Ramar of the Jungle

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Ramar of the Jungle
GenreAdventure
StarringJon Hall
Ray Montgomery
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producerRudolph Flothow
ProducerLeon Fromkess
Production companiesArrow Productions, Inc.
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original releaseOctober 7, 1952 (1952-10-07) –
1954 (1954)

Ramar of the Jungle is an American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds[1] (the titular "ramar" being an African title for a white medicine man).[2] Episodes were set in Africa and India. The series aired in syndication, premiering on October 7, 1952, and airing through 1954. Reruns continued "until the end of the 1960s."[3]

Cast[]

In addition to starring Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds, the series also starred Ray Montgomery as Reynolds' associate, Professor Howard Ogden. M'liss McClure played the role of Sahib.[2] Other cast members included Nick Stewart, Victor Millan and James Fairfax.[4]

Production[]

Hall created the series, and starred in it, obviously trying to emulate the then-popular Jungle Jim movies. Produced by Rudolph Flothow for Arrow Productions and ITC Entertainment, four sets of 13 episodes were produced, for a total of 52. Each episode runs approximately 25 minutes. In season one, the first 13 episodes are set in Africa and the second 13 are set in India. In the second season, all 26 episodes take place in Africa.

Lew Landers was the director, and Wilbur McGaugh was assistant director. Writers were Sherman L. Lowe, George Sayre, and Charles Condon.[5]

Several television episodes were later combined and released as theatrical movies by producer .[6]

Merchandise and promotion[]

Television Programs of America boosted the program's visibility with a variety of promotional materials, including comic books and autographed photographs of Hall. For 25 cents a person could buy a Jungle Adventure Kit, and $1.49 bought a board game that had participants encountering a variety of pitfalls as they attempted to reach the Temple of the Love Goddess. Hall made personal appearances that attracted children, many of whom left with Ramar-related items. In 1979, Hall said, "We made almost as much on the tie-ins as we did off the show."[3]

In November 1954, Macy's opened a $10,000 replica of the set on which the program was filmed.For 25 cents, a child could walk through the set and, in the process, see a variety of Ramar merchandise. The opening ceremony included Hall, Grace Kelly, the mayor, and a chimpanzee.[2]

Episodes[]

The series' 52 episodes listed in alphabetical order:

Key: * Indicates episode is not available on dvd

Home media[]

Alpha Video [7] has released 11 Ramar DVDs, containing a total of 44 of the 52 episodes. There are eight episodes which have not been released by Alpha.

Theatrical movies[]

Four movies were made (by combining three formerly unrelated episodes into each movie, editing them into a single storyline) which were then theatrically distributed by Lippert Pictures in the USA and Eros Films in the UK:

  • White Goddess (1953)
  • Eyes of the Jungle (1953)
  • Thunder Over Sangoland (1955)
  • Phantom of the Jungle (1955), combines "The Golden Tablet" and "The Flaming Mountain" with a 3rd unidentified episode to tell the story of a young woman scientist (played by Anne Gwynne) searching for her lost archaeologist father.

Television features[]

In addition to the 4 theatrical features, seven additional movies were created in 1964 for television viewing only:

  • Ramar and the Burning Barrier (1964, ITC, 82 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar and the Deadly Females (1964, ITC, 80 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar and the Jungle Secrets (1964, ITC, 81 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar's Mission to India (1964, ITC, 80 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar and the Savage Challenges (1964, ITC, 83 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar and the Hidden Terrors (1964, ITC, 83 minutes, b&w)
  • Ramar and the Jungle Voodoo (1964, ITC, 78 minutes, b&w) -- this is the only one of the seven available on dvd

Popular culture[]

Jimmy Buffett referenced this show in his song "Pencil Thin Mustache" in the verse, "Ramar of the Jungle was everyone's bwana, but only jazz musicians were smoking marijuana."

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television. Penguin Books USA, Inc. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8. P. 683.
  2. ^ a b c Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 409–411. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  3. ^ a b Dixon, Wheeler W. Lost in the Fifties: Recovering Phantom Hollywood. SIU Press. pp. 27–36. ISBN 978-0-8093-8844-8. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  4. ^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  5. ^ "film report" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 31, 1952. p. 156. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1958-12-15. p. 11. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  7. ^ http://www.oldies.com

External links[]

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