| Bomba the Jungle Boy | |
| Author: | Roy Rockwood |
| Country: | North America |
| Language: | English |
| Publisher: | Stratemeyer Syndicate |
| Release Date: | 1926–1938 |
| Media Type: | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages: | 210 |
Bomba the Jungle Boy is a series of American boys' adventure books produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate under the pseudonym Roy Rockwood. and published by Cupples and Leon in the first half of the 20th century, in imitation of the successful Tarzan series.
Twenty books are in the series. The first 10 (published from 1926–1930) are set in South America, where Bomba, a white boy who grew up in the jungle, tries to discover his origin. The second set of 10 books (published from 1931–1938) shift the scene to Africa, where a slightly older Bomba has jungle adventures. The first editions allused the same cover illustration on their dust jackets; only the title would differ from book to book.
A common theme of the Bomba books is stated in the first volume of the series, when Bomba concludes that: "The native's souls were asleep. The white men's souls were awake. And he was white!"[1] Richard A. Lupoff, in his book Master of Adventure, a study of the works of Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, describes the Bomba tales as more blatantly racist than the often-criticized Tarzan books.[2]
From 1949 through 1955, Monogram Pictures brought the character to the motion-picture screen in 12 Bomba films, starring Johnny Sheffield.[3] Sheffield was already established as an outdoor star; he had portrayed the character Boy in the Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller. The Bomba films were all set in Africa.
When the Bomba films proved popular with young audiences, the first ten Bomba books were reprinted in the 1950s with all-new cover illustrations by Grosset & Dunlap, a publisher of many popular series books such as the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. These same books were reprinted again later by Clover Books, a short-lived publisher that also reprinted the Grosset and Dunlap series Tom Quest. Although the Clover editions had no dustjackets, they retained the Grosset & Dunlap cover art.
In 1962, WGN-TV repackaged the Bomba films as a primetime summertime series called Zim Bomba that became a local ratings sensation. WGN executive Fred Silverman stated that "Zim" meant "Son of" in Swahili.[4]
In 1967–1968, DC Comics published a Bomba comic book series. It ran for seven issues and included scripts by Denny O'Neil and artwork by Jack Sparling. Stories from this series later were reprinted in DC's Tarzan title, but the character was re-named Simba, as DC no longer held the license.
All of the first editions had the same picture on the dust jacket; only the title was different. The Grosset and Dunlap books had different cover art on the dust jacket of each title. The Clover editions had no dustjackets, but had picture covers reprinting the Grosset and Dunlap art.
Walter Mirisch had been general manager of Monogram Pictures since 1945. They specialized in low-budget movies, including series of regular characters such as Charlie Chan, Joe Palooka, and the Bowery Boys. Mirisch looked at the success of the Tarzan films and remembered the Bomba novels; he thought they might translate well into movies.
In November 1947, Monogram announced it had bought the rights to all 20 of the novels. The studio assigned Walter Mirisch to oversee their production, with the intention of making three Bomba films per year, in color.[5] They were seeking a male actor aged 18 to 20 to star.[6]
In September 1948, Monogram's president, Steve Broidy, announced that the studio would make two Bomba films over the following year, and the films would be in black and white.[7] The decision to film in black-and-white was based on economics and efficiency: the studio could insert authentic, black-and-white jungle footage into the new productions. Veteran action director Ford Beebe directed all of the films and scripted most of them. Only two actors appeared regularly as Bomba's companions: Leonard Mudie as deputy commissioner Andy Barnes, and Smoki Whitfield as friendly native Eli. African-American actor James Adamson made occasional appearances in various roles.
Mirisch later claimed he was paid $2,500 per film, and the success of the series launched him as a producer.;[8] he later became a senior executive at Monogram's successor, Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.
Johnny Sheffield retired at age 24 after completing the twelfth Bomba film, "Lord of the Jungle".
(Note* - Johnny Sheffield plays Bomba in all 12 films)