JUNGLE JIM (1948) – Decades before Raiders of the Lost Ark, “Jungle Jim” Bradley, mercenary jungle guide and adventurer, was fighting Nazis, Communist Spies and other menaces while finding lost cities & ancient artifacts, all while romancing lovely ladies. Throw in the occasional dinosaur, giant spider or huge, man-eating eel and enjoy!
A modern Jungle Jim franchise could combine the best elements of Indiana Jones, Crocodile Dundee and Allan Quatermain. The Rock is too old now, but years ago his love of filming in jungles would have made him ideal for the role.
Jungle Jim, a former comic strip character, was featured in a 1937 serial, a series of movies in the 1940s and 1950s, plus a television series in that latter decade. Former Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller played Jungle Jim in everything but the 1937 serial.
At any rate, 1948’s Jungle Jim was Weissmuller’s first appearance as the character. Fifteen more movies and 26 television episodes would follow in all their fun, outdated, absurd and So Bad They’re Good glory.
THE STORY:
When a vial containing a chemical concoction of the tribal doctors at the Hidden Temple of Zimbalu reaches the coastal cities, Dr. Hilary Parker (Virginia Grey) believes the paralyzing drug may have properties that could be used to cure polio. NOTE: Yes, a polio cure was still years away when this movie was made.
Dr. Parker hires Jungle Jim Bradley to guide her to the Hidden Temple in search of a larger sample of the drugs. Bruce Edwards (George Reeves of Superman fame) is a photographer who tags along, pretending to want to chronicle Dr. Parker’s expedition, but really planning on stealing some of the legendary wealth of the Hidden Temple of Zimbalu.
With deadly treachery from Edwards periodically rearing its head, Jungle Jim and company face jungle cats, an elephant stampede, a gigantic octopus and hostile indigenous tribes. In the end, the expedition reaches the Hidden Temple, Bruce Edwards meets his death while trying to pull off his planned theft and it turns out the jungle drugs will not cure polio after all.
Romance blossoms between Jim and Dr. Parker, but she’ll be gone by the next movie. Jungle Jim’s animal sidekicks, Caw-Caw the crow and Skipper the dog, will return, however. (71 minutes)
FOR MY EXAMINATION OF THE 1937 JUNGLE JIM SERIAL PLUS THE REST OF THE WEISSMULLER MOVIES AND SHOW CLICK HERE.
Balladeer's Blog 
Great story 👌
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Jungle cats! Elephants! Hostile tribes! And an … octopus? What is THAT doing in the jungle? 😁
Ha! Even more absurd is the fact that it lives in a freshwater lake!
These sound good.
Yes, they’re fun.
💛
Thanks!
We were captivated by Johnny Weismuller – would have gone to the moon and back with him, we loved him so much!
I hear a lot of ladies expressing similar sentiments.
But we were a crowd of boys and girls!
Gwen.
Oh, I see!
Interesting review. I have never heard of this film but your review has compelled me to check it out. You mention Indiana Jones as a similar film and that caught my attention. Indiana Jones is such an iconic hero that has always held place in my heart. I grew up watching the Indiana Jones movies during my childhood. My grandfather was a huge fan of the hero with a whip. I have always thought there is nothing like Indiana Jones so this film seems like something I would enjoy.
Recently, I had a chance to see “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. This film was not well received by critics but I was surprised by how much I loved it. While it isn’t as good as Spielberg’s films, it’s well worth a watch. Here’s why I loved it:
I agree, Indiana Jones is a classic hero! I loved the first three movies.