''Ramar of the Jungle'' is a 1950s American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom ReynoldsMcNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . P. 683. (the titular "ramar" being the natives' title for a

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...

). In addition to Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds (Ramar), the series also starred Ray Montgomery as Reynolds' associate, Professor Howard Ogden.

Victor Millan Joseph Brown (August 1, 1920 – April 3, 2009), known professionally as Victor Millan, was an American actor, academic and former dean of the theatre arts department at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. Early life Brown was b ...

played the role of Zahir and

Nick Stewart Horace Winfred "Nick" Stewart (March 15, 1910 – December 18, 2000), also billed as Nick O'Demus, was an American television and film actor. He was best known for his role as Lightnin' (Willie Jefferson) on TV's '' The Amos 'n' Andy Show'' (1951 ...

played Willy-Willy. 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."

Cast

* Jon Hall - Dr. Tom Reynolds ("Ramar") * Ray Montgomery - Professor Howard Ogden *

- Zahir *

- Willy-Willy *

M'liss McClure Helen Francell Coutts (1925–2013), known professionally as M'liss McClure, was an American actress who starred in films and television in the 1940s and 1950s. Originally starring under the name Helen Francell, she chose her official stage name ...

- Trudy Van Dyne * James Fairfax - Charlie, the cockney guide *

Joel Fluellen Joel Fluellen (December 1, 1907 – February 2, 1990) was an actor and an activist for the rights of African Americans. He appeared in the films '' The Jackie Robinson Story'', '' Perils of the Jungle'', '' Duffy of San Quentin'', ''Sitting Bul ...

- Chaba *

Harry Lauter Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990)

- Bellows *

Ludwig Stössel Ludwig Stössel (12 February 1883 – 29 January 1973) was an Austrian actor. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses who were forced to flee Germany when the Nazis came to power in 1933. Biography Stössel began performing on the stage ...

- Peter Van Dyne * Millicent Patrick - the White Goddess * Emmett Smith - Chief Bolla Other notable performers who appeared on the show include

Woody Strode Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete, actor, and author. He was a decathlon, decathlete and American football, football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National ...

Juanita Moore Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 – January 1, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Awards, Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Academy Award for ...

Archie Savage Archie Savage (April 19, 1914 — February 14, 2003) was an American dancer, choreographer, and film and theatre actor.

,
Louise Franklin Louise Franklin, nicknamed Beau and Bo, was an American dancer and actress active during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. From childhood, she was interested in various forms of dance and also practiced acting before starring in vaudeville roles with B ...
, Bernard Hamilton—aka
Bernie Hamilton Bernard Hamilton (June 12, 1928 – December 30, 2008) was an American actor. He is best known as Captain Dobey in ''Starsky & Hutch'' (1975–1979). Biography Hamilton was born in East Los Angeles; his brother was jazz drummer Chico Hamilto ...
, making his television debut—and
Felix Nelson Felix Bradford Nelson (August 13, 1913 – February 17, 1998)Lamarre, Hazel L. (May 28, 1953)"All the World's a Stage: Artist of the Week" ''Los Angeles Sentinel''. p. B-2. was an American stage, film, radio and television actor, best k ...
.

Production
Hall created the series, and starred in it, obviously trying to emulate the then-popular ''
Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
'' films. Produced by
Rudolph Flothow Rudolph C. Flothow (November 23, 1895 - December 21, 1971) was a movie and television producer active from 1915 through the mid-1950s, producing more than 45 films and over 80 television episodes. Most of his productions were crime films for Co ...
for Arrow Productions and
ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in the production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme C ...
, 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 Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...
was the director, and
Wilbur McGaugh Wilbur McGaugh (March 12, 1895 – January 31, 1965) was an American film actor of the silent era, appearing mostly in westerns. He also directed five films. He also worked extensively as an assistant director in film and television. McGaugh's p ...
was assistant director. Writers were
Sherman L. Lowe Sherman L. Lowe (born Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (or Russia), 18 October 1894; died 24 Jan 1968, Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American screenwriter. He was a writer of the Frank Buck (animal collector), Frank Buck serial ...
, George Sayre, and Charles Condon. 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.) Several "Ramar" episodes were later combined and released as feature films by producer
Leon Fromkess Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
, some shown theatrically and others created specifically for television.

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." In November 1954,
Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
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 Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...
, the mayor, and a chimpanzee.

Episodes
The series' 52 episodes are listed here in alphabetical order. Alpha Video 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 * "Blind Peril" * "The Blue Treasure" * "The Bride of the Idol" * "The Burning Barrier" * * "Call to Danger" * "Contraband" * "The Crocodile God of Kaa" * "Curse of the Devil Doll" * "Danger in Disguise" * "Dark Justice" * "Dark Venture" * "The Devil's Soul" * "The Doomed Safari" * "Drums of Doom" * "Drums of the Jungle" * "Evil Strangers" * "Evil Trek" * "The Flaming Mountain" * "The Flower of Doom" * * "The Forbidden Village" * "The Golden Tablet" * "The Hidden Treasure" * "Idol Voodoo" * "Jungle Terror" * "Jungle Treasure" * "Jungle Vengeance" * * "King of the Watus" * "Lady of the Leopards" * "The Lost Safari" * * "Mark of the Bola" * "The Mark of Shaitan" * "The Mask of Kreenah" * (part of this episode was incorporated into the 1964 feature film ''Ramar and the Jungle Voodoo'') * "The Mystic Pawn" * "Queen of Sidonis" * * "The Road of No Return" * "The Sacred Monkey" * "Savage Challenge" * "Savage Fury" * "Striped Fury" * "Thunder over Sangoland" * "The Tiger's Claw" * "Trail to Danger" * "The Tree of Death" * * "Tribal Feud" * "The Unknown Terror" * "Urn of Destiny" * "Valley of No Return" * * "The Voice in the Sky" * "Voice of the Past" * "White Man's Magic" * "White Savages" * "Zombie Terror"

Theatrical films
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 Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909–1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frust ...
in the United States and
Eros Films Eros Films was a British film distribution and, later, production company, in operation from May 1947 to June 1961. It was founded by three brothers: Philip, Sydney, and Michael Hyams. Hyams Bros The Hyams' father was a Russian immigrant baker, ...
in the UK: * ''White Goddess'' (1953) featuring Ludwig Stossel and
Milicent Patrick Milicent Patrick (born Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi; November 11, 1915 – February 24, 1998) was an American actress, makeup designer, special effects artist, and animator. Born in El Paso, Texas, Patrick spent much of her early life in C ...
* ''Eyes of the Jungle'' (1953) aka ''Destination Danger''; featuring Edgar Barrier and
Robert Shayne Robert Shayne (born Robert Shaen Dawe, October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992) was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years. He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television series '' Adven ...
* ''Thunder Over Sangoland'' (1955) featuring
Myron Healy Myron Daniel Healey (June 8, 1923 – December 21, 2005) was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career span ...
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
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".

Popular culture

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
referenced this show in his song "
Pencil Thin Mustache "Pencil Thin Mustache" is a song written and performed by American popular-music singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single (with "Brand New Country Star") on Dunhill D-15011 in August 1974. It was first released on his ...
" in the verse, "Ramar of the Jungle was everyone's
bwana Bwana may refer to: * List of English words of Niger-Congo origin This is a list of English language words that come from the Niger-Congo languages. It excludes placenames except where they have become common words. Bantu origin *banjo – pr ...
, but only
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
musicians were smoking
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
."

See also
* * * *
Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
*
Jungle Jim (serial) ''Jungle Jim'' is a 1937 Universal serial film based on ''Jungle Jim'', the comic strip by Alex Raymond. Grant Withers starred as Jungle Jim, and Henry Brandon played the villainous Cobra. Plot Two safaris enter the African jungle intent on findi ...
* ''Jungle Jim'' (film) Titles of feature films *
Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
TV series *
Congo Bill Congorilla (originally in human: William "Congo Bill" Glenmorgan) is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transfor ...
*
Bomba the Jungle Boy ''Bomba, the Jungle Boy'' is a series of American boys' adventure books produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate under the pseudonym Roy Rockwood. and published by Cupples and Leon in the first half of the 20th century, in imitation of the successf ...

References

External links

''Ramar of the Jungle'' tribute page
* {{IMDb title , id=0044289 , title=Ramar of the Jungle
''Ramar of the Jungle''
episodes at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
1952 American television series debuts 1954 American television series endings First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by ITC Entertainment American adventure television series Television shows set in Africa Television shows set in India