The Naked Jungle (1954)

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay) (front for Ben Maddow) and
Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He feared only two things on earth...the MARABUNTA...Nature's deadliest force, and his fiery New Orleans bride!

Plot:

The Leiningen South American cocoa plantation is threatened by a 2-mile-wide, 20-mile-long column of army ants.

Plot Keywords:

Plantation | Ants | River | Widow | Mail Order Bride

Cast

Eleanor Parker	...	Joanna Leiningen
Charlton Heston	...	Christopher Leiningen
Abraham Sofaer	...	Incacha
William Conrad	...	Commissioner
Romo Vincent	...	Boat Captain
Douglas Fowley	...	Medicine Man
John Dierkes	...	Gruber
Leonard Strong	...	Kutina
Norma Calderón	...	Zala (as Norma Calderon)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pilar Del Rey	...	Indian Wife (uncredited)
Bernie Gozier	...	Gruber's Indian (uncredited)
Jerry Groves	...	Gruber's Indian (uncredited)
Leon Lontoc	...	Indian (uncredited)
John Mansfield	...	Foreman (uncredited)
Ronald Alan Numkena	...	Indian Boy (uncredited)
Rodd Redwing	...	Indian (uncredited)
Jack Reitzen	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
Carlos Rivero	...	Indian Husband (uncredited)

Directed by
Byron Haskin

Writing credits
Philip Yordan		(screenplay) front for Ben Maddow and
Ranald MacDougall		(screenplay)
Carl Stephenson		(based on a story by)
Ben Maddow		screenplay (front Philip Yordan)

Produced by
Frank Freeman Jr.	....	associate producer
George Pal	....	producer

Original Music by
Daniele Amfitheatrof

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Everett Douglas

Art Direction by
Franz Bachelin
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Grace Gregory

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Charles Gemora	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman	....	assistant director
Arthur Rosson	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Harry Lindgren	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Charles Gemora	....	mechanical designer: ants (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Loyal Griggs	....	photographer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Daniele Amfitheatrof	....	conductor (uncredited)
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Reginald Lal Singh	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (Spanish)
• AFEX (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16799)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on June 7, 1954 with Charlton Heston reprising his film role.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: During the first meeting/"confrontation" between Joanna and Christopher there comes a point in the conversation when he asks her if she is 'laughing at him.' As she turns from the dresser to face him at the very upper left corner for approx. 35 frames the moving shadow of what may well be a boom mic can easily be seen as it follows the motion.

Quotes:

Joanna Leiningen:If you knew anything about music, you'd know that the best piano is one that's been played.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Bees (1998)

Real good adventure in the Brazilian Jungle

"The Naked Jungle" is the story of a wealthy owner of a big coffee plantation in Brazil's jungle, menaced by an army of warrior ants on the move covering several square miles of ground and eating everything on their way (the Marabunta). The man's unknown mail-ordered wife has just arrived too but something in her past annoys him and a conflict between them is taking place when the ants arrive.

The picture was really original back in 1954 and is very entertaining too. This was probably Byron Haskin's best work as a director with an uneven carrier that included also "I Walk Alone", 1948, and "The War of the Worlds", 1953. The Special effects of Naked Jungle are really good for its time and the fine performances of Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker as the main couple surely helped to raise the final product. Heston went on to full stardom and Parker continued to keep up her interesting carrier (she had been in some good movies before as "Scaramouche", 1952, and "Detective Story", 1951, and went to good ones too like "The Man with the Golden Arm", 1955). You will also find a good color photography and well designed settings.

A very amusing and enjoyable film with sort of a "B" structure but a real "A" outcome.