Jungle Jim (1948) User Reviews

Johnny gets to wear the pants at last!

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 22 April 2007]

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.

Johnny's New Gig

[davjazzer · 6/10 · 22 February 2007]

The first JUNGLE JIM entry is a fun vehicle and good introduction to the character.Johnny Weissmuller at 44,was still fit and rugged,but a little too hefty to play Tarzan anymore.The part of JUNGLE JIM was as close as he could get to playing Tarzan and being able to age a bit.The JIM films were made at Columbia studios,so they have that low-budget look that 3 Stooges fans are used to seeing.A lot of stock footage,scenes from earlier films repeated and even some of the Stooges' sound effects make these films very campy and silly.JIM was always more interested in battling the crooks and making the Jungle safe,but he always had some pretty starlets along for the adventure.In this entry Virginia Grey plays a lady scientist and Lita Baron plays a sexy native girl.(Acquanetta,Tarzan's nemesis in LEOPARD WOMAN was originally offered the part.)Also along for the ride are Rick Vallin as Kolu,the native guide(He would repeat this part in future entrys)and JIM has a pet dog and crow for comedy relief(later Tamba the chimp would appear).JIM takes time out for a swim and shows off his still impressive physique. The villain is played by George Reeves(soon to play Superman on TV).All in all,a fun introduction to the adventures of JUNGLE JIM.

"Your ears are like a fox Bwana Jim..."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 9 April 2007]

As a kid growing up, I'd watch Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan movies every chance I got, but I can't recall ever seeing any of his Jungle Jim films. TV quality in the 1950's was a dicey affair, and you never knew if antenna reception would be favorable or not. The only other jungle adventures I can recall seeing were those of "Ramar of the Jungle" and "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle"; something about those jungle flicks and wild animals that captured my imagination. Having just gotten my hands on a bunch of the Jungle Jim movies, I'll be watching them in order of release to see how the series progressed.

In this, the first movie of the franchise, Jungle Jim leads an expedition to locate the legendary ancient temple of Zimbalu following the discovery of a vial made of pure gold. Of more significance though is the vial's contents, a poison that might hold the key to a cure for polio. That's of special interest to Dr. Hilary Parker (Virginia Grey), who's willing to brave the dangerous trek into the wild for the secrets Zimbalu may hold. For those whose only experience of George Reeves is that of Superman in the 1950's TV series, one might be surprised to see him cast here as villain Bruce Edwards, especially when he tries to push Jungle Jim over a cliff feigning a dizzy spell.

Something I could never figure out, even as a kid, was how movies featuring lots of wildlife found it impossible to maintain geographical integrity for those that appeared in the story. Here, it didn't take long for a North American mountain lion to show up along the expedition trail. Granted, it was stock footage, as were virtually all of the animal scenes, but I did get a kick out of the wild elephant stampede. The opener with Jim wrestling the leopard was a little more realistic looking than I would have expected.

Say, here's a few questions that crossed my mind while watching. Why was everyone so surprised that Dr. Hilary turned out to be a woman, I mean she had a woman's name, didn't she? And if Kolu (Rick Vallin) was the chief of his Masai tribe, how did the tribe get along without him while he was off serving as Jungle Jim's guide? Then in one of the film's goofier moments, why would Edwards, who made his escape from the Zimbalu warriors out of the temple, wind up coming back? Not a good career move as it turned out. Is it just me, or did Zia's (Lita Baron) fireside dance remind anyone else of that 'Seinfeld' episode where Elaine does the goofy dance?

Still, as far out as this story tends to get, there's nothing like it for good campy fun, except of course for stuff like Flash Gordon, the Adventures of Superman, and a good dose of the Bowery Boys. Not a bad way to escape reality for a quick hour at a time.

Say, I don't recall Jungle Jim's last name ever being mentioned in the story - it was Bradley.

Caw Caw saves the day and Skipper steals the show

[Paularoc · 7/10 · 23 September 2012]

Oh, how I enjoyed the Jungle Jim movies and television show when I was a youngster. Action, adventure, a far away location, wild animals and well trained and entertaining pet animals - what more could a kid ask for? The shows were perfect entertainment. Of course, now I see a lot of stock footage, silly plot, unbelievable fight scenes, and stereotypical characters. And, of course, Johnny Weismuller has to be the most famous bad actor. But his Tarzan and Jungle Jim characters were so affable, so good, and so competent who cares he couldn't act? This series entry was fun for three reasons: the antics of the marvelously well trained crow (Caw Caw) and the dog, Skipper; 2) it features a woman searching for a cure for polio - played by the always good actress Virginia Grey and 3) the chance to see Superman George Reeves as a villain. A harmless, pleasant diversion that brings back fond childhood memories. I like Jungle Jim still.

Wonderful nostalgia

[steve-667-10190 · 7/10 · 20 April 2020]

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.

Jim of the Jungle

[lugonian · 3/10 · 6 June 2009]

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) (**)

Camp 101

[Michael_Elliott · 30 May 2009]

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.

Johnny on the spot

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 14 November 2009]

***SPOILERS*** Being a bit too old, at age 44, and somewhat paunchy, around the midsection, former movie Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller put on a safari outfit and took on the identity of top African jungle guide and big game hunter, or is it trapper, Jungle Jim.

In his initial movie adventure Mr. Jim is out to find this poisonous paste that despite being able to kill a person within seconds can also cure polio if used in minute doses. With lady scientist Dr. Hilary Parker, Virginia Gray, and good friend Chief Kolo, Rick Villin, together with members of his Matusie tribesmen Jim goes out into the deep jungle to find where this poisonous paste, used on darts and arrows, is made. Unknown to Jim one of those on the safari with him Bruce Edwards, George Reeves, is up to no good. Edwards is in fact trying to do in Mr. Jim and his entire group in order to get his hands on the treasure that's in he Temple of Zimbalu where the Devil Doctors, who produce the poisonous past, reside and preform daily human sacrifices!

What makes "Jungle Jim" so hard to take is that its villain photographer Bruce Edwards is so out in the open to do in Mr. Jim and his safari members, including Dr. Parker, that it's hard to believe that the very on top of things Mr.Jim is so naive not to recognize it. That even when Edwards, who wants to get his hands on the Devil Doctor's gold before Mr. Jim & co. does, purposely pushed Jim off a cliff where he almost fell to his death! That with Edwards later almost letting loose Kolu's feet, that he was holding on to, who was attempting to, and despite all of Edwards efforts to prevent it, rescue Jim as he was hanging on for his life on a three branch!

With Mr. Jim battling man eating leopards lions and crocodiles in the movie he finally has it out with the Devil Doctors lead by their leader Tex Mooney in the Temple of Zimbalu where they made the back-stabbing Edwards their God! Edwards using his camera to impress the very not with it, in not quite knowing what's going on in the civilized world, Tex and his Devil Doctors by taking and then developing their pictures!

***SPOILERS*** It's when Jim's pet crow stole Edwards camera lens that the Chief and his boys finally got wise to him in Edwards not being able to photograph them! Caught with his hands in the cookie jar, or the Devil Doctor's treasure chest, Edwards knows that his goose is soon going to be cooked. That leads to the exciting climax in the movie where Jungle Jim has it out with the entire group of Devil Doctors who were just about to sacrifice Dr. Parker together with Chief Kolu and his native tribesmen! It's then that the evil Bruce Edwards desperately tries to save his rotten neck by trying to have them, Jim and the Devil Doctors, used as interferences in, by them fighting each other, covering his escape! This time around things didn't turn out as well for Edwards as they did for him all throughout the movie with him ending up getting everything that he so rightfully deserved!

Only For the Camp Value

[gbheron · 5/10 · 15 July 2000]

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.

A Sausage Movie! Whatzat? A Little Meat + Lotsa Filler = Sausage Movie!

[redryan64 · 6/10 · 17 August 2012]

PROBABLY THE MOST logical step in the film career of Olympic Swimmer Extrodiniarre, Johnny Weissmueller, JUNGLE JIM (Columbia, 1948), provided us with further Jungle Adventure thrills from someone who had by then become known as Tarzan to the world. The series, as has been said before, was essentially Mr. Weismueller still playing the Apeman; but now, sans the loin cloth.

IT WAS SURELY a natural for Johnny and, in addition to exploiting the Weismueller name, it did provide a good deal of fodder for his fans. It also serves to extend the shelf life of the beloved vine-swinger; who was, alas, going the way of all men!

IT WAS A MATTER of how his parents were treating him; 'Parents' in this case mean "Mother Nature" and "Father Time."

CHOOSING AN AVAILABLE property for adaptation to the Silver Sceeen, Columbia Picrures and super-frugal producer, Sam Katzman chose yet another popular Comic Strip from Hearst's King Features Syndicate; that being Alex Raymond's JUNGLE JIM.

COMING FROM THE same creative team as Raymond's immortal FLASH GORDON, JUNGLE JIM usually occupied the lower third of the same page that the Space Saga did. The JJ story also split time with Flash in the Radio adaptations. There was little doubt that the title was well known and popular with the public. The addition of Weissmueller in the lead would assure success in getting this initial movie made.

BUT WE SURELY don't think that producer Katzman and Columbia Mogul Harry Cohn ever thought that they were empowering a franchise to create what would be a 16 movie series and even a short lived JUNGLE JIM Television Series (Screen Gems, 1955); all staring the venerable MGM/RKO Tarzan star!

AS FOR THIS picture,we have the usual sort of themes of scientists (this time lovely, Virginia Grey), distant & lost cities, hostile natives, secret satanic cult and renegade Whites (portrayed by no less than the future Superman, George Reeves). As a sort of contemporary twist (for 1948), the object of the Jungle Jim lead safari is a possible cure for Infantile Paralysis; now much better known as Polio!

MUCH IN THE same manner of THE LONE RANGER and THE GREEN HORNET, Jim has an assistant who is of another race. In this case, versatile supporting character actor, Rick Vallin, portrays Jim's turbaned Indian right hand man.

THE INHERENT FRUGALITY of this production is clearly evident as we see much of the same ground used in many a Western; now pressed into service as being the thickest rain forests, darkest jungle and most forbidding savannas! The transformation from 'the Old West' to 'Darklest Africa' was accomplished with plantings of the Castor Bean plant as well as well placed potted palms, banana plants and flowering cannas. (They added some grape vines; just for good measure!)

INSPITE OF OUR criticisms, we did enjoy the movie. We can see how it was so well received in the post WW II movie theatres. It was the perfect choice for the top of the bill; but not in the evenings. Along with some cartoons, a serial chapter and the likes of a Bowery Boys entry, this would make for a great Saturday afternoon matinée!

Fun with Jungle James

[kentrasmussen · 5/10 · 2 July 2012]

Other reviews here say pretty much all that need be said about the merits of this silly film, so I'll merely add a few observations on peculiar details in the film.

--Like many of the early Tarzan films, this film contains stock footage of Asian elephants wearing ill-fitting rubber ears in a failed attempt to make them resemble African elephants. Why bother? The movie was obviously shot in Chatsworth, Calif., and there are scarcely any actors in the film who resemble Africans. Incidentally, it would be interesting to know why so many Tarzan, Bomba, and Jungle Jim films didn't employ African Americans to play Africans instead of using nonblack actors wearing makeup to give them a dusky appearance. (By the way, that Chatsworth lake in which the characters swim in the film became known as "Jungle Jim Lake." It must have been used in more than one JJ film.)

--Speaking of that lake, the scene in which the characters are swimming is confusing. Virginia Grey is attacked by some kind of aquatic beast. It looks vaguely like an alligator with a head similar to that of the lizard man whom Capt. Kirk fights in STAR TREK, but the pictures of it are so fuzzy it sometimes resembles a nearby floating log. And is that a tentacle or a tail that grabs Grey by the leg? Whatever it is, it doesn't look like it belongs on the swimming lizardgator.

--Considering that Virginia Grey's character is an all-business medical researcher intent on finding a paralyzing poison" that may cure cancer, it was a bit surprising to see that she thought of bringing a swimming suit and even a swimming cap on the expedition. Equally surprising is the championship diving form she displays.

--One of the comic highlights of this film is a scene in which an ostensible crocodile is chasing Virginia Grey. The animal is obviously an American alligator, but it's dressed up in a way I don't recall ever seeing in a film before. A key distinction between crocodiles and alligators is that the lower teeth of alligators can't be seen when the animals' mouths are closed--like those of the animal in this scene

--Almost every action scene is sped up. I've never understood why movie makers did this sort of thing, as it succeeds only in making the action look unnatural. Johnny Weismuller looks awkward when he's running at normal speed, but he looks ridiculous when his running scenes are accelerated. The sped-up stampeding elephants look equally silly.

--George Reeves's character, we discover, has ingratiated himself with the evil "native" tribe by taking photographs of the tribesmen and giving them prints. He carries a camera with him, but how he produces prints is a mystery. The film came out in 1948, the same time when the Polaroid Land company was starting to produce instant-print cameras; however, Reeve's camera is obviously not a Polaroid. In one scene, toward the end of the film, he snaps a group picture of the evil tribesmen (who mug for the camera like a bunch of drunken fraternity boys), then goes off, saying he needs a moment to "develop the film." Moments later, he returns with nice, dry prints of the pictures he has just taken. I don't know what he was doing in the interim, but I when I used to print photographs, I had to unload my camera in a darkroom, chemically develop the film, allow it dry, and then use an enlarger to project the negatives on printing paper. The exposed paper, in turn had to be submersed in a chemical solution, rinsed, and then soaked in a fixing solution and dried. Oh, Reeves's prints are very glossy, so he must have dried them on a ferrotype plate. So, how did Reeves do all that so quickly? He wasn't even carrying all the necessary equipment with him.

--Women may enjoy this film's heavy-handed feminist message. Grey's character, Dr. Hilary Parker, is constantly miffed because people are surprised she is a woman. Even Jungle Jim is unliberated. When he meets her, he shakes his head and says something along the lines of "You're not exactly my idea of a doctor."

--After watching the whole film inattentively, I sped through it a second time to review some details. I see that the "native" bearers are supposed to be Masai. Yeah, right. Most of them are European Americans or perhaps South Asians, and some are wearing turbans. Not exactly traditional Masai accoutrements.

--Did I mention low production values? Much of JJ's fight with a leopard is hidden behind a big log, and the climax of his fight with a lion is hidden in a recess of a pit. Well, actually the latter scene has some justification, as it leaves us wondering (for about 30 seconds) whether JJ has survived his fight.

--One final observation: JJ is often seen with a big raven on his shoulder. What I'd like to know is why his shirt is always clean and well pressed. In fact, it looks freshly pressed immediately after his struggle with a lion and his free-for-all brawl with the evil tribesmen in the temple of Zimbalu. Perhaps the raven did something requiring Weismuller to change his shirt before the final scene.

Out of shape a little....Who cares!

[tmccleese-75808 · 8/10 · 19 December 2020]

I Don't know about you, but I am tired of all the flak given to Johnny Weissmuller for gaining a few pounds in the latter Tarzan and Jungle Jim films. like all of us...he got older...so get over it and just be glad he graced our lives doing these entertaining movies. Nuff said!

Decent

[SanteeFats · 7/10 · 6 January 2014]

This movie is kind of like the Tarzan ones Johnny did. Jungle Jim is the intrepid jungle guide who leads an expedition to find not only a lost temple with treasure but a cure for polio. There is so much that is not right though in this film. There are so many non African animals, a mountain lion and some deer to name a couple. Masai are used as porters for this trek. They are the strangest looking ones I have ever seen. They looked like Asians of some kind, certainly not Africans of any kind. I guess the little doggie was along for comedic effect, sure wouldn't have lasted in the real jungle. The original Superman appears as the bad guy but of course gets his just reward in the end. The safari is captured by the witch doctors that operate out of the temple but before anyone gets killed by them Jungle Jim frees the captives, a major fight ensues, the bad guys loose and the treasure and the cure are taken to the world.

Is it really in Africa?

[robotmonkeycat · 3/10 · 4 December 2021]

Is it thought to be there because of the source material?

Yes, a lot of the animals are from there (and some are not), but there are no African people in the film. All of the natives are either Asian or made to look so.

It's pretty cheesy and only slightly cringe, regardless.

It's got some chuckles, but not one I would recommend beyond a cheesy movie night.

Now that I've attacked Bomba, it's time to move onto his former screen dad.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 25 February 2017]

As Johnny Weissmuller got too portly to wear loin clothes (looking more like Elmo Lincoln's 1914 Tarzan than his 1934 version), he covered himself up and took on a new identity, disillusioned photographer known only as Jungle Jim, no last name identifiable. While screen son Johnny Sheffield got Monogram studios, Weismueller got the B unit of rising A studio Columbia, and an opening segment of a series much better than even the best of the mediocre Bomba series.

Jungle Jim is sort of a poor man's Indiana Jones, and in this opening segment, he is in danger of finding his temple of doom, a burial ground that comes with supposed curses. There's the typical element of nature at its cutest: puppies playing with baby monkeys, stalking alligators, and an animal of the most predatory kind, the human female, played here as a pretty but bespeckled scientist, veteran actress Virginia Grey. Far past just passable, this is a superb adventure with mystery surrounding a gold vile found in the hands of a dead native. While I can't imagine the series remaining as good as this, the opening is amazingly well done and suspenseful.

Future TV Superman George Reeves gets to be the bad guy, with Lita Baron as a jungle girl (think Bomba in a sarong) with eyes on J.J. and daggers towards Grey. While obvious stock footage is intermixed with the newly filmed material, it is actually a lot more interesting than stock footage utilized in other jungle series films. One memorable sequence has Jungle Jim rescuing a member of his party from a den filled with sleeping lions. The snarl of the awakening lion, as if to say "How dare you disturb my smile!", is both riveting and humorous. I'll take stocky Johnny W. over scantily clad Johnny S. any day, most definitely my all important Saturday morning viewing which B films like this were designed for.

Tarzan Lite or TV Here We Come

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 6 January 2014]

If You needed to watch One Jungle Jim Movie to see what was what, this, the First would be as good as Any. It started a string of 13 JJ Films and a short lived TV Series.

Hanging up his Tarzan Loincloth for a Safari Outfit, Johnny Weissmuller strings a few sentences together but not without some difficulty as He is off through the Jungle to find out about a Mysterious Drug that might be a cure for Polio, and locate some Devil Doctors.

Of course the Nobility of the Cute as Pi Scientist, a Pre-Modern Feminist (Virginia Grey), and Our Hero, has to be Undermined by a Villain that cares little about eradicating Disease and more about Treasure. Here that is Personified by George (TV Superman) Reeves. It is all by the Numbers and it Adds up to hand to hand Battles with Aquatic Reptiles, Jungle Cats, and stampeding Elephants.

For Comedy Relief there is too much Dog(?) footage, but the Pet Crow named Caw Caw (Ha Ha) is Enchanting Enough. The Low-Budget Quickness is ever Apparent, but Kids at the Time didn't seem to mind.

Reeves is the best thing in this Jungle Jim Inaugural

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 1 September 2012]

The Jungle Jim series got off to a mediocre start in this not well constructed B film. The best thing about Jungle Jim is the casting of George Reeves as the villain.

Johnny Weissmuller who was getting too old and a bit too broad in the gut to be Tarzan any more was cast as the famous Jungle Jim, guide to those who need to go jungle exploring. In this case it's scientist Virginia Grey who is looking for more of the gummy substance that Weissmuller found on a dead native. It might contain the answer for the cure to infantile paralysis. That was a big topic back then as we recently had president with that disease.

As bearers Weissmuller gets them from the tribe that Rick Vallin is chief of. Vallin accompanies the safari along with his sister Lita Baron who fills a native dress out quite well. Something for the dad's to enjoy taking the kids to the Saturday matinée that played Jungle Jim.

Halfway through the film Reeves pops up in the jungle and says that Grey had hired him as an expedition photographer. She also took her terrier dog along. Strange accidents keep happening and it is so obvious that Reeves is the fly in the ointment. Why Weissmuller didn't deal with him abruptly God only knows.

I have to say Reeves plays his villainy with a certain amount of George Sanders like cad. He knew what he was in and he made sure he stood out.

In the end one wonders whether Grey's work led to the polio vaccine that Jonas Salk created in real life. Some how I doubt it.

Tarzan with clothes on; good role for Johnny Weissmuller

[tarwaterthomas · 7/10 · 15 April 2021]

After making all those Tarzan movies for both MGM and RKO, Johnny Weissmuller decided that enough was enough. He flopped over to Columbia and commenced making a series of backlot jungle epics for producer Sam Katzman, stepping into the role of Jungle Jim, a heroic pith-helmeted explorer who seeks a rare poisonous drug that can cure polio. That drug and be found inside the jungle temple of Zimbalu. Our hero leads an archaeological expedition in the company of government scientist Hillary Parker (Virginia Grey), who wants to locate the paralyzing drug quickly. Jungle Jim braves such perils as an elephant stampede, a giant octopus conveniently residing in a lake, a vicious lion, and the usual unfriendly natives known as "devil doctors". Then there's an evil photographer named Bruce Edwards (pre-Superman George Reeves) who is seeking the temple's treasure of gold. This is a fun flick made for the juvenile crowd, and for the young at heart. Johnny Weissmuller would play Jungle Jim in a bunch of movies that ran well into the mid-1950s; in the last three films, he played Johnny Weissmuller because Columbia lost the rights to the Jungle Jim character. Enjoy this movie. Have fun. I did.

Poor excuse for an out of shape Johnny Weismuller...

[jazza923 · 4/10 · 12 March 2010]

42/100. Often referred as "Tarzan with clothes on", but it's not at all in the same league as his far superior Tarzan series. Basically, The Jungle Jim series became a Tarzan replacement for Johnny Weismuller, after he started getting too out of shape for a loincloth. In Jungle Jim, he is fully clothed. It can't compare to the Tarzan series in any way, not in acting, screenplays or quality of production. It's pretty hokey stuff. This one is the first the best in the series, and that isn't saying much. Too much stock footage is used, and it is so obvious. The score is overdone, and the plot is lame and the production is so poor it makes it hard to watch at times.

Well it does come to a great action climax!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 3 November 2017]

Johnny Weissmuller (Jungle Jim), Virginia Grey (Hilary Parker), George Reeves (Bruce Edwards), Lita Baron (Zia), Rick Vallin (Kolu), Holmes Herbert (Commissioner Marsden), Tex Mooney (chief devil doctor), and "Skipper".

Director: WILLIAM BERKE. Screenplay: Carroll Young. Based on the King Features Syndicate cartoon strip Jungle Jim created by Alex Raymond. Photography: Lester White. Film editor: Aaron Stell. Music directed by Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Art director: Paul Palmentola. Set decorator: Sidney Clifford. Producer: Sam Katzman.

Copyright 31 December 1948 Columbia Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Ambassador: 31 December 1948. Australian release: 13 October 1949. 6,783 feet. 75 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: An adventure story in which a small group plods through the jungle searching for a lost pyramid, where they believe they can find a rare drug. Setting: the mountainous jungles of Nagandi. — Copyright summary.

NOTES: First of the sixteen-picture Jungle Jim series, all of them starring good old Johnny Weissmuller, either as Jungle Jim or good old Johnny Weissmuller himself — in the last three pictures. That way, Columbia Pictures Corp didn't have to pay any royalties to King Features Syndicate. All were produced by Sam Katzman and had music directed by Mischa Bakaleinikoff. The others in order: The Lost Tribe, Captive Girl, Mark of the Gorilla, Pygmy Island, Fury of the Congo, Jungle Manhunt, The Forbidden Land, Voodoo Tiger, Savage Mutiny, Valley of the Headhunters, Killer Ape, Jungle Man-Eaters, Cannibal Attack, Jungle Moon Men, Devil Goddess. Johnny Weissmuller then starred in a Jungle Jim television series, after which he retired from the screen, aside from brief cameo bits in Won Ton Ton and The Phynx.

COMMENT: Well, kiddies, at least there's plenty of action in this one. Also a great deal of actual location filming, using sweeping tracking shots through the jungle undergrowth and low angle shots of the expedition on the cliff-top. Probably pillaged stock material from a cut-rate library, but nonetheless quite effective.

Unfortunately, the liberal use of less inspiring stock footage is much more obvious. In fact some whiskery documentary scenery looks patently ancient, including a large amount of old silent footage of an elephant stampede.

The director's over-use of close-ups in the studio scenes and too patronizing an indulgence in reaction shots of the dog are likewise none too welcome.

Still, we are treated to a vigorously staged action climax, and credits are otherwise efficient.

George "Superman" Reeves emerges as a personable villain, whilst Miss Baron shines as an attractive native girl. On the other hand, Miss Grey looks rather emaciated and poor old Johnny Weissmuller's once-proud physique has all gone to flab.

From this entry's concluding line of dialogue, it's interesting to note that both Kolu and Zia were originally intended to support trusty old Jungle Jim in subsequent pictures. In point of fact, however, neither character re-appeared in the series at all, though Rick Vallin himself was engaged for the third and seventh movies — in which he played entirely different characters.

Very good for laughs

[DuDrop · 3/10 · 1 September 2012]

Overweight and over-the-hill Weissmuller attempts to cash in on his Tarzan fame with this nonsense. Silly and unbelievable from the opening credits to the finish, this turkey is good only for laughs. The film, supposedly filmed in Africa, has native Africans with skin white as snow. The usual phoniness follows with jungle errors galore. (Indian elephants in Africa, leopards in a jungle!, Hawaiian outfits for the women, etc.) Let's not forget the hackneyed story line of newcomers searching for the "lost treasure." This movie is perfect relief for those suffering with insomnia. Perhaps some of the stock footage will keep you awake but as for the rest, it makes "Tarzan, (that crazy white man") look like "Citizen Kane."

Tarzan Gets Dressed

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 6 January 2014]

There's something comical about seeing Johnny Weissmuller have to stop and take his boots off before he jumps into the water. But that's exactly what happens in this movie because Johnny trades in his loincloth for a safari suit and begins a whole new jungle-themed series at Columbia. Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan series were fun, exciting adventure stories. Jungle Jim tries to be the same by cramming in as many random animal attacks as possible, but it just never works. There's something unenthusiastic about it all. A lot of it has to do with Weissmuller's performance. He's so stiff and wooden. There's more dialogue for him in this movie than in most of the Tarzan movies. So his weaknesses as an actor really shine through. Often he delivers lines like he is reading them instead of reciting them. I did enjoy George Reeves and Virginia Grey, however.

I really wanted to like this as I'm a big fan of the Tarzan movies. But it just seems like a poor imitation of those. Despite the short running time it's a slow movie. It's watchable, especially for fans of Weissmuller, but just barely.

Johnny Weissmuller Shows Less with More

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 6 July 2012]

Having noticeably outgrown his "Tarzan" loincloth, jungle savvy Johnny Weissmuller (as Jungle Jim) dresses up for a new African adventure series. The plots and locations all seem old, however. We begin with Mr. Weissmuller failing to save a native from leopard attack. The man passes a golden vial to Weissmuller, which leads to an ancient temple. Joining the expedition are attractive lady doctor Virginia Grey (as Hilary Parker) and beautifully-figured local Lita Baron (as Zia)...

Wanting a piece of the action, snoopy photographer George Reeves (as Bruce Edwards) follows. This was before Mr. Reeves become TV's "Superman" so you may be tempted to tune in for a pseudo-Superman/Tarzan team-up, but don't. In one of the film's better scenes, one tries to toss the other over a cliff. Weissmuller may be heavy, but he can still swim and battle a crocodile. Despite the low-budget quality and star's lackluster acting, the "Jungle Jim" series enjoyed a long run.

**** Jungle Jim (12/15/48) William Berke ~ Johnny Weissmuller, Virginia Grey, George Reeves, Lita Baron