Customer Reviews

Ramar of the Jungle, Volume 1

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

 

 

Jon Hall stars as Dr. Tom Reynolds, or "Ramar" in this jungle adventure series set in Africa and, later, India. The series ran 52 episodes over a two year period from 1952 to 1954 and was broadcast well into the 1960s in syndication. The stock scenes of wildlife were good, but didn't always mesh well with scenes set in obvious studio "jungles." Besides Hall, also in the weekly cast were Ray Montgomery as Professor Howard Ogden and Nick Stewart as their native guide, Willy-Willy. Look for Woody (billed as "Woodrow") Strode in two of the four episodes on this DVD.

Alpha Video's DVD presentation is reasonably good, considering the age of the broadcasts; video contrast is, for the most part, good and the audio is clear throughout all four episodes. The show isn't great, but it's enjoyable enough on its own terms and will certainly bring back lots of memories for Baby Boomers and those who enjoy television from the early days. Alpha has also released a second volume on DVD with an additional four episodes. Episode titles on this first volume include "Dark Venture," "Voice of the Past," "King of the Watus," and "Lady of the Leopards."

My rating is closer to *** & 1/2.

THESE WERE SOME GOOD EPISODES FROM THE SHOW AND BROUGHT BACK FOND MEMORIES.

As a child, I loved the Ramar TV shows. My friends & I would play Ramar of the Jungle instead of cowboys and indians. These high quality videos brought back those memories. As a child I was not aware that the animal scenes were inserted, but they are quite good. I assumed they were shot on location in Africa. I have now learned otherwise, but the shows are still great.

...in more ways than one.

A good buddy and I used to use the line "Ramar have good medicine" at least 30 years ago. Mind you, even then the series was ANCIENT, and we hadn't seen it for 20 years (hence our amusing reference to it).

I ran across this DVD and was amazed. This stuff was released on DVD??? I couldn't resist.

It really is entertaining. But it has a slightly frightening side: Some of us were brought up with this stuff! Its racist implications really stand out to me. I hope those "implications" don't have too lasting an effect on us but I can't help but think they do. The white doctor comes to the "savages," a word used constantly and in a completely nonchalant manner, as if there aren't implications to the word. The "natives" are hopelessly ingorant, superstitious, and the white men aren't hoodwinked by such savage nonsense.

Now, granted, the white men may be evil, thieves and con men. But they're not as savage and ignorant as the natives. (Oh, and expect to see some of the same "native" faces over and over.)

I really don't want to get "PC" here, but, really, you have to see the series to imagine it.

Aside from that, it's a great view on how "we" saw the world in the early 1950s, (when the old "Amos and Andy" series was still being telecast too.) There's not a whole lot spent on special effects, or on good scriptwriting. But it's fun.

Indeed, it could serve as a great lesson on how we saw the world back then.

It's a lot of fun though too. Watch it and get hopelessly nostalgic!