Jungle Jim *** (1948, Johnny Weissmuller, Virginia Grey, George Reeves) – Classic Movie Review 5734

Johnny Weissmuller, who had retired after 16 years as the screen’s most famous Tarzan, stars in the first low-budget adventure in Columbia Pictures’ 16-film Jungle Jim series (1948-55).

Weissmuller’s Jungle Jim sets off with scientist Hilary Parker (Virginia Grey) and chancer Bruce Edwards (George Reeves) to find a wonder drug in director William Berke’s kitsch and mildly amusing, but cheap and humble 1948 adventure movie, aimed at young and young-at-heart audiences.

Hilary is searching for the rare drug to help combat polio, but villainous Bruce is secretly after gold and buried treasure. But, never mind, Jim will sort it all out in a rumble in the jungle.

Carroll Young’s simple screenplay is based on a newspaper strip comic and radio show. It is shot in black and white by Lester White, produced by Sam Katzman and scored by Mischa Balaleinikoff. It is fleshed out by much animal stock footage. It is technically rather shoddy and infirm, but that doesn’t detract from the campy fun, and it is nice and short at only 71 minutes. It also rather neatly sums up an era of ingeniously exploitative low-budget film-making.

Weissmuller also starred in a 26-episode TV series of Jungle Jim in 1955-56.

Also in the cast are Lita Baron as Zia, Rick Vallin as Kolu Chief of the Masai, Holmes Herbert as Commissioner Geoffrey Marsden and Tex Mooney as Chief Devil Doctor.

Alex Raymond was the co-creator of the Jungle Jim newspaper strip in 1934, but King Features owned the character and there was no writer’s credit for him.

Swimming champ Johnny Weissmuller was born in 1904 as Peter Johann Weißmüller in Freidorf, Romania. His star feature debut is in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), followed by Tarzan and His Mate (1934).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5734

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