| Sheena, Queen of the Jungle | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Don Sharpe |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1956 – 1957 |
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is a syndicated American television adventure series that was broadcast in 1956-1957. [1] The title character was "the female counterpart of Tarzan." [2]
The series was based on the Sheena, Queen of the Jungle comic book character. An initial attempt at a Sheena-based TV series occurred with the writing of a script proposal in 1952. A second attempt at such a series in 1955 resulted in a pilot with Anita Ekberg as Sheena, but the pilot was never broadcast. [1] Ekberg "failed to show up for location shooting in the jungles of Mexico", and Irish McCalla replaced her in the title role of the series. [3]
An African chief discovered a young girl who survived a plane crash [1] in which her parents were killed. [4] As she grew up she was taught to "respect good men and hate bad ones." [1] The series featured activities of Sheena as a grown woman who fought evil. Bob, a white trader (portrayed by Christian Drake), and Chim, a chimpanzee, helped her. [1] Sheena's ability to control animals was useful in her efforts. [4] Bob was often captured, leading to his being rescued by Sheena. [5]
Sheena was filmed in Mexico, and 26 half-hour episodes were produced. [5] Don Sharpe was the producer. [6] The show was a property of ABC Film Syndication Inc. [7] Nassour Brothers produced the series. [8]
Media critic John Crosby wrote, ". . . when the decision is made on the worst show on the air this will be well up among the finalists." [9] He noted that Chim accompanied Sheena everywhere and sometimes rescued her when she was in distress. He called Sheena's "chimpanzee talk" with Chim, "easily the most intelligent dialogue in the show." [9]
Ed Olly, writing in The Central New Jersey Home News , pointed out that the show was seen differently by children than by adults (especially critics). He wrote that his two little girls wanted to watch Sheena rather than Disneyland . "I will admit that Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is pretty terrible when viewed with grown-up eyes', he said, "but kids do not see things the same way as a dramatic critic. They do not demand that the characters be 'motivated' or that the dialogue be realistic, for instance. All they want is action." [10]
Jack Gould wrote about Sheena in The New York Times , "It is so bad it is completely fascinating." [11] He described the Sheena character as "a blond derivative of Jane Russell", the dialogue as "basic Tarzan", and the acting as "elementary Ramar". [11]