Ex-Olympic swimming champ and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller hung up his loincloth in 1948, the star no longer in the tip-top physical condition necessary for the role of Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary vine-swinger. But instead of retiring, Weismuller simply slipped on a shirt and pants to hide his gut and returned to the jungle to play African guide and adventurer Jungle Jim.
Jungle Man-Eaters, the last of Weissmuller's Jungle Jim films, featured the tag-line 'JOHNNY AGAINST THE CANNIBALS!', but is far less exciting than the capital letters and exclamation mark would have us believe. In fact, there are no cannibals; instead, we get a diamond smuggler and a warring tribe who will do anything to get their hands on a fortune in gems, all of which is frustratingly dull. Jungle Jim comes to the rescue, only taking time out from unconvincing fist-fights with the baddies to wrestle a man in a moth-eaten lion costume and a roll around in the water with a rubber croc. More padding comes in the form of comedic chimp Tamba, who eats lots of bananas (hilarious—not!), and stock footage of a variety of wild animals, some of which are obviously not indigenous to Africa.
As a big fan of Weissmuller's Tarzan series, I've long been keen to check out one of his Jungle Jim films, but if this is any indication of their quality, it might be some time before I see any more. I sure hope that the series started a lot stronger than it finished
