Customer Reviews

Jungle Jim

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This `Jungle Jim' serial on DVD is way above average, without any doubt. Firstly, because of the outstanding picture quality. While serials like `Flash Gordon' -also based on an Alex Raymond comic strip- can look pale and fussy, `Jungle Jim' looks like it was shot yesterday instead of almost seventy years ago. The second special quality of this serial are the comic book introductions with each episode, made especially for the film by Alex Raymond himself. These introductions alone are worth seeing `Jungle Jim', and make this DVD an absolute must for Raymond fans. You get twelve little comic books for free, corresponding with the movie you are watching. `Jungle Jim' is, together with `Mandrake the Magician' -also released on DVD- and `Terry and the Pirates', one of the strangest serials ever made. It is fascinating to watch after so many years; you can really taste the flavor of life in the thirties. However, like in most serials, the level of cinematic achievement is not extraordinarily high. The actors usually have great looks, while their acting skills are rather limited. The dialogues contain very little humor, and the story could have used more surprising ideas. Performances by Grant Withers, Raymond Hutton and the 17-year old heroin Betty Jane Rhodes, as Joan the Lion Goddess, are all quite acceptable. Less good are Evelyn Brent (`Shanghai Lil' de Vrille) and her brother Henry Brandon (The Cobra). They really try hard to make their roles work, but cannot conceal the somewhat obligatory characters, armed with relatively thin scriptwriting. The same goes for the fighting scenes, which are operated in a modest choreography. The jokes used by Jim and his side-kick Mike are mostly limited to "Here goes nothing!" when they swing on a vine. However, the mass scenes are very well directed and the stunt performances are excellent. This serial contains the famous dive by stunt man Eddie Parker, when he jumps backwards over the falls while doubling for Withers. The same stunt would later cause the death of his Mexican friend Angel Garcia, when diving off a cliff in Acapulco for `Tarzan and the Mermaids' (doubling for Johnny Weismuller, the next Jungle Jim). The action Parker performs in this serial is absolutely breathtaking and cannot be seen in the movies today. The stunts in `Jungle Jim' are far more exciting. What nowadays Tom Cruise would not even try with the aid of computer generated images, Grant Withers had to do for real, sometimes helped by Eddie Parker, in these historic scenes. Almost nothing is faked, and it shows. The same goes for the animal handling. There are no tricks with mirrors or glass walls. When Betty Jane is among the lions, she is really among the lions. Behind the camera was a sniper aiming at the animals with a tranquillizer in case something went wrong, that was all the protection the actors were getting in those days. All you are seeing in these movies that doesn't immediately strike you as trick photography, is actually happening. Also exciting are the stock shots with wild animals. There are plenty of handsome tigers, actually fighting with crocodiles, and stuff like that. Jim's journeys through the jungle are never boring and sometimes even thrilling. In that regard, this serial tops the later movie series `Jungle Jim' (1948-1955). The best Jungle Jim-films of all time are `Jungle Jim' (1948) and `Fury of the Congo' (1951), which were less faithful to the Alex Raymond characters. Kolu -adequately performed in the serial by Al Duvall, who also plays Lothar in `Mandrake the Magician'- is the only remaining character. At least, Rick Vallin was called Kolu in the first film, but changed names in later episodes. In several of the later films, Weismuller was even credited as playing `himself' instead of Jungle Jim. Grant Withers, - who in real life took an overdose of sleeping pills and was found dead in his Hollywood apartment on March 28, 1959 -, lacks the Weismuller charisma, but his performance of Jungle Jim Bradley is definitely more accurate. I rate the serial 4 out of 5. This includes 1 extra star for brilliantly restoring a piece of unique cinema history...

Agree with reviewer form Holland; except I want to give 5 stars. The reason for 5 stars is that I consider what can be accomplished with "B" film budgeted dollars, then this film reaches the apex of what can be accomplished. Character, setting, and dialogue are all marvelously rendered. Sure, we do not have the Stanislavsky school of acting here, but could even Montgomery Clift or Brando focus on internalizing the character while being asked to dive off cliffs or stand next to live, dangerous lions and tigers? I think not! Therefore, five awesome stars. Jungle Jim is a real entertainer.

"Jungle Jim" is worth the price. The quality of this DVD is quite good for a cliffhanger from 1936. VCI Entertainment did a fine job.
I'm not completely agree with the other viewers. I found this chapterplay a little bit slow paced and sometimes too talky. Grant Withers is a nice Jungle Jim, Raymond Hatton adds some pleasant jokes, but Betty Jane Rhodes isn't very convincing as Joan the Lion Goddess. Henry Brandon is perfect as the Cobra, also Evelyn Brent as Shanghai Lil. Brandon is really an underrated actor. I specially think about his part as the indian chief Scar in the "Searchers" directed by John Ford. I haven't seen him yet in "Drums of Fu Manchu", but I'm sure he must be great. I hope someday there will be a book about all the villains in serials !
So what else can be said about "Jungle Jim" ? It's an honest entertainment, but it could have been better. I found it sometimes a little bit superficial. Perhaps the directors Ford Beebe and Cliff Smith didn't have the same sense of action like William Witney & John English. However if you like jungle adventures, you will enjoy these 12 chapters.

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present Alex Raymond's "Jungle Jim " (1936) (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences - really outstanding scenes between a lion and tiger in a to the death fight...high production from Universal's serial department...wild animals give the story realism of the dangers in this unknown continent we call Africa...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there.

Under director's Ford Beebe and Clifford Smith with screenplay by Wyndham Gittens, Ray Trampe and Norman S. Hall...the cast Grant Withers (Jim 'Jungle Jim' Bradley), Betty Jane Rhodes (Joan Redmond/Mrs. Tom Redmond), Raymond Hatton (Malay Mike) (Raymond Hatton had been in films since the "teens". He had appeared with Lon Chaney in a few films. He is probably best remembered as the crusty old sidekick in a long list of "B" westerns, most notably "The Rough Rider" series (1941-42) with Buck Jones and Tim McCoy- one of my favorite sidekicks of Johnny Mack Brown), Evelyn Brent ( Shanghai Lil), Henry Brandon ( The Cobra), (Henry Brandon was always one of my favorite villains. He had the lead in the 1940 serial "Drums of Fu Manchu". He was often cast as an Indian Chief as in "The Searchers" (1956) and "Two Rode Together" (1961), Bryant Washburn (Bruce Redmond)Al Bridge (Slade), Al Duvall (Kolu)...another great serial provided by Universal Pictures during their heyday in the early '30s...can two safaris that enter the African jungle find a white girl who is the heiress to a fortune...Jungle Jim leads one, while the other safari group wants to kill the girl and take over her inheritance...will Jungle Jim triumph over the evil men who wish to do harm to our heroine Lion Girl...stayed tuned and don't miss each exciting chapter.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One)
1. Into the Lion's Den
2. The Cobra Strikes
3. The Menacing Herd

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc One)
BIOS:
Grant Witers
Betty Jane Rhodes
Raymond Hatton
Ford I. Beebe (Director)
PHOTO GALLERY

VCI CLIFFHANGER COLLECTION (Disc One)
The Master Key
The Mysterious Mr. M
Mystery of the Riverboat
Riders of Death Valley
The Royal Mounted Rides Again
Jungle Queen
Raiders of Ghost City
The Phantom Creeps
Winners of the West

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Two)
4. The Killer's Trail
5. The Bridge of Terror
6. Drums of Doom
7. The Earth Trembles
8. The Killer Lion
9. The Devil Bird
10.Descending Doom
11.In the Cobra's Castle
12.The Last Safari

Own them now on DVD....if you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...if you enjoyed this serial check out another release from VCI Entertainment as they present Edgar Rice Burroughs "Jungle Girl" (1941) (digitally remastered), 15 Chapters of vintage Republic Serial each episode chuck full of scenes loaded with cliffhanger adventure...gotta love it!

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '30s vintage serial era...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch serial from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 232 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8340 ~ (9/24/2002)

An above-average serial with plenty of action, outstanding stunt work, and interesting intros to each chapter via vintage cartoon panels in the style of creator Alex Raymond. One disappointing note: having greatly enjoyed Henry Brandon in a star villian turn as Fu Manchu[ASIN:B000087F3F Drums of Fu Manchu], it was sad here to see him underutilized as a secondary (mostly offscreen) baddie. His natural and realistic acting was ahead of its time (thus accounting for his long career) and puts the other, stilted cast members to shame(save the always great Rondo Hatten). Still, this one is well worth a look.

"Jungle Jim" is a 12-chapter Universal serial, released in January of 1937, based on the Alex Raymond comic strip. It was directed by Ford Beebe and Cliff Smith.

Somewhere in Africa, an attorney, Tyler (Selmar Jackson) arrives looking into the possibility that Joan Redmond, a missing heiress, might still be alive. There are rumors of a white girl, worshiped by a native tribe as a "lion goddess" not far from where the ship she and her parents were on sank, a little over 15 years earlier. But the attorney warns that a man claiming to be a distant relative, Bruce Redmond (Bryant Washburn) who would inherit the fortune if Joan dies, might also be on her trail, and would stop at nothing to get his hands on the money. Jungle Jim (Grant Withers) has other obligations, but suggests that his friend, Red Hallihan (Frank McGlynn, Jr.) could lead the expedition. Unfortunately, Bruce Redmond has already enlisted Slade and LaBat (Al Bridge and Paul Sutton) for his search. LaBat murders Red and the attorney, attempting to cover the crime by turning some captured animals loose. Jungle Jim and his pal, Malay Mike (Raymond Hatton) go after the villains, eventually encountering Joan (Betty Jane Rhodes) whose influence with the natives is being used by a white man known as The Cobra (Henry Brandon) to maintain his rule of the tribe, claiming he is Joan's father. The Cobra and his sister, Shanghai Lil (Evelyn Brent) are fugitives from justice, and to prevent the authorities from learning their whereabouts, they have any white intruders killed.

There are plenty of jungle perils, stock footage and otherwise including lions, leopards, elephants, crocodiles and tigers -- and here the tigers are noted as being out of place, presumably having also made it to shore from the same ship Joan was on. There are also savage native tribes, in addition to the two sets of bad guys. But while the plot doesn't really support twelve chapters very well, with the action mostly restricted to our heroes being alternately captured and escaping, at least Betty Jane Rhodes in her jungle outfit is more interesting as an object of pursuit by the factions than the money itself would have been. As The Cobra, Henry Brandon's underplayed style works as a portrayal of a criminal trying to keep a low profile, but is less successful as a leader. More bravado would have helped the scene where he steps out on a balcony to convince the natives he controls a suddenly-active volcano. His palace is quite impressive but he is given little to do, and his sister mostly whines about how the authorities might find them. Evelyn Brent had a better role in "Holt of the Secret Service." The "lesser" bad guys, Al Bridge and especially Paul Sutton as LaBat are far more menacing. Grant Withers does well enough in the title role, but Raymond Hatton turns in the best performance, whether providing "comic relief," strong support, or both.

In addition to a somewhat redundant plot, Universal would have us think that Jungle Jim sings. He is heard in the distance before his arrival, and in the third chapter appears entertaining some natives, who apparently have an orchestra, singing the same song, "I'm Takin' the Jungle Trail" by Kay Kellogg, though the view of Grant Withers is mostly kept at a distance, and no further such incidents afflict the remaining chapters. The tune is used without the singing during the chapter introductions. A few months earlier Universal had far more success with John ("Dusty") King singing his way through the 13-chapter serial "Ace Drummond," also with a Kellogg number, "Give Me a Ship and a Song."

VCI's edition on DVD, #8340 is spread out on two discs. It is advertised as being "from a fine-grain 35mm" print, and the image is splendid, sharp and with fine gray scale. My TV showed a slight bend at the very top of the screen, apparently due to the copy-protection scheme used, but it was not normally noticed. The sound isn't too good during the opening credits, having more than a little distortion, but it cleans up during the chapters. The opening credits are not all from the chapters they introduce; while the MPPDA certificate numbers are not all the same, there are only seven of them, though this may be partially due to the film print. The copyright date on these is 1936 for the first six chapters, and 1937 for the rest. The titles are the originals from Universal, not from a later issue, and as was done at the time, those for the first three chapters have individual pictures of the main cast, the rest just list the actors. The chapters are introduced by "comic strip" panels, as was done for "Ace Drummond," "Secret Agent X-9," "Radio Patrol" and the second Flash Gordon serial, among others. "Extras" include "Bios" of Grant Withers, Betty Jane Rhodes, Raymond Hatton and Ford I. Beebe. There is a "Photo Gallery" with about 25 pictures, and trailers for seven serials though the one for "Jungle Jim" is not among them.

So we have a fine print, good disc layout, and a serial that is good, but not great. Still a commendable release from VCI, and enjoyable, especially if watched with a day or more between chapters.

i remember watching it when i was 17 and still like to watch it today