COBRA WOMAN (1944)
Article #174 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 9-6-2001
Posting date: 1-20-2002

A woman about to be married is kidnapped. Her husband-to-be tracks her to a south seas island where her evil twin sister holds sway.

It has Maria Montez. It has Jon Hall. It has Sabu. Put those three names together, and you should know just the type of hokum you’re in for when you watch this movie. It also features Lon Chaney, Jr. as a big blind deaf-mute (who’s not really blind, but then, Maria Montez wasn’t really an actress, was she?). It also has a chimpanzee when you get tired of looking at the human performers. It’s also directed by Robert Siodmak, and shot in beautiful color. There’s also a sequence where Montez (who has a dual role; one for each of her emotions) does a dance around a cobra. Sabu probably gives the most memorable performance, but I’ve always found myself that a little Sabu goes a long way.

Since this whole series of Musings & Ramblings revolves around an attempt of mine to see as many classic science fiction/fantasy/horror movies as I can, I end up watching stuff like this. I’d better get used to it; there’s a lot of silly movies out there in the Fantasy category, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.