Ah, these wacky mad scientists. Especially when they’re played by John Carradine… Captive Wild Woman is a movie that’s barely an hour long, doesn’t make much sense but still remains a diverting viewing experience. Figure it out: a scientist successfully creates a strange creature by mixing the cells of a female gorilla and an somewhat anorexic girl! The resulting being falls in love with a circus lion tamer! And becomes jealous of the guy’s fiancee! Her physical state degenerates! Is the good old jungle instinct destined to be even stronger than human passion? But Neil Young said it all before, didn’t he? “But only love can break your heart“… This motion picture is pure delight, in an unique camp level. As was Universal Studio’s trademark, this far-fetched tale is presented and played with complete seriousness.
The improbable subject offers some enjoyable moments. Who could forget these ape suits from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, with illogical long fur and deep eye sockets? Some were in better shape than others but the one used here is far from convincing. The ape character remains curiously sympathetic: a loyal, smart beast. In its human form, the role is played by Acquanetta, exotic looking starlet whose main acting talent consists of standing still and starring wide-eyed around herself.

Acquanetta was born on July 17, 1921, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, as Burmu Acquanetta, on an Arapaho Indian reservation. Seems that she was adopted and took the name Mildred Davenport, quite a change! She started modeling in the early 40s in New York City, which led to a contract with Universal, who colorfully nicknamed her The Venezuelan Volcano. Of course she was quickly destined to play exotic beauties with not much to say. Still, she had a mysterious allure about herself, without a doubt a beautiful individual, appearing in titles like Arabian Nights, Rhythm of the Islands, Dead Man’s Eyes… before being immortalized as Paula Dupree in Captive Wild Woman and its sequel Jungle Woman. Another film followed in this short series, The Jungle Captive, but this time without Acquanetta’s participation.
Another memorable role for her was in the 1946 Tarzan and the Leopard Woman, one of the last of the series with Johnny Weissmuller. After getting married to a car dealer in the fifties, Acquanetta retired to Arizona, where she appeared in ads for her husband’s business. She became involved in many charity work in her area, had her own TV show, wrote a poetry book and also had four sons. She passed away on August 16, 2004, from Alzheimer complications.
The Ape Woman series never took much ground, considering its two half-baked sequels. Universal’s plan to launch a female monster franchise didn’t get much success. Captive Wild Woman is the only one that gathered a small cult following, mainly for Acquanetta’s presence and the superb makeup job of Jack Pierce, curiously not much seen during the action, but still well-remembered. This creation can probably still be seen as a precusor for the ground-breaking Planet ot the Apes full-headed mask 25 years later. So the question remains… why not a modern remake on the Sci-Fi Channel?
