''Jungle Manhunt'' is a 1951 adventure film written by
Samuel Newman Samuel Newman (May 10, 1602 – July 5, 1663) was a clergyman in colonial Massachusetts whose concordance of the Bible, published first in London in 1643, far surpassed any previous work of its kind.
Newman was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Englan ...
and directed by
Lew Landers
Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director.
Biography
Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...
. It was the seventh entry in the "
Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
" series of films starring
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
as the title character. Based on the comic strip "Jungle Jim" created by
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the '' Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into m ...
,
Plot
In the African jungles, local tribes are terrorized by costumed skeleton people who kidnap the men of a local village. However, Bono. the local chieftain is able to escape. Jungle Jim rescues a photographer, Anne Lawrence, when her boat overturns She explains that she is searching for football player Bob Miller (played by real-life footballer
Bob Waterfield
Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach. He played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
) and enlists Jim to help with her search.
Bono, looking for his tribesmen, agrees to join the search as both trails seem to lead to the same place.
They subsequently stumble upon a crazed doctor who has been kidnapping villagers to work in a radioactive mine, where he has discovered a way of making diamonds out of mineral rocks, The group manages to stop the doctor's plan by exploding the mine. Bob and Anne agree to stay in the village to continue with improvements.
Cast
*
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
... Jungle Jim
*
Bob Waterfield
Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach. He played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
... Bob Miller
*
Sheila Ryan
Sheila Ryan (born Katherine Elizabeth McLaughlin, June 8, 1921 – November 4, 1975) was an American actress who appeared in more than 60 movies.
Career
Born in Topeka, Kansas, Ryan went to Hollywood in 1939 at the age of 18. Her acting career b ...
... Anna Lawrence
*
Rick Vallin
Rick Vallin (born Eric Efron; September 24, 1919 – August 31, 1977) was an actor who appeared in more than 150 films between 1938 and 1966.
Early years
Born in Feodosia, in the Crimea, Russia, Vallin came to the United States at age there ...
... Matusa Chief Bono
*
Lyle Talbot
Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...
... Dr. Mitchell Heller
*Tamba the Chimp
Production
The Dinosaurs featured in the movie as are
stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...
from
One Million BC
''One Million B.C.'' is a 1940 American fantasy film produced by Hal Roach Studios and released by United Artists. It is also known by the titles ''Cave Man'', ''Man and His Mate'' and ''Tumak''.
The film stars Victor Mature as protagonist ...
). Music by
Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Mikhail Romanovich "Mischa" Bakaleinikov (also spelled Bakaleynikov and Bakaleinikoff; russian: Михаил Романович Бакалейников; November 10, 1890 – August 10, 1960) was a noted musical director, film composer and ...
Home media
Released on DVD on March 4, 2011.
Review
Leonard Martin
Leonard Jack Martin (24 November 1901 – 25 December 1967) was a British sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fi ...
gave the movie 1.5 out of 5 stars.
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
found the movie to be typical of the genre, stating it was hokey and not aimed at adults.
[Variety ( October 3, 1951) Jungle Manhunt. Retrieved 7/282020 https://archive.org/details/variety184-1951-10-03/page/n20/mode/1up?q=%22jungle+jim%22]
References
External links
*
Review of filmat ''Variety''
{{Sam Katzman
1951 films
1950s science fiction films
Films directed by Lew Landers
Columbia Pictures films
Jungle Jim films
Films set in Africa
American science fiction films
American black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films