Jungle Jim Production Team

Producer
Production Executive
Director*
Director of Photography
Art Director
Music
Supervising Editor
Film Editor
Set Decorator
Assistant Director

Harold Greene
Fred Briskin
Earl Bellamy, Donald McDougall
Irving Lippman
George Brooks
Alec Compinsky
Henry Batista, A.C.E.
Bert Honey
Sydney Clifford
Mitchell Gamson

* Earl Bellamy directed the first six episodes, and Donald McDougall completed the series.

Episode 1 - Man Killer

Additional Cast

Richard Manderville
Molu

Dick Rich
Don Blackman

Script

Dwight Babcock

Richard Manderville, well-to-do tenderfoot, violates jungle law by wounding a lion and allowing it to escape to become a raging man killer. When Jim goes into the jungle to capture the dangerous beast, Manderville leaves Jim's son on his own in order to bag some other animals.

Skipper and Tamba follow to warn their tame animal friends of his approach. When they come upon the wounded lion, Manderville stands frozen in his tracks. Skipper helps Manderville up a tree and sends Tamba to find Jim, and then keeps the beast off with a torch. The panic-stricken Manderville takes the torch from Skipper, but the lion knocks it from his trembling grasp, starting a forest fire. Jim arrives and rescues Manderville and Skipper from the tree, but the lion blocks their escape route to the river. In a furious battle, Jim kills the lion and when they finally reach the river, Manderville vows to give up hunting animals.

Episode 2 - Land of Terror

Additional Cast:

Marilyn Hansard
John Farrington
Charles Hansard

Helene Marshall
Art Millan
Paul Guilfoyle

Script

Wallace Bosco

When Jungle Jim learns that noted botanist Charles Hansard has been lost in a mountain region inhabited by giant lizards, he and Hansard's sister, Marilyn, set out to find him, ordering Skipper to stay behind with Tamba - an order Skipper disregards.

Jim and Marilyn climb to a mountain-top plateau dominated by a smoking volcano and discover a lost world of prehistoric beasts. After skirting their way around a herd of mastodons, they find Hansard.

Meanwhile, Skipper, who is not far behind, is pursued by a giant lizard and trapped by a falling rock while trying to avoid the monster. Fortunately, Jim hears his screams and frees him, but as Jim starts to lead the party back, he discovers lizards blocking their path. When all hope seems lost, the volcano erupts, crushing the lizard and creating fissures in the earth which swallows the entire antediluvian animal kingdom. Jim then takes them all away from the lost world, which has now vanished forever.

Episode 3 - Treasure of the Amazon

Additional Cast

Whitfield Smythe
Henry Madeiro

Olaf Hytten
Edmund Hashim

Script

Malvin Wald

Jungle Jim , Skipper and Tamba accompany Whitfield Smythe and Henry Madeiro, two thieves posing as archæologists, on an expedition to the lost Inca city, Baroa. After their arrival, the thieves uncover concealed weapons, and threatening Skipper's life, force Jim to lead them back with their booty.

Returning through the dense jungle, the whole party is captured by headhunters and placed near a fire. Tamba, at Jim's command, tosses a cartridge belt into the flames, panicking the savages and permitting Jim and his group to escape. However, in spite Jim's warning that it is not safe to do so, Smythe and Madeiro insist on fleeing with the heavy treasure, and are subsequently killed by the natives when the cargo they are carrying causes them to fall behind. Jim stops the head hunters' pursuit by rolling a huge boulder in their path from a high hill, whereupon he leads Skipper and Tamba to safety.

Episode 4 - The Lagoon of Death

Additional Cast

Carter
Captain Bergson
Huber
Tahera

Frank Scannell
Mickey Simpson
Daniel de Jonghe
Nyra Monsour

Script

Wells Root

Captain Bergson and his crew from the Silver Queen capture Jungle Jim, taking him to the cannibal island of Baramang, where Bergson tells him he has sent his henchman, Huber, to Jim's African camp to kill Skipper if Jim doesn't lead them to the cannibals' priceless black pearls.

In the jungle they find Tahera, a terrified native girl, whom the cannibals want to sacrifice to Mangato, the water-god - the giant clam who grows the black pearls.

The cannibals capture Bergson and Tahera, and although Jim rescues Bergson, Tahera is thrown into Mangato's lagoon. Jim dives into the lagoon and cuts her bonds, saving the native girl, but the clam catches Jim. After a fierce struggle, Jim dispatches the clam and with the help of a British gunboat, captures Bergson and the Silver Queen. Then he radios his camp just in time to trap Huber and save Skipper's life.

Episode 5 - A Fortune in Ivory (a.k.a. Skipper's Tutor)

Additional Cast

Emily Haddock
Masterson

Dorothy Adams
Pierce Lyden

Script
Story

Terence Maples
Peter Dixon

Jungle Jim , feeling that son Skipper has been neglecting his studies, hires Mrs. Emily Haddock to tutor the boy. Shortly after she arrives, Jim leaves for the jungle to uncover the cause of a series of elephant stampedes.

Skipper feels left out of the excitement and as soon as Jim is gone, he persuades his tutor to go with him and Tamba to a fabled elephant burial ground, where there is supposedly enough ivory to make her rich. Being a devout believer in a fake zoologist, Professor Hans von Flugel, she is easily persuaded.

Mrs. Haddock, Skipper and Tamba leave in search of the ivory, which they find stacked by a thief named Masterson who has been poaching on the elephant preserve and causing the stampedes.

The trio is soon discovered by Masterson, and Skipper, frightened by him, immediately sends Tamba for Jim. When Jim arrives, Masterson pulls out his gun. Skipper throws him off balance, the gun goes off, and another stampede begins.

Jim manages to get them all safely away and turns the poachers over to the authorities, giving the reward money to Mrs. Haddock.

Episode 6 - Jungle Justice (a.k.a. Framed)

Additional Cast

Chandra Das
Niran Khan
Indian Clerk

Ted Hecht
Pepe Hern
Noel de Souza

Script

J. Benton Cheney

Niran Khan comes to his friend Kaseem for help, when he is accused of stealing $15 000 collected for charity and entrusted to his employer, Chandra Das, for safe keeping. Kaseem hides Niran in the jungle, and when questioned as to his friend's whereabouts, refuses to answer, even though the evidence seems overwhelmingly against him. Meanwhile, Chandra Das, the real thief, buries the money in the jungle and builds a trap to guard it.

Jungle Jim finds evidence of Chandra's trip to the jungle and as a ruse to throw Chandra off guard, reveals Niran's hiding-place and has Niran and Kaseem arrested. Chandra believing he is safe, quickly sets out for the jungle and the buried money- with Jim not far behind. When Chandra tries to flee, he steps into his own insidious trap and Jim keeps him there until he confesses his theft.

Episode 7 - The Eyes of Manobo

Additional Cast

Nema
Chief Witu

Elzie Emanuel
Smoki Whitfield

Script

Harry Poppe, Jr.

Two priceless gems are stolen from the Basuto's tribal idol, Manobo. Believing a rival tribe - the Wazuris - have taken them, the Basutos proclaim a state of war. Jungle Jim is commissioned to quell the outbreak by the District Commissioner, who also places in his care, Nema, a runaway native boy - the nephew of the Basuto Chief, Witu. Nema refuses to return home, and Jim leaves him with Skipper, while he goes to the Basutos.

Alone, Nema tells Skipper he stole the gems as an act of revenge against Witu, who he believes killed his father. When Skipper gives him proof that his father died of natural causes, Nema goes with Skipper to recover the diamonds from the cave where he hid them. A gorilla follows the boys and is about to kill them when Jim arrives. Jim, Skipper and Nema return the gems to Witu, who makes peace with the Wazuris and forgives his nephew.

Episode 8 - The King's Ghost

Additional Cast

Velma Powell
Joe Pike
Moga
Albert Morton
Chief Kinu

Barbara Hill
Zon Murray
Charles Swain
Pat O'Hara
Martin Wilkins

Script
Story

Malvin Wald
Wallace Bosco

Jungle Jim, his son Skipper, Kaseem and Tamba all accompany explorer, Velma Powell, on an expedition to take motion pictures in the jungles of New Guinea. Their safe journey is assured by a necklace Chief Kutari, leader of the jungle tribe, had given Velma on a previous expedition. However, one of their porters steals the necklace at the bidding of his employer, Joe Pike, a notorious diamond trader, but the expedition goes forward, since Jim and Velma believe that Chief Kutari will recognize her.

At their destination, they learn that Kutari is dead, and that Pike's possession of the necklace has won him the favour of Kinu, the new chief. With their lives now in jeopardy, Jim uses their film projector to flash a slide, taken by Velma, showing Kutari giving her the necklace, Kinu takes it from Pike and returns it to Velma, ensuring the success of the film-making expedition.

Episode 9 - White Magic

Additional Cast

Moko
Chief Bwoti
Kmoto
Popota

Bernie Hamilton
Emmett Smith
Archie Savage
Hattie Wiley

Script

Robert Williams

When Moko, a young native whom Jungle Jim sent to college to become a physician returns with his medical degree, his tribe gives him a big reception. At the ceremonies, Popota, Chief Bwoti's seven-year-old granddaughter falls desperately ill. Diagnosing the case as appendicitis, Moko plans to operate, but Kmoto, the tribal witch doctor, persuades Bwoti not to allow it, and has Moko driven from the village.

In order to save her life, Jim kidnaps Popota and brings her to his camp for the operation. Before Moko can complete the operation, Bwoti and his warriors storm Jim's compound, demanding the child. To give Moko time to operate, Jim wraps Tamba in a blanket and runs into the jungle. The warriors, thinking Jim is carrying Popota give chase and by the time Jim returns, Moko has successfully performed the appendectomy. Bwoti thanks Jim, and asks Moko to return as their tribal doctor.

Episode 10 - The Deadly Idol

Additional Cast

Neil Croft
Catherine Croft
Botsu

John Dodsworth
Irene Lang
Bill Walker

Script

Lawrence Goldman

Stuffy, regulation-minded Neil Croft, the new Assistant District Commissioner, and his wife Catherine secure Jungle Jim's services to guide them to the Maku tribe. The Makus have set up a live bomb jettisoned by an army plane as an idol. When the Makus refuse to give up their idol. Croft, ignoring Jim's counsel, sends for the troops, whereupon the Makus abduct the Crofts and threaten to kill them if the troops enter their territory.

Learning that Catherine had worked in a munitions factory, Jim, against Croft's wishes, enlists her aid to defuse the bomb, thereby removing the cause of the hostilities. As Jim and Catherine work on the bomb, Croft moves his wife away and helps Jim deactivate the bomb, then he announces he has stopped the troops, thanking Jim for making him a better civil servant.

Episode 11 - The Leopard's Paw

Additional Cast

M'baki
Chief Zanguna

Otis Greene
Woody Strode

Script

Lawrence Goldman

His back clawed by a leopard, M'baki, a Bantu boy, finds refuge at Jungle Jim's camp after he failed to pass the warrior's test and kill a leopard and was therefore banished for his cowardice. With Jim's and Skipper's care, the boy's confidence gradually returns until he finally musters enough courage to pet Skipper's leopard cub. Jim, Skipper and Tamba then fly the boy home.

At the tribal base, Jim prevails upon M'baki's father, Chief Zanguna, to give his son a second chance to prove his courage. Zanguna agrees and M'baki sets out in search of a leopard. Before long, he spots one, but as he rushes to meet the charging beast, he trips and Jim must step in and kill the leopard to save the boy's life. Having apparently failed again, M'baki is despondent, but when the leopard's mate attacks, the boy summoning up all his strength, kills the enraged animal. Zanguna, who has witnessed this, welcomes the boy to manhood in the tribe.

Episode 12 - The Man from Zanzibar

Additional Cast

N’Tala
Bruno
John Nelson

Fred Moultrie
Baynes Barron
William Challee

Script
Story

 Lee Erwin, Peter Dixon
Peter Dixon

Bruno, a notorious jewel thief, steals a priceless collection of pearls and hides them under a rock near Jungle Jim's camp. They are discovered by Skipper's native friend, N'Tala. When Jim radios the news to the District Commissioner's office, John Nelson, an insurance investigator, leaves for Jim's camp to recover the gems. Bruno is furious on discovering that the gems are missing. He waylays Nelson in the jungle, knocks him unconscious, and armed with Nelson's clothes and credentials, he proceeds to Jim's camp and gets the gems.

On recovering, Nelson staggers into Jim's camp, telling him what happened. Jim immediately beats a tom-tom message warning the surrounding tribes to be on the lookout for the desperate thief. Driven mad by the throbbing drums of his unseen pursuers, Bruno is cornered by Jim and Nelson. And after one final bloodthirsty attempt to kill them, Bruno is captured and the priceless pearls are recovered.

Episode 13 - Precious Cargo

Additional Cast

Bill Rand
Clete Braggan
Janice Wilson
Edgar Wilson

Paul Hahn
Gregg Barton
Betty Caulfield
William Leslie

Script

Terence Maples

While flying to a distant oil field, a young oil tycoon, Edgar Wilson, and his wife, Janice, and their baby, are kidnapped by Clete Braggan, a crafty plane pilot and his henchman, Bill Rand. The unscrupulous pair imprison the Wilsons in a cave near Jungle Jim's camp awaiting an answer to their ransom demands. During an unsuccessful attempt by the Wilsons to escape, the baby is accidentally set adrift on a raft and is discovered by Jungle Jim, who quickly sets out to find the parents.

The trail leads Jim to Braggan and Rand, who disclaim all knowledge of the infant's identity. However, when Tamba finds a teething ring near the kidnappers' camp, Jim realizes that the men have lied and he trails them to the cave where they are keeping the Wilsons in chains. After a grim battle, Jim subdues the kidnappers, releases the Wilsons and reunites them with their baby.

Continued...