Jungle Jim

JUNGLE JIM (Columbia, 1948), directed by William Berke, introduces Olympic swimming champion, Johnny Weissmuller, in the title role based on Alex Raymond's comic strip character. After a span of sixteen years and twelve films enacting his most famous one of all, that of "Tarzan" for both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1932-42) and RKO Radio (1943-48), Weissmuller, assumed a new jungle hero in another theatrical series. Though not in the same league as the "Tarzan" adventures, especially those made over at at MGM, "Jungle Jim" served as the type of entertainment popular for the Saturday matinée crowd. Although "Jungle Jim" was first introduced on screen in a weekly 12-chapter serial format for Universal in 1936 starring Grant Withers, it's the one portrayed by Weissmuller that's better known to many.

In this initial entry, which opens with off-screen narration, a frightful native is seen running through the jungle, soon attacked by a leopard, as witnessed by monkeys sitting on trees. Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller), a white hunter, arrives too late to rescue him. Noticing the dead man's hand still clutching onto a small golden vile inscribed with hieroglyphic writing, Jim has it analyzed. The vile, revealed by Geoffrey Marsden (Holmes Herbert), a district commissioner of Nagandi, to be from ancient times containing gummy dark substance, a poison that's not only a cure for infantile paralysis, but the key to the hidden treasure buried in the temple of Zimbalu. Jungle Jim is soon hired as a guide for Hilary Parker (Virginia Grey), a scientist out to obtain the valuable drug in Zimbalu for her experiments. Also on the expedition are tribesmen, Kolu (Rick Vallin) and his sister, Zia (Lita Baron), a native dancer with a crush on Jim. Trouble lurks when Bruce Edwards (George Reeves), a photographer who had squandered away his fortune appears, staging a series of "accidents" to rid Jungle Jim and the safari in order to obtain the treasure for himself.

With a new character in familiar surroundings, Jungle Jim is very much like Tarzan, only fully clothed and conversing in complete sentences. The screenplay carries on in the "Tarzan" tradition by having Jungle Jim battling leopards, sea serpents, crocodiles and a hungry lion inside a pit; saving damsels in distress from wild animals, elephant stampedes (through stock footage) and sphere throwing natives; and attempts saving tribesmen, held captive hanging upside-down by their rope tied ankles before being sacrificed. As a reminder from the "Tarzan" movies, Jim does underwater swimming (in bathing suit instead of loincloth)  with Zia (Lita Baron)in the manner Tarzan did with his mate, Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan), at MGM. While Tarzan had a chimpanzee named Cheta as comedy relief, much of the same is devoted to Jungle Jim's animal companions, Caw Caw (the large black crow) and Skipper (a dog). Without their antics, this 73 minute adventure might have served as a 55 minute featurette.

What makes JUNGLE JIM watchable is not only the pairing of Weissmuller and George Reeves, but having Reeves, best known as TV's "Superman" from the 1950s, as a villain. Virginia Grey, as a serious-minded scientist sporting pulled back hair and glasses, logging her daily report on a typewriter (amusingly key pecked by Caw Caw at one point), makes her third and final appearance with Weissmuller, following TARZAN'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE (MGM, 1942) and Weissmuller's first non-Tarzan role of SWAMP FIRE (Paramount, 1946). With Grey's character not being Jim's "idea of a scientist," their differences of opinion finds them at odds with one another, adding some amusement to the screenplay by Carroll Young. Grey's Hilary Parker breaks away from her librarian appearance by showing off her womanly figure in bathing suit in her attempt to attract Jungle Jim's attention away from Zia. JUNGLE JIM is most enjoyable when not taken seriously, as indicated by its situations at hand.

While many of the plots provided in subsequent "Jungle Jim" adventures were offbeat and forgettable, the one provided here is satisfactory, especially by the presence of troublesome Reeves. After the series expired, Weissmuller turned out to be the logical choice resuming his "Jungle Jim" role in television series that premiered in 1955, keeping him much in the public eye as "King of the Jungle." 

The sixteen "Jungle Jim" movies, having been absent on the television screen since the 1970s (commonly broadcast on New York City's WNBC, Channel 4, between 1968 and 1972, as part of its late movie lineup of "The Great Great Show"), were brought back in later years on American Movie Classics (1997-2000). Turner Classic Movies brought forth three in the series May 27, 2009: JUNGLE MANHUNT (1951), THE FORBIDDEN LAND (1952), and of course the one that started it all, JUNGLE JIM. Next installment: THE LOST TRIBE (1949) (**)

An especially delightful film to those of us who saw this when young because after all it was meant for the young to watch - when viewing it again as an adult it's better if rose-tinted spectacles can kick in. It was the first of the 16 Jungle Jim films and later TV series chunky Johnny Weismuller went on to do for Columbia (in the last 3 films he had to use his own name though as they'd lost the rights) after getting the sack from playing Tarzan for Sol Lesser. Johnny Sheffield also gave up playing Boy to become Bomba the Jungle Boy in a series of 12 films.

Jim and party go on perilous safari to hunt down the hidden temple of Zimbalu manned by an obscure tribe of devil doctors who seem to have the secret of a poison that might also be a cure for polio. Edgar Rice Burroughs probably approved. After 16 years talking monosyllabically Weismuller seemed awkward stringing sentences together, not that it mattered. On the swift march we meet many of the interesting but generally playful denizens of the jungle, barring the sinister crocodile going to eat the leading lady with her leg caught under a twig and the surreal elephant stampede (stock footage squeezed into a corner of the frame). Skipper the dog and Caw-Caw the crow had many adventures, none of which turned out essential to the plot in case you were concentrating! The biggest problem with the film is the farcical climax, which can be exciting but also unfortunately remind you of the end of a serial part – and the original excellent serial had been made 12 years prior. Although personally I wouldn't have minded this going on another couple of hours as well!

The only thing heavy about this was Weismuller; in so many ways an enjoyable kids film from the old days - not recommended for serious adults so I love it.

Jungle Jim was Johnny Weismuller's vehicle after he became too old to play Tarzan, and passed the mantle to younger actors. As Jungle Jim, he stays in his African milieu, dons safari clothes and has a series of numbskull adventures mostly saving ladies in distress. This is the first of the series, in which Jungle Jim helps a lady scientist discover a cure for polio (remember that Jungle Jim is made in 1948 before the discovery of the Salk vaccine). In this, it may be ahead of its time; first having a smart female character, and second, finding cures to disease in tropical plants. The villain is played by the pre-Superman George Reeves.

Where Jungle Jim is behind the times is its portrayal of Africans, in this case Masai, who look like white people, and the idiotic portrayal of wildlife. Nonetheless, it's a laugh. But if you're looking for something serious pass it by.

Don't worry about the orangutans Don't worry about the Indian elephants with artificial African elephant ears glued to them. Don't worry about the fact that the Maasai look more like Polynesians. Just enjoy the nostalgia. Great to see George Reeves in something other than the superman suit. Lots of fun for this baby boomer.

Jungle Jim (1948)

** (out of 4)

After growing too old for Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller headed over to Columbia where he started the Jungle Jim series with this one being the first of sixteen movies. This time out Jim is leading a female scientist (Virginia Grey) through the jungles looking for a poison that might just be the cure for polio. I had heard this was an extremely goofy and at times rather poor series but this here was my first venture into it and I will go along with the goofy part. There are so many logical plot holes here that you could drive a semi through them but the biggest problem is th best thing going for the film. The problem is that this thing is 100% camp and that's where the entertainment value comes from. You can tell this was an extremely low-budget movie because there's so much stock footage edited in that after a while you actually get a headache from it. The majority of the animal footage is all stock footage but the film's greatest scene is one where Grey isn't paying attention when a crocodile sneaks up on her. As far as Weissmuller goes, he's pretty bad. As a visual level it's certainly easy to watch him but his line delivery is just so incredibly bad that there were a couple times where I had to laugh at him. It was fun watching him but the performance just adds more camp value. Lita Baron plays a jungle girl who adds a lot of sex appeal to the film. George Reeves plays the bad guy here and does a very good job, nearly stealing the film. The film is clearly modeled after a Tarzan movie from start to finish and this includes a swimming scene clearly trying to impersonate the one from TARZAN AND HIS MATE. Even at only 71-minutes the film seems a tad bit long but if you like goofy fun then you'll certainly want to check it out.