American moon probe ends up landing in the African jungle, and the US government convinces the great African explorer Matthew Merriweather to retrive it. Unfortunately, they don't know he is a total fraud. Meanwhile, the Soviets send their African expert Luba to retrieve it as well. She isn't a fraud.

Limp, slightly racist, comedy is more interesting in its background and production than anything taking place onscreen. This was the only non-James Bond film produced by Eon Productions, which explains the presence of so many Bond veterans in the cast and crew, not to mention the presence of Bwana's poster in a key scene in From Russia With Love.

There are two main problems with this film, which has glimmers of, well, not greatness, but at least adequacy. First, by the Sixties, Hope was no longer funny, especially without Crosby and Lamour backing him up. It doesn't help here that his character is a pathetic lying wretch. Second, it is painfully obvious that the film crew never got closer to Africa than Pinewood Studios. Location shooting in Kenya was scotched by the Mau Mau Rebellion, and it shows. Jeffries and especially Adams are good, but can't save this mess. An interesting curio, and that's it.