Man Hunters of the Caribbean

Andre Roosevelt, "cousin" to President Theodore Roosevelt and "authority on undersea life", visits his old friend Captain Benson in the Caribbean. Oblivious to the scantily-clad native women, Andre is more interested in the white girl swimming in a one piece bathing suit nearby. "My gosh! A blonde...and what a blonde! " She is Rita de la Vega, the daughter of a missing fortune hunter. Together they set out to locate Rita's father with the help of a treasure map and some muscular black natives. After six days in the scorching sun, they discover the partially eaten remains of a man. The elder de la Vega fell victim to a cannibal tribe of voodoo-practicing Penitentes, and now they've chosen Andre, Rita, and Benson to be their next human sacrifices...

Though he may not look it, Andre Roosevelt (1879-1962) was a (distant) cousin to Teddy Roosevelt. His father Cornelius was related to the 26th President, a fact Andre liked to play up in his day-to-day activities as an international playboy. After winning the Gold Medal in rugby at the 1900 Summer Olympics, he traveled the world. His money dwindling rapidly, Andre became interested in converting the island of Bali into an international theme park for tourists. To help sell Americans on his scheme, he got into the movie business, producing Goona-Goona, An Authentic Melodrama of the Island of Bali (1932). Though Andre's plan to turn Bali into a giant water park for the rich and famous failed, Goona-Goona turned out to be hit. He then made another film, Man Hunters of the Caribbean (or Beyond the Caribbean) by combining footage from his safari and hunting expeditions with scenes shot in "Central America" (i.e., Hollywood.) It didn't prove as successful as Goona-Goona. Humbled, Andre got out of showbiz and into hotel management. He died in 1962.

BONUS: Wild River Safari (1954): Topless, loincloth-clad jungle girls abound in this Castle Films "Adventure and Animal Movie".

• action
• adventure