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Ramar of the Jungle

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Ramar of the Jungle
GenreJungle Adventure
Created byJon Hall
Written bySherman L. Lowe
George Sayre
Charles Condon
Directed byLew Landers
StarringJon Hall
Ray Montgomery
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producerRudolph Flothow
ProducerLeon Fromkess
Production companiesArrow Productions, Inc.
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseOctober 7, 1952 (1952-10-07) –
1954 (1954)

Ramar of the Jungle is a 1950s American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds[1] (the titular "ramar" being the natives' title for a white medicine man).[2] In addition to Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds (Ramar), the series also starred Ray Montgomery as Reynolds' associate, Professor Howard Ogden. Victor Millan played the role of Zahir and Nick Stewart played Willy-Willy.[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

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Other notable performers who appeared on the show include Woody Strode, Juanita Moore, Archie Savage, Louise Franklin, Bernard Hamilton—aka Bernie Hamilton, making his television debut[5]—and Felix Nelson.[6]

Production

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Hall created the series, and starred in it, obviously trying to emulate the then-popular Jungle Jim films.[7] 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.[8] When work on the second season ended in 1954, producer Flothow told Hall there would be a hiatus before they would resume work on the series. Incensed at the delay, Hall threatened to move to Australia where he told Flothow he would be starring in a TV series there called Capt. Thunderhead. Although Flothow then agreed to resume production on the third season, Hall relocated to Australia anyway. The Australian series never materialized, and Hall was left completely unemployed. (Years later, Hall committed suicide after learning he had inoperable bladder cancer in 1979.)[9]

Several "Ramar" episodes were later combined and released as feature films by producer Leon Fromkess, some shown theatrically and others created specifically for television.[10]

Merchandise and promotion

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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

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The series' 52 episodes are listed here in alphabetical order. Alpha Video [11] 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.

Key: An asterisk indicates that the episode is not available on dvd

Theatrical films

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

  • White Goddess (1953) featuring Ludwig Stossel and Milicent Patrick
  • Eyes of the Jungle (1953) aka Destination Danger; featuring Edgar Barrier and Robert Shayne
  • Thunder Over Sangoland (1955) featuring Myron Healy and House Peters Jr.
  • 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 searching for her lost archaeologist father; featuring Anne Gwynne and Kenneth MacDonald.

Television features

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In addition to the 4 theatrical features, seven additional TV movies were created in 1964 for television release 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; it consisted of footage edited from 5 Ramar TV episodes..."The Sacred Monkey", "Contraband", "Danger in Disguise", "The Doomed Safari" and the otherwise unavailable "Mask of Kreenah".
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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

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References

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  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. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006) Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 181. ISBN 0-8108-5335-3.
  6. ^ Lamarre, Hazel L. (October 8, 1953). "All the World's a Stage". Los Angeles Sentinel. p. B2. ProQuest 562417035. RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE—Headed by Jon Hall went all out in casting last August and September when many local actors and actresses were selected to play supporting roles. Among those who work in the series are Francois Andre, Juanita Moore, Woody Strode, Archie Savage, Nick Stewart, Louise Franklin, Bernard Hamilton, Felix Nelson, James Adamson, Ella Mae Brown, Otis Greene and many others.
  7. ^ Vagg, Stephen (April 9, 2022). "The Campy, Yet Surprisingly Interesting Cinema of Jon Hall". Filmiink.
  8. ^ "film report" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 31, 1952. p. 156. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Dixon, Wheeler W. Lost in the Fifties: Recovering Phantom Hollywood. SIU Press. ISBN 9780809388448.
  10. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1958-12-15. p. 11. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  11. ^ https://www.oldies.com/search/results.cfm?q=ramar+of+the+jungle&results=Products [bare URL]
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