Zeus

The Naked Jungle (1954)

• Director
  • Byron Haskin
• Writers
  • Philip Yordan(screenplay)
  • Ranald MacDougall(screenplay)
  • Carl Stephenson(based on a story by)
• Stars
  • Charlton Heston
  • Eleanor Parker
  • Abraham Sofaer

  It doesn't take long for old-time-radio fans to figure out that The Naked Jungle is a film version of the classic Carl Stephenson nailbiter Leiningen Versus the Ants. Charlton Heston plays South American plantation owner Christopher Leiningen, who spends most of the film preparing for the hellish onslaught of deadly soldier ants. The original story concentrated solely on Leiningen; the film version hokes things up a bit by bestowing upon the hero a gorgeous mail-order bride, played by Eleanor Parker. No matter: the climactic insect invasion is well worth the wait, utilizing the Paramount Pictures optical-effects department to the nth degree. The Naked Jungle also offers excellent supporting work from Abraham Sofaer, Douglas Fowley, and William Conrad, who also acted in several of the radio adaptations of the Carl Stephenson yarn.