Customer Reviews

Ramar of the Jungle, Volume 2

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

 

 

Here's another four episodes of the 1950s jungle adventure series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds, Ray Montgomery as Professor Howard Ogden, and Nick Stewart as their guide Willy-Willy. All four episodes are, again, set in Africa. If you already have Volume 1 of Ramar, you will undoubtedly enjoy these four additional episodes. The audio/visual quality of this set is on a par with Volume 1 . . . audio is clear and the video portion is relatively defect free, though I doubt that Alpha Video did anything in the way of digital restoration. Woody Strode does not appear in any of the episodes on this set as he did on Volume 1, but look for a young Bernie (billed as "Bernard") Hamilton in the "Savage Challenge" episode. Hamilton went on to a long career in television and films; this is one of his earliest appearances. Nick Stewart, from the Amos and Andy television series, seemingly adds a little more humor to these episodes than those in Volume 1.

The episodes included in Volume 2 include: "Idol Voo-Doo," "Mark of the Bola," "Curse of the Devil Doll," and "Savage Challenge."

As was the case with Volume 1, my rating is closer to *** & ½ stars. It would be interesting to see some of the Ramar episodes that were set in India; hopefully Alpha Video will consider releasing some of the Indian episodes if there is ever a Volume 3 release.

As a child I would run home from school each day to see the latest adventures of Jon Hall in Ramar of the Jungle. Viewing this again after numerous decades proved equally entertaining. The plots may not have been intricate, but there was always a good lesson in the story line. The clarity of the old footage is remarkable. The neatest part was sharing these with my nephew who is now a fan too.

I enjoyed the Ramar series as a young child decades ago. The quality of the picture in this volume could be better, but the enjoyment of remembering is worth 5 stars. If you didn't grow up with Ramar it is more a study of cultural views at the time. It is very obvious that no one cared about authenticating geographical and scientific facts, but as a study of evolving attitudes in American society it is quite interesting. The plot in each episode is almost laughable when viewed in the context of today's sophistication. A matter of taste and interest, but I deemed the entire Ramar collection worth the cost.