The Lion Man (1936) User Reviews

Edgar Rice Burroughs based tale is a Tarzan of the Desert on a budget

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 8 February 2006]

A rich British Lord goes into the desert with his son on a secret mission. Tricked by desert bandits the Lord is killed and his son is spirited away to live with a holy man who raises lions. Growing up to be a brave warrior the son ("Lion Man" of the title) aids travelers who are set upon by various bandits.

A very good looking, if somewhat talky and at time static adventure occurs. Very Much of a time this low budget desert tale looks good. It looks much less opulent than say films like Lawrence of Arabia and so seems much closer to reality. The tale is essentially a Tarzan retread which is okay. The problem with the film is that the film is very talky and static. People are posed in tableaux and talk and talk and talk. Its good but it makes the movie seem more draggy and creaky than it really is.

A good, but not great little adventure film.

Burroughs to the Rescue!

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 26 May 2009]

In addition to his "Tarzan" series, the prolific Edgar Rice Burroughs did write many other books, although, aside from the popular "At the Earth's Core", few of these have been filmed. One exception is the novel entitled "The Lad and the Lion", brought to the screen as "The Lion Man" (1936), an over-talkative, static, old-hat, slow-moving and rather dull movie, despite being filmed on real desert locations. Actually "movie" is the wrong word. The narrative doesn't move but proceeds at a snail's pace in an abrupt series of jerks. For instance, at least five characters are given elaborate opening scenes and then just disappear. Even more frustrating for the keen movie fan, are the characters who make an impression of sorts (like the lass who plies Hall with drugged wine) but are enacted by players who are not credited! The credited thespians generally come off worse than the unknowns. One exception is Australian actress Finis Barton who gives a good account of the kidnapped harem girl who rescues young Master Fairy. Admittedly, most of the cast are saddled with atrocious King James dialogue which has to be heard to be believed! But the way to play this rubbish is tongue-in-cheek, a stratagem which does not seem to have occurred to a single one of the film's roster of no-talent players. Maybe director J.P. McCarthy scotched that idea. Anyway, it's sad to see the lovely Kathleen Burke forced to trade lines with the likes of Richard Carlyle (her dad) and Jon Hall (her suitor). Admittedly, Mr Hall delivers his lines with marginally more conviction than Mr Carlyle, but that is no recommendation.

Where it all began for Jon Hall

[kidboots · 6/10 · 21 April 2009]

"The Lion Man"'s claim to fame was that it put Jon Hall on the road to exotic adventure films. To add to the romance his mother was a Tahitian princess. He is mostly remember for a series of Universal Technicolor adventures in which he co-starred with Maria Montez. Before that he was busy with South Sea Island adventures starting with "The Hurricane" (1937) with Dorothy Lamour, but the year before he was given the title role in "The Lion Man" - a poverty row production from Normandy Pictures Corp. (they only produced 3 films). There are a few uncredited women in the cast - it would be really nice to know who they were!!!

Young Master Chapman (Bobby Fairy, who walks through the film in a daze) is taken by his father, Sir Ronald Chapman (Eric Snowden), on a business expedition in a very dangerous part of Arabia (who knows why!!!) to mine tungsten. The sheik seems friendly but behind the curtain is ????? (first uncredited female). She knows the sheik's friendliness is a sham - she came with a party, who, at first, were shown kindness, only to be killed while she was taken captive. She now escapes and is on her way to warn the party but she is too late. The only survivor is the child, who she places in the care of "The Lion Man", before she dies.

The boy grows up to be "El Lion" (Jon Hall), a protector of the innocent, who guides caravans out of danger. Eulilah (Kathleen Burke) is courted by the evil Youseff but she has a secret yearning for "El Lion", even though she has never seen him!!! She finally meets him when he rescues her from Youseff's marauders. "El Lion" meets an English girl - again another uncredited girl, whose part seemed to have been cut. The actress looked very familiar. Eulilah becomes jealous but not for long!! The end features a big fist fight between the hero and villain. When "El Lion" realises that Youseff killed his father many years ago, he throws him off the cliff.

For a cheap production it is pretty good. The story is exciting and with better production values, a bit more length and some Technicolor, it would have been a top class film. Kathleen Burke was almost at the end of her career. She had started in spectacular fashion as the winner of a nationwide search by Paramount to find "Panther Woman" for the film "The Island of Lost Souls" (1932).

Recommended.

Tarzan of Arabia

[wes-connors · 3/10 · 2 August 2009]

This is an attempt, by both author Edgar Rice Burroughs and filmmakers, at an Arabian "Tarzan of the Apes". But, this desert-set film shows none of the majesty present in Burroughs' more successful jungle adventure. The focus is on the love between handsome English noble Jon Hall (as "El 'Lion" Chatham) and exotic Arab beauty Kathleen Burke (as "Princess" Eulilah), with revenge happening to coincide with their urge to merge. The opening states that, although guilty of conduct unbecoming, the lad's mother is living - but, she never re-enters the picture. Unfortunately, "The Lion Man" has deteriorated, and is looks like it's missing footage.

*** The Lion Man (1936) John P. McCarthy ~ Jon Hall, Kathleen Burke, Ted Adams

A none-too-exciting desert adventure

[Red-Barracuda · 2/10 · 21 July 2011]

Well what did I expect? I keep on watching these old Poverty Row productions so I should really know the score by now. This adventure film is more or less business as usual down in the Poverty Row back-lot. It's a film full of promise but little delivery. Much like most of these old programme filling B-movies from the 30's. This one has an American boy being left to be brought up by a lion keeping shaman after his dad has been murdered by a villainous sheik. He grows up to be a noble saviour of downtrodden folks in Arabia - the Lion Man of the title, so if you expected this to be a film about a half-man half-lion monster (i.e. me) then prepare to be sadly underwhelmed. It's sort of Tarzan in the desert if you like. Except the film-makers kind of forget to load the thing with much action, instead there's a lot of chat and not too much in the way of excitement. Which is a shame really because The Lion Man had a passable chance at becoming relatively entertaining. But, unfortunately, for the most part it's a little tedious.

Tarzan of the desert

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 13 January 2019]

The original story that inspired The Lion Man was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and it certainly has some of the same plot premise that his Tarzan character has. The young boy is the son of British explorer Eric Snowden who is the only survivor of a massacre in the desert by a treacherous Arab sheik Ted Adams. Raised by a jungle mystic among a pride of lions he grows up to be Jon Hall.

I suppose Edgar Rice Burroughs counted himself fortunate that his Tarzan series was originally picked up by MGM that Tiffany of studios. This was a cheaply made independent with scant production values and little direction for the human players.

Too bad Burroughs got the short shrift in this cheapie.

A pretty good Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure movie

[BobbyFairey · 8/10 · 8 March 2012]

I was the seven-year-old boy, Bobby Fairy, who played Lord Chatham's son in early life. With admitted bias, I see the movie for its time, genre and budget, as a pretty good adventure film. There are a few places where the film itself has deteriorated since 1936.

The picture has a strong Edgar Rice Burroughs plot and the lead actors are believable. Jon Hall's athletic training shows in fight scenes.

The movie's exterior scenes were all shot on a vacant desert area near Yuma, Arizona. The cast and crew stayed in a hotel in Yuma and rode by bus into the desert area each day in the very early morning to take advantage of the first light. The bus was followed by trucks carrying camels, horses and equipment.

Acting in this adventure movie was very exciting for a little boy. In preparing for one scene I fell from a camel. With difficulty, the director finally persuaded me to be remounted with my actor father.

I was accompanied to the Arizona location by an adult escort (my real father) and a tutor required by California law.

My agent had given me a stage name (Bobby Fairy) only slightly different from my real name, Bobby Fairey, when I was 7. I am now (2012) 83, a semi-retired lawyer and may be the only surviving member of the cast. Robert A. (Bob) Fairey

Grand old movie

[artzau · 7/10 · 7 January 2005]

I came across this on DVD and had long been a fan of Jon Hall from my youth. "Lion Man" comes from a story by E.R. Borroughs of Tarzan fame, and has many of the same plot lines, i.e., an English boy, the son of an industrialist is orphaned by desert bandits and raised by a desert mystic who pals with lions. The boy is initially rescued by a Englishwoman who has been enslaved by the devilish bandit and earns a reputation as a fierce fighter protecting travelers from the bandits. There is a beautiful desert Princess whom he rescues and eventually he gains revenge on the wrongdoers.

This film is typical of the escapist romances filmed during the latter years of the great depression and is romantic to the max. The hero, "El Lion," comes riding in, on a white horse, fights the bad guys hand to hand-- no sword play, mind you-- and saves the day. Purist may cringe at the sight of Bactrian camels and clumsy attempts to portray Arab life but when viewed in the context of when and for whom this film was made, it has a great charm. See it. It's worth it.

My Dad was The Lion Man...the little guy

[fairey65 · 8/10 · 24 September 2006]

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this hidden treasure that I thought was long gone. I am so thankful that someone rescued it from the vault it was hidden in! My father was the little "Lion Man" - and I thought he did a FANTASTIC job. He told me that they filmed the entire movie in 3 weeks - and in that time he had to learn all his lines (several which were cut in this version, probably due to the condition of the original film), learn how to ride (and fall off of) a camel, and deal with the Arizona desert. His father was also an extra in the movie - one of the "Arabs" on camel back. Amazingly, I think this movie seems more raw and real than some other more current "Tarzan" like adaptations - because the fight scenes are hand-to-hand in the sand, the tents are more like what was really used at the time, and because my Dad did such a good job!