In 1941, RKO released JUNGLE CAVALCADE, a feature-length documentary made up of the best sequences from Frank Buck’s earlier films BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE (1932) WILD CARGO (1934) and FANG AND CLAW (1935). Buck’s spoken narration was accompanied by the same exciting music cues that were once used for newsreels and serials. (Some of this music dated back to the silent film era.) Tightly edited by Pathe News, Inc., the old footage zips along from one sequence to the next and comes across as even more exciting than in the original versions. |
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Jungle Cavalcade #1 (From Eric Beheim)
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Co-writing BRING 'EM BACK ALIVE and WILD CARGO with Buck was Edward Anthony. His bitter lawsuit for his 2% of the film rights ended his tenure as Buck's collaborator. Ferrin Fraser, a veteran writer for AMOS & ANDY, wrote 5 more books with Buck, beginning with FANG AND CLAW, in 1935, and scripted his radio show.
Well at home with wild animal books, Anthony was primed for working with Clyde Beatty, who in 1932 was attacked by Nero lion, and won sensational world coverage struggling to survive "jungle fever". Universal chief Carl Laemmle snapped up the film rights before the book saw galleys, and THE BIG CAGE became a bestseller and a hit picture for 1933.
Mr. Beatty introduced me to Anthony who was on the lot in Philadelphia, in '64, to finish the captions for the photos in their final book, FACING THE BIG CATS. So that Beatty could enjoy seeing his book on the shelves, Doubleday rushed up the publication date when they realized his fight against cancer was nearing an end.
Edward Anthony, collaborator to the two most famous, albeit very different, wild animal men of their time, died in 1971 at age 76.
ERIC, allow me to add my thanks for another great posting.
One of the major studios that turned Buck and Anthony down while they were trying to arrange a movie deal for their first book BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE was Universal Pictures. Later, after the movie BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE proved to be a box office smash, “Uncle” Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal asked Buck why he hadn’t brought the book to HIS studio. (When Buck set him straight, heads probably rolled back at Universal City!) The loss of all this jungle gold might help to explain why Universal bought Anthony & Beatty’s book THE BIG CAGE and made it into a big-budget “A” picture.
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