Captive Wild Woman

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Captive Wild Woman is a 1943 American horror film from Universal Pictures directed by Edward Dmytryk. It stars Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, Milburn Stone, and Acquanetta as Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman.

Plot
A circus animal trainer named Fred Mason returns from a trip with a gorilla named Cheela, noted for her affectionate nature. Dr. Sigmund Walters, a scientist, wants Cheela for experiments. When Walter’s lab experiment goes wrong, he decides he needs a larger, stronger subject and hires a former circus worker to steal Cheela. The plan fails, and the lab animal dies.

Walters then uses gland material from Dorothy Colman (Beth’s sister) and grafts it into Cheela. He also decides to go further and place a human brain into the creature. The brain transplant is successful, and the result is Paula Dupree, a glamorous young woman who remembers nothing of her past.

Paula is taken to the winter quarters where she meets Fred Mason during a practice. She saves him from dangerous jungle cats and is offered a job in his act. But Paula grows jealous of Mason’s fiancée, Beth Colman. During a confrontation, Paula begins to transform again into a more animal-like form and tries to attack Beth.

Walters realizes Paula’s brain needs another donor and schemes to use Beth. Beth arrives to help her sister Dorothy and ends up thwarting Walters’ plans, freeing Cheela from her cage. In the chaos, Cheela attacks Walters and kills him. Paula, whatever her fate, departs the lab, leaving Beth and Dorothy unharmed. Later, during a storm at Mason’s act, Cheela returns to save Mason from the wild animals, but a police officer misreads the situation and kills Cheela.

Cast and production notes
- John Carradine plays Dr. Sigmund Walters.
- Acquanetta portrays Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman (a character built from a former gorilla and a brain transplant).
- The gorilla Cheela was played by Ray “Crash” Corrigan, who wore multiple gorilla costumes for the role.
- The film marks the early screen appearance of Acquanetta, who became known as the “Venezuelan Volcano” in later roles.

Production history and reception
- The project was announced by Universal in 1940, with several promotional ideas before the final concept settled on a brain-transplant horror story.
- Filming began in December 1942 and finished in 1943. Edward Dmytryk, then on loan from RKO, directed the film; Carradine’s performance was noted by Dmytryk as requiring careful control to fit the mad scientist character.
- The Production Code asked for changes to limit the idea of a human brain transferring into an animal.

Release and legacy
- Captive Wild Woman was released on June 4, 1943, with a 60-minute runtime. It spawned two sequels in the 1940s: Jungle Woman and The Jungle Captive, with the ape character renamed Cheena in the sequels.
- The film has been released on DVD and Blu-ray in later years, including a 2020 Blu-ray release with commentary.
- Contemporary critics gave mixed reviews, with some praising Acquanetta’s performance and others criticizing the story and taste. Retrospective views have been more supportive of the thriller elements and Carradine’s performance.