Fireball Jungle

Last updated
Fireball Jungle
Directed byJoseph G. Mawra
Written byHarry Whittington
Produced byG.B. Roberts, Eli Jackson
CinematographyClifford Poland
Edited byJohn Dalton
Music byEthel Huber
Production
company
Americana Productions
Release date
  • October 1968 (1968-10) [1]
Running time
1hr. 36min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$111,474

Fireball Jungle is a 1968 melodrama directed by Joseph P. Mawra and starring John Russell and Lon Chaney Jr. [2] The film featured the hit single, "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy [3] and was filmed in and around Tampa, Florida. [4]

Contents

Plot

Gangster Nero Sagittarius hires stock car driver Cateye Meares, leader of a band of sadistic thugs, to help him gain control of several automobile racetracks. Steve Cullen, whose brother was killed in an accident caused by Cateye, races under an alias while attempting to implicate the murderer. Infuriated by Steve's skill, Cateye assaults him. After Old Sam, a junkyard owner forced to fence stolen cars for Nero's syndicate, is burned alive, Steve fights Cateye in his hideout. Although badly beaten, Steve attempts to expose Cateye. During the big race, Cateye is killed in a spectacular crash while being chased by the police. [4]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Of Mice and Men</i> (1939 film) 1939 film by Lewis Milestone, Nate Watt

Of Mice and Men is a 1939 American drama film based on the 1937 play of the same name, which itself was based on the novella of the same name by author John Steinbeck. The film stars Burgess Meredith, Betty Field, and Lon Chaney Jr., and features Charles Bickford, Roman Bohnen, Bob Steele, and Noah Beery Jr. The film tells the story of two men, George and his intellectually disabled partner Lennie, trying to survive during the dustbowl of the 1930s and pursuing a dream of owning their own ranch instead of always working for others. Starring in the lead roles were relative Hollywood newcomer Burgess Meredith as George and veteran actor Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie. Chaney had appeared in more than 50 films by that point in his career, but Of Mice and Men was his first major role. Betty Field's role as Mae was her breakthrough role in film.

<i>The Defiant Ones</i> 1958 film by Stanley Kramer

The Defiant Ones is a 1958 American drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lon Chaney Jr.</span> American actor (1906–1974)

Creighton Tull Chaney, known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film The Wolf Man (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard in Son of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), the Mummy in three pictures, and various other roles in many Universal horror films, including six films in their 1940s Inner Sanctum series, making him a horror icon. He also portrayed Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men (1939) and played supporting parts in dozens of mainstream movies, including High Noon (1952), The Defiant Ones (1958), and numerous Westerns, musicals, comedies and dramas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lon Chaney</span> American actor (1883–1930)

Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted, characters and for his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".

<i>Bride of the Gorilla</i> 1951 film by Curt Siodmak

Bride of the Gorilla is a 1951 horror B-movie film written and directed by Curt Siodmak starring Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney Jr., Barbara Payton and Tom Conway.

<i>I Died a Thousand Times</i> 1955 film by Stuart Heisler

I Died a Thousand Times is a 1955 American CinemaScope Warnercolor film noir directed by Stuart Heisler. The drama features Jack Palance as paroled bank robber Roy Earle, with Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin, Earl Holliman, Perry Lopez, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Lon Chaney Jr.

<i>Laugh, Clown, Laugh</i> 1928 film

Laugh, Clown, Laugh is a 1928 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young. The movie was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Irving G. Thalberg for MGM Pictures. A sound version of this film was released in the second half of 1928 and featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects. The film was written by Elizabeth Meehan, based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on the 1919 play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini.

<i>The Miracle Woman</i> 1931 film

The Miracle Woman is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners, and Sam Hardy. Based on the play Bless You Sister by John Meehan and Robert Riskin, the film is about a clergyman’s daughter who becomes disillusioned by the mistreatment of her dying father by his church. Having grown cynical about religion, she teams up with a con man and performs fake miracles for profit. The love and trust of a blind veteran, however, restores her faith in God and her fellow man. The Miracle Woman was the second of five film collaborations between Capra and Stanwyck. Produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures, the film was reportedly inspired by the life of Aimee Semple McPherson.

<i>Dracula vs. Frankenstein</i> 1971 film directed by Al Adamson

Dracula vs. Frankenstein, released in the UK as Blood of Frankenstein, is a 1971 American science fiction horror film directed and co-produced by Al Adamson. The film stars J. Carrol Naish as Dr. Durea, a descendant of Dr. Frankenstein who is working on a blood serum with his assistant Groton. The serum soon becomes sought after by Count Dracula, who hopes that it will grant him the ability to be exposed to sunlight without harm. Other members of the film's cast include Anthony Eisley, Regina Carrol, Angelo Rossitto and Russ Tamblyn.

<i>Dead Mans Eyes</i> 1944 film by Reginald Le Borg

Dead Man's Eyes is a 1944 noir-mystery film, and the second installment in The Inner Sanctum Mysteries anthological film series, which was based on the popular radio series of the same name. Directed by Reginald Le Borg, and starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Jean Parker, the movie was distributed by Universal Pictures.

<i>The Trap</i> (1922 film) 1922 film

The Trap is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Lon Chaney and Alan Hale. It was released by Universal Pictures. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Heart of a Wolf. One working title for the film was Wolfbreed. The film was re-released in the U.S. in 1926.

<i>While the City Sleeps</i> (1928 film) 1928 film by Jack Conway

While the City Sleeps is a 1928 American synchronized sound crime drama film about a tough New York City police detective, played by Lon Chaney, out to catch a murdering gangster. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the sound-on-film Western Electric Sound System process. The film was directed by Jack Conway, written by Andrew Percival Younger, and co-starred Anita Page, Carroll Nye, Wheeler Oakman, and Mae Busch.

<i>The Unholy Three</i> (1930 film) 1930 American melodrama film

The Unholy Three is a 1930 American Pre-Code melodrama directed by Jack Conway and starring Lon Chaney. Its plot involves a crime spree. The film is a sound remake of the silent 1925 film of the same name, with both films based on the novel The Unholy Three, by Tod Robbins.

<i>Suspense</i> (1913 film) 1913 film

Suspense is a 1913 American silent short film thriller directed by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley. Weber also wrote the scenario and stars in the film with Valentine Paul. The film features early examples of a split screen shot and a car chase.

<i>Victory</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by Maurice Tourneur

Victory is a surviving 1919 American action film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Jack Holt, Seena Owen, Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery and Bull Montana. The film is an adaptation of the 1915 eponymous novel by Joseph Conrad. The screenplay was written by Jules Furthman and Ben Carré was the art director.

<i>The Ace of Hearts</i> (1921 film) 1921 film by Wallace Worsley

The Ace of Hearts is a 1921 American crime drama film produced and directed by Wallace Worsley. The screenplay by Ruth Wightman is based on Gouverneur Morris's story The Purple Flask, which was serialized in two parts in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1917. The film stars Leatrice Joy, John Bowers, Raymond Hatton and Lon Chaney. One unique feature of this film is that the main title of the movie isn't written on the screen; rather an Ace of Hearts card is shown in its place instead.

<i>The Horror of It All</i> 1964 British horror comedy movie by Terence Fisher

The Horror of It All is a 1964 British horror comedy film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Pat Boone and Erica Rogers. The screenplay was by Ray Russell.

<i>Scarlet River</i> 1933 film by Otto Brower

Scarlet River is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Otto Brower, written by Harold Shumate, and starring Tom Keene, Dorothy Wilson, Roscoe Ates, Lon Chaney Jr. and Edgar Kennedy. It was released on March 10, 1933, by RKO Pictures.

<i>Captain China</i> 1950 film by Lewis R. Foster

Captain China is a 1950 American adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by Lewis R. Foster and Gwen Bagni. The film stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr., Edgar Bergen, Michael O'Shea and Ellen Corby. The film was released on February 2, 1950, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Young Fury</i> 1965 film by Christian Nyby

Young Fury is a 1965 American Western film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Virginia Mayo, William Bendix, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Arlen and John Agar. The film was released in February 1965, by Paramount Pictures. This was William Bendix's final film role, as he died in December 1964, two months before its release.

References

  1. https://catalog.afi.com/Film/19690-FIREBALL-JUNGLE?cxt=filmography
  2. "Fireball Jungle (1968)". British Film Institute. n.d. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  3. "The Story Behind the Song – "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy". Alabama Record Collector. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  4. 1 2 "FIREBALL JUNGLE". AFI. n.d. Retrieved 2022-03-20.