Africa Screams

Africa Screams is a 1949 Adventure-Comedy film, due to a failure to renew the copyright; it expired in the 1970's.

Plot:
A woman named Diana Emerson  is  in Klopper's Department store book department looking for a book called Dark Safari, written by Cuddleford, a famous explorer. Buzz Johnson overhears her saying that she will be willing to pay 2,500 dollars for a map inside the book. He thinks up a plan to set his friend Stanley Livington as a famous explorer who accompanied Cuddleford on the expedition as described in the book. With claims that he can reproduce the map, the duo head to Diana's house that night. The two agree to accompany her on her Africa expedition, and when Buzz overhears that Clyde Betty will lead the expedition and has been offered 20,00 dollars for it, he starts to believe that the map is worth much more than 2,000 dollars. They, along with Diana's team of explorers travel to Africa, with the team consisting of Gunner, a near sighted hunter 'Boots' Wilson and 'Grappler' Mcoy. The boys learn that instead for exploration the expedition is for diamonds, and Buzz begins to renegotiate the deal. Unfortunately Stanley is unable to reproduce the map, as he has never seen it. The two attempt to bluff their way through the jungle.

They eventually find a trail of diamonds, however the leads them to a village of cannibals, where they intend to roast them alive. Fortunately the two are rescued by a gorilla who as taken a liking to Stanley after he rescues it from a trappers pit. The following day the cannibal tribe meets with the rest of the expeditionary team, where the chief offers them several diamonds in exchange for Stanley in which his translator explains that he has a 'sweet tooth'. They start chasing Stanley while Buzz buries the diamonds. The expeditionary team as well as the warriors are scared away by a giant gorilla, whom earlier on in the film was dismissed as a myth.

Stanley rushes find Buzz, only to discover that Buzz lost the diamonds and decided he had enough and that he's abandoning him. Mean while, the friendly gorilla digs up the diamonds and gives them to Stanley off screen. Some time after returning to the United States, Stanley and the gorilla own the department store, with Buzz working for them as an elevator operator.

Cast:

 * Bud Abbot as Buzz Johnson
 * Lou Castello as Stanley Livington
 * Clyde Betty as himself
 * Frank Buck as himself
 * Max Baer as Grappler Mcoy
 * Buddy Baer as Boots Wilson
 * Hillary Brooke as Diana Emerson
 * Shemp Howard as Gunner
 * Joe Besser as Harry
 * Burton Weland as Bobo
 * Charles Gemora as the Ape