That was an excellent one.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In reviewing movies involving people of color in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1940 when Spencer Williams-future star of TV's version of "Amos 'n' Andy"-wrote and took a part in this horror/comedy feature. I'll just say right now that this isn't very good. In fact, the pace is just lethargic enough that I rarely laughed and was not scared at all. The fact is that the only time a score plays is when they show newspaper montages to advance the story. So that's a demerit right there. The leads of Alfred Grant and Daisy Bufford are as bland as you'd expect. Laura Bowman has some nice moments playing a mysterious character but she's not on screen enough. And vocal group The Four Toppers have some entertaining musical interludes when singing "So Long, Pal" and "You Drove the Groom Away". And even Williams has some amusing moments involving two disappearing sandwiches. But it's all for naught as the whole thing just falls apart past the 30-minute mark especially when a noticeable splice occurs there. So I'd only recommend Son of Ingagi if you're curious enough. P.S. Among the people involved from my now-home state of Louisiana: director Richard C. Kahn from New Orleans, Ms. Bufford from Franklin, Spencer Williams from Vidalia, and Zack Williams (the monster of the movie). Among supporting players from other black-cast movies I've seen: Ms. Bowman was also in God's Step Children, Arthur Ray was also in The Duke is Tops, Earle Morris was also in director Kahn's The Bronze Buckaroo, and Maggie Hathaway was in Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather.

Laura Bowman had a real presence and while she was the focal point - the film had direction. Even when she had to utter such silly lines as "the greatest discovery since Louis Pasteur" she has a believability in her acting. Once her character (Dr. Helen Jackson) is killed off, Spencer Williams entered as a police chief and the film descended into a Mantan Moreland type comedy mystery (although there was really no mystery about who was doing the killings). Only Alfred Grant as Bob and Daisy Bufford as Eleanor tried to keep it "real". There were also inconsistencies in the story - why was there a fire??? What was the reason??? There was also the locket and the note that was pushed under the door - by whom???On the day Bob and Eleanor married, Dr. Helen Jackson demands Bradshaw, a lawyer, draw up her will. That night Bob and Eleanor celebrate their wedding with friends and a great little singing group "The Toppers". They had a similar sound to the Mills Brothers and provide an entertaining musical interlude with "So Long Pal" and "You Drove the Gloom Away". That same night there is a fire at the factory and while Bob is out Dr. Jackson pays Eleanor a visit. She tells Eleanor about her parents and that she had always loved Eleanor's dad. She also gives her a locket that she had been given by Eleanor's dad before he married her mother.When Dr. Jackson goes home her brother, Zino, is there demanding half her fortune but after seeing N'gina (half beast, half man) he flees. Dr. Jackson has made some great discovery, but she is murdered and suspicion falls on the newly married couple as they have inherited the doctors estate. Bradshaw, who always seemed to be acting in a suspicious manner calls on the couple who have moved into Dr. Jackson's house. He is murdered because he accidentally summons N'gina with the dinner gong. The police chief (Spencer Williams) is very casual and laid back bringing a comic relief to the film that isn't needed. He was probably in training for his role as Andy in the Amos and Andy television show.There is no mystery about the murders, that through all the comedy, are still carried out very dramatically. N'gina then kidnaps Eleanor and starts a fire that burns the Doctor's house to the ground.

Oh boy, this one is truly pathetic, and not even in a Mystery Science Theater kind of way. I had some hopes with the appearance of the spooky Dr. Jackson (Laura Bowman); she reveals an enigmatic back story of running off to Africa after Eleanor Lindsay's parents died in a tornado when she was only ten months old. She returned home twenty years later to work on her reputation as the neighborhood curmudgeon, an enterprise that seemed to have been effective. However she shows her appreciation for being invited to the Lindsay's wedding by leaving her home and possessions to them in her will.The thing is, one of those possessions is an ape man named Ingeena, living in the basement which is accessed through a secret panel by sounding a Chinese gong. When Ingeena gulps down Dr. Jackson's greatest discovery in medicine since Louis Pasteur, he goes, well, ape. From there on out he goes on a murder rampage that eventually leaves three people dead (Dr. Jackson, Attorney Bradshaw, and Jackson's brother). It's all about as exciting as the paragraph you just read, because there is no suspense in the entire proceedings to make any of it remotely interesting to watch.There's an entirely laughable scene when Dr. Jackson's brother shoots the creature. When he empties the gun of bullets, he throws it at the ape man, and misses him from five feet away! Even Superman's TV villains were more accurate than that.Perhaps the most interesting part of the story had nothing at all to do with horror or mystery elements. The newlywed Lindsay's are entertained in their home on the evening of their wedding by the Four Toppers in a couple of lively numbers. One might question why the new couple is spending the night at home, though husband Bob offered an explanation that it was a wedding surprise. Shortly later they abandon it when they inherit the Jackson house. There seemed to be a likable chemistry between the Lindsay's, though it probably wasn't helped by sleeping in separate beds."Son of Ingagi" is probably best approached as a curiosity piece, billed as one of, if not THE first film with an all black cast. Even that seemed dubious by the appearance of Dr. Jackson and her brother. Some attempt at humor is made with the presence of inept Detective Nelson, as alert in his sleep as he is awake, that is to say, entirely oblivious of what's going on. Even so, you knew he wasn't meant to go out in a blaze of glory, nor for that matter, did the film.Update - 6/06/07: Today I managed to come across an all black cowboy Western starring Herb Jeffries and Mantan Moreland called "Two Gun Man From Harlem". It was from 1938, preceding this one by two years.

**SPOILERS*** Spending most of her adult life in the African jungles American missionary Dr. Jackson not only helped hundred of natives to see the light and better their and their friends and families lives but also helped herself to a fortune of some $20,000.00 in gold nuggets. that she found, with divine guidance, all around her mission grounds. Dr. Jackson also picked up in the wilds of Africa and secretly brought back home to America a jungle ape-man that she called Ingeena.Back in the states Dr. Jackson decides to make out her will and leaves everything that she owns, her house as well as her stash of gold, to sweet and pretty Eleanor who just got married at the local church to Robert Lindsey where Dr. Jackson was one of the invited guests. It turns out that Dr. Jackson knew both of Eleanor's parents who were killed in a tornado when she was only 10 months old and has been looking after Eleanor, behind the scenes, all that time. It's not fully explained in the movie but you get the impression that Dr. Jackson was in love or even had an affair with Eleanor's father before he married another woman her mother.After having her lawyer Mr. Bradshaw make out her will Dr. Johnson goes down to her laboratory and secret basement, where she keeps Ingeena hidden from the public. After mixing some chemicals she becomes very excited yelling that she just discovered the greatest secret in the history of mankind. As she runs upstairs to check out what composite of the formula she just discovered is Ingeena gulps it down, thinking that it's some kind of new and exotic jungle fruit drink, and then suddenly goes bananas breaking out of the basement and attacking and killing Dr. Johnson.The movie "Son of Ingagi" is an all-black comedy horror movie even though one of it's major stars, Laura Bowman as Dr.Jackson, can easily pass for white. The Lindseys, who had everything to gain by Dr. Jackson death, are suspected in not only her murder but later in the deaths of both Dr. Johnson's scheming and criminal brother Zino as well as her lawyer Bradshaw. Whom both the wild and crazy jungle ape-man Ingeena murdered. Robert & Eleanor moving into Dr. Johnson's home have no idea that Ingeena is roaming around and raiding the ice-box and stuffing himself with baloney and salami sandwiches while no one was looking. Having detective Nelson put on the case he always screws things up by sleeping on the job and trying to help himself to a free meal which the clever Ingeena always beats him to.Ingeena for his part starts to take a strong liking for Eleanor whom he then kidnaps and brings down to his secret hideout, the Lindsey's basement, to have a good time with. Being so enchanted with Eleanor's beauty the absent-minded Ape-man doesn't realize that he knocks over a gas lamp setting the basement and entire house on fire,Robert looking for Eleanor and noticing that there's smoke coming out from behind the wall of his bedroom goes together with the just awakened and totally bewildered Det. Nelson to the basement. After finding and slugging it out with Ingeena Robert rescues Eleanor and makes it out of the house and right into the arms of the police, lead by Det. Nelson's boss Chief Graves. It turns out that the apparently burned to death hero Det Nelson staggers out of the bushes with two sacks full of gold coins and nuggets that Dr. Johnson had hidden in her house. Robert & Eleanor thinking that they lost everything that the had in the world are now, with the gold belonging to them because of Dr. Jackson's last will and testament, rich and can start a new life and finally put the unpleasant and deadly episode that they had with ape-man Ingeena behind them.