Jungle Bride (1933)

jungle-brideThis island romance must have been steamy stuff in 1933. Anita Page’s torn dress likely raised blood pressures, as might the suggestion of pre-marital sex. See the visual joke late in the film about fudging the date on the couples’ marriage license—to make up for earlier coital escapades, it’s implied—for a sprinkle of 1930s naughtiness that might be lost on modern viewers. Today, the film stands up as one of those pre-Code curiosities that blow by fast and seem to come from another world. It’s a dreamier place where high-flying coincidences are fine. Also, a woman can fall in love with the man (future B-western star Charles Starrett) whom she believes murdered her brother once the accused man demonstrates what a lion-wrestling hunk of beefcake he is after the two are stranded on an island together. A terrific shipwreck scene and some extravagant jungle scenery for the time help sell this one.