor
R. A. Gausman
Paul Huston
Joe Lapis
Henry Macrae
Jack Otterson
Charles Previn
Wolf Reade
Richard H. Riedel
George Robinson
Milton Rosen
H. J. Salter
Gil Valle
Vera West
Maurice Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to Universal press materials, opera singer Jules Bledsoe, who plays "Kalu" in the picture, was accompanied in the three musical numbers by Prince Modupe's Congo Choir, but the participation of the choir in the film has not been confirmed.
