Devil Goddess

Last updated
Devil Goddess
Devil Goddess poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Spencer G. Bennet
Screenplay by George H. Plympton
Story byDwight Babcock
Based on Jungle Jim
1934-1954 comic strip
by Don Moore and Alex Raymond
Produced by Sam Katzman
Starring Johnny Weissmuller
Angela Stevens
CinematographyIra Morgan
Edited by Aaron Stell
Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 1, 1955 (1955-10-01)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Devil Goddess (1955) is the sixteenth and final Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Johnny Weissmuller in his third and last performance as the protagonist adventurer Johnny Weissmuller (a character previously called "Jungle Jim"), and his final film as well. It co-starred Ed Hinton and William Tannen as the film's antagonists, Leopold and Nels Comstock, respectively. Angela Stevens also stars. The film was directed by Spencer G. Bennet and written by Dwight Babcock and George H. Plympton.

Contents

The film centers on jungle roamer Weissmuller and his team racing against a few looters for a mystical treasure located in a demon-worshiping land. Filming took place in December 1954. Devil Goddess was theatrically released in the United States in October 1955.

Plot

Adventure-seeker Johnny Weissmuller (as himself) receives a request from Professor Carl Blakely (Selmer Jackson) to collaboratively rescue a certain Professor Dixon (William Blakely) from the Mountain of Explosive Fire in Kirundi. Blakely's daughter Nora (Angela Stevens) comes along. The Kirundi natives belong to a religious tribe worshipping a demon thought to control fire. Pious in nature, they are willing to sacrifice humans just to appease the fire demon, who in fact is Dixon. They are also known to possess mystical items, including a jewel-encrusted sabre.

Notorious looters Leopold (Hinton) and Nels Comstock (Tannen), along with their criminal crew, are looking to steal the Kirundi folks' treasures. They arrive at the strange land the same time Johnny and Blakely do. Jim is tipped off by a contact that his lover Sarabna (Vera M. Francis) is next in line to be sacrificed by the natives. The brave explorer arrives in the nick of time, managing to halt the procession and at the same time finding Dixon. Meanwhile, the looters strike gold but are discovered and killed by the Caucasian-loathing tribesmen.

The Mountain of Explosive Fire, revealed to be an active volcano, erupts suddenly. Johnny evacuates the local people and flees to safety with Blakely, Sarabna, and the fire demon Dixon. In gratitude, the chief presents the team with their precious treasures. Dixon considers donating them to a museum.

Cast

Production

Johnny Weissmuller played himself, as the protagonist jungle adventurer. [2] It was his third time doing so. [a] After production for Devil Goddess came to a finish, Weissmuller quit acting in feature films [3] though he made appearances in The Phynx (1970) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976). The film was Paul Marion's final film too. [4]

The film was directed by Spencer G. Bennet with assistance from Leonard Katzman. Sam Katzman was in charge of production for Columbia Pictures, while George Plympton wrote the screenplay based on a story by Dwight Babcock. Ira Morgan signed on as cinematographer. The set decorator was Sidney Clifford. Mischa Bakaleinikoff headed the musical direction, and Aaron Stell edited the film. Principal photography was completed in about a week's time. It officially began on December 14, 1954, and ended on December 21, 1954. [2]

Not all of the footage in Devil Goddess is original. Archived footage from preceding Jungle Jim films, including Mark of the Tiger (1950), Pygmy Island (1950), Voodoo Tiger (1952), Killer Ape (1953), and Savage Mutiny (1953), is featured in the film. [5]

Release

The film was officially released in the North American cinemas in October 1955. [2] It was critiqued as a "silly jungle film" by the Motion Picture Herald , while the magazine Variety wrote that it was an "almost amateurish attempt at making a formula theme pay off". In evaluating the film in his 2012 book Columbia Pictures Movie Series, 1926—1955: The Harry Cohn Years, Gene Blottner dubbed Weissmuller's acting in the film as "lack-luster", concluding that it "all life is gone from the series with this entry". [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Weissmuller played Jungle Jim for thirteen films chronologically. After which for the remaining three Jungle Jim films, the character was renamed to Johnny Weissmuller due to copyright issues.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Katzman</span> American film producer and director (1901–1973)

Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Katzman's specialty was producing low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers.

<i>Tarzan the Ape Man</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Tarzan the Ape Man is a 1932 pre-Code American action adventure film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and starring Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith and Maureen O'Sullivan. It was Weissmuller's first of 12 Tarzan films. O'Sullivan played Jane in six features between 1932 and 1942. The film is loosely based on Burroughs' 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, with the dialogue written by Ivor Novello. The film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released two remakes of Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1959 and in 1981, but each was a different adaptation of Rice Burroughs' novel. It is also the first appearance of Tarzan's famous yell.

<i>Jungle Jim</i> Fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures

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 Jim. The character also trekked through radio, film, comic book and television adaptations. Notable was a series of films and television episodes in which Johnny Weissmuller portrayed the safari-suit wearing character, after hanging up his Tarzan loincloth. The strip concluded on August 8, 1954.

<i>Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land</i> 1952 film by Lew Landers

Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land is a 1952 American black-and-white adventure film directed by Lew Landers and written by Samuel Newman, and starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. This was the eighth entry in Columbia's "Jungle Jim" series. Angela Greene and Jean Willes also star.

<i>Tarzan and the Amazons</i> 1945 film by Kurt Neumann

Tarzan and the Amazons a 1945 American adventure film starring Johnny Weissmuller in his ninth outing as Tarzan. Brenda Joyce plays Jane, in the first of her five appearances in the role, and Johnny Sheffield makes his sixth appearance as Boy. Henry Stephenson and Maria Ouspenskaya co-star.

<i>Jungle Jim</i> (film) 1948 film by William A. Berke

Jungle Jim is a 1948 American adventure film directed by William Berke and starring Johnny Weissmuller. It is based on Alex Raymond's Jungle Jim comic strip and was distributed by Columbia Pictures. It is the first picture in the Jungle Jim series that consists of 16 films originally released between 1948 and 1955.

<i>Jungle Moon Men</i> 1955 American film

Jungle Moon Men (1955) is the fifteenth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Johnny Weissmuller in his second performance as the protagonist adventurer Johnny Weissmuller. The film was directed by Charles S. Gould and written by Dwight Babcock and Jo Pagano.

<i>Cannibal Attack</i> 1954 American film directed by Lee Sholem

Cannibal Attack is a 1954 American adventure film, the fourteenth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. The film features Johnny Weissmuller in his inaugural performance as the protagonist adventurer Johnny Weissmuller, a character previously called "Jungle Jim." The film also features Judy Walsh. It was directed by Lee Sholem and written by Carroll Young. Filmed at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, there are no cannibals in the film

<i>The Lost Tribe</i> (1949 film) 1949 film by William A. Berke

The Lost Tribe (1949) is the second Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. The film features Johnny Weissmuller in his second performance as the adventurer Jungle Jim, co-starring Myrna Dell and Elena Verdugo, along with Joseph Vitale and George J. Lewis as the film's antagonists. It was directed by William Berke and written by Don Martin and Arthur Hoerl.

<i>Fury of the Congo</i> 1951 film by William A. Berke

Fury of the Congo (1951) is the sixth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Johnny Weissmuller in his sixth performance as the protagonist adventurer Jungle Jim. The film was directed by William Berke and written by Carroll Young.

<i>Voodoo Tiger</i> 1952 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Voodoo Tiger is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Spencer G. Bennet and starring Johnny Weissmuller in his ninth performance as the protagonist adventurer Jungle Jim. It was written by Samuel Newman and produced by Columbia Pictures. It features James Seay as the film's antagonist. Jean Byron also stars.

<i>Killer Ape</i> (film) 1953 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Killer Ape (1953) is the twelfth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Johnny Weissmuller in his twelfth performance as the protagonist adventurer Jungle Jim. Carol Thurston also stars. The film was directed by Spencer G. Bennet and written by Arthur Hoerl and Carroll Young.

<i>The Devils Mask</i> 1946 film by Henry Levin

The Devil's Mask is a 1946 American crime film directed by Henry Levin and starring Anita Louise, Jim Bannon and Michael Duane.The film was the second of three B pictures based on the popular radio series I Love a Mystery. As well as its crime theme, the film also incorporates elements of horror. It was preceded by I Love a Mystery, and followed by The Unknown.

<i>Rumble on the Docks</i> 1956 film by Fred F. Sears

Rumble on the Docks is a 1956 American crime film noir directed by Fred F. Sears and starring James Darren, Laurie Carroll, Michael Granger and Robert Blake. The film was based on the novel of the same title by Frank Paley. It was produced by Sam Katzman for release by Columbia Pictures.

Savage Mutiny is a 1953 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller. It was the tenth entry in the series.

Mark of the Gorilla is a 1950 film starring Johnny Weissmuller based on the comic strip Jungle Jim. It is the third in the series of 16 Jungle Jim films.

<i>Captive Girl</i> 1950 film

Captive Girl is the fourth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by William Berke and starred Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. It was also Weissmuller's second teaming with his fellow former Tarzan and Olympic Gold Medal swimming champion Buster Crabbe after Swamp Fire (1946). The film was the only feature film appearance of Anita Lhoest who was a swimming champion and cellist.

<i>Pygmy Island</i> 1950 film by William A. Berke

Pygmy Island is a 1950 American Jungle Jim adventure film starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. It was movie number five in the series.

<i>Prairie Schooners</i> 1940 film by Sam Nelson

Prairie Schooners is a 1940 American Western film directed by Sam Nelson, and stars Wild Bill Elliott, Evelyn Young, and Dub Taylor. It is the first in Columbia Pictures' series of 12 "Wild Bill Hickok" films, followed by Beyond the Sacramento.

<i>Renegades of the Sage</i> 1949 film

Renegades of the Sage is a 1949 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Earle Snell. The film stars Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, Leslie Banning, Trevor Bardette, Douglas Fowley and Jock Mahoney. The film was released on November 24, 1949, by Columbia Pictures. This was the forty-third of 65 films in the Durango Kid series.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2019-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Blottner 2012, p. 228.
  3. ↑ AFI 1971, p. 1248.
  4. ↑ "The Lost Tribe". Geostan. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Blottner 2012, p. 229.

Bibliography

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.