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The Jungle-style Thread - Pop Culture Iconography of the Dark Continent |
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
|  Posted: 2009-12-02 07:54 am Permalink
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On 2009-12-01 19:05, bigbrotiki wrote:
Cool title sequence, I had never heard of the show. It makes clear that by the 70s all the" Jungle Island" cliches we are so fond of could only be presented in the form of a spoof....which, after the joke became old, just became an old hat, to be discarded wholesale.
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I have to adjust my own assessment after viewing a couple of episodes of Danger Island: It apparently was not an all out spoof, the suspense sequences created were serious (even if low budget). But because it was a kids show, the fight sequences were defused by making them silly, with "Batman" TV show sound effects and funny moves.
# 22 begins with such a fight, but then the cave sequence is some of the best Ooga Booga/Ungawa stuff I have ever seen. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bORCmeWKlZg&feature=related
Then, the pie fight in # 23 really is way over the top --but kids must have loved it.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-12-02 08:25 am Permalink
One more thing: The fact that this show took place on a tropical Island, just like King Kong, would point to a more Melanesian/Micronesian, (and not African), location. But the village huts are clearly African, so it shows again that all concerns about ethnological authenticity went out the window in this pop genre, and any tribes NOT from Polynesia became a melange of "dark-skinned savages" and their cliches, borrowing equal amounts from Melanesia and Africa.
The disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in 1961 gave fuel to this kind of pop culture mythology:
>>...Rockefeller returned to New Guinea to study the Asmat and collect Asmat art. "It's the desire to do something adventurous," he explained, "at a time when frontiers, in the real sense of the word, are disappearing."
On November 17, 1961, Rockefeller and Dutch anthropologist René Wassing were in a 40-foot dugout canoe about three miles from shore when their double pontoon boat was swamped and overturned.... At the time, Rockefeller's disappearance was a MAJOR WORLD NEWS ITEM. His body was never found. He was declared legally dead in 1964.
Most believe that Rockefeller either drowned or was attacked by a shark or crocodile. Because headhunting and cannibalism were still present in some areas of Asmat in 1961, some have speculated that Rockefeller was killed and eaten by local people."
He couldn't just have drowned, he got eaten!
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TikiG
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 1519
From: Palmdale, California
| Posted: 2009-12-02 09:05 am Permalink
YES!
Danger Island : As a child I anticipated every weekend to watch the latest episode.
I realized it then - I realize it now. DI is just plain old pre-adolescent fun. Why?
1) Blond hair girl in tight white jeans w/ open front shirt tied at the belly button.
2) Blond hair boy usually in shorts and bare chested (Jan Michael Vincent pre drug burn-out)
3) Exotic locale beyond my bland Orange County existence AND the natives living communally.
The cheesy factor of DI didn't register in my childhood mind then. We had to endure the Banana Splits' velveeta to get to our beloved Island. Hell, it was still the 60s and yes, I loved TVs Batman too. Danger Island was my Fantasy Island (I suppose).
_________________
TikiG
tiki since '67!
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little lost tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 7463
From: Orange,CA-right near the Circle!
| Posted: 2009-12-02 10:49 am Permalink
Uh Oh CHONGOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Mister Naufrago
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 212
From: Spain
| Posted: 2009-12-02 12:30 pm Permalink
Can I turn off the TV an go back to the Old Continent? (hope you don´t mind this transatlantic ping-pong)
From very its very beginning in the mid sixties Spanish tiki recipe had a pinch of African Primitive Pop. Since reference books used by firsts Spanish artisans mixed Oceanic and African primitive arts, they just probably thought "if its good for art scholars it´s good for this humble artisan.
The importance of this ingredient grew with time originating peculiar sub genre that unashamedly mingled both styles.
Feral felines and Hawaiian cocktails in Segovia.
To this day (con)fusion of styles persists.
Moais on the outside
Life size rhinos on the inside.
Anything similar in the U.S.?
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lucas vigor
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2004
Posts: 3453
From: "I've chopped my way through real jungle
| Posted: 2009-12-02 12:46 pm Permalink
Mr. Naufrago, are you from Spain?
My father was born in Andalucia.
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JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2489
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2009-12-02 1:04 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-12-02 10:49, little lost tiki wrote:
Uh Oh CHONGOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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OK, I'm going to turn the TV on again for one quick minute. This is kind of embarrassing after Mister Naufrago's thoughtful last post.
Actually kids' TV shows in the 1960's weren't always just silly mindless fun. Case in point, the animated show Jonny Quest. This was actually a pretty faithful tribute to the pulp serial adventures of the 1930's and 1940's. It did a great job of mixing science fiction, cold war spy drama, and exotic locales like Africa, South America, Asia, etc. I don't remember if they ever had a Polynesian episode. Another cool jazzy theme.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fYTA7bxqP4
And they also had their fair share of dark-skinned natives.
 
I always thought of recurring character, Jezebel Jade, as a cartoon quasi-exotica girl. She certainly harkened back to the "Good Girl Art" of the 1940's (which I'll be posting on soon).
Check out the late Dave Steven's rendition of Jezebel on the cover of a Jonny Quest revival comic.
BTW, for those members of the "Cult of Bettie" (ATP, I'm talking about you), Dave Stevens was responsible for resurrecting Bettie Page's popularity when he used her as a character in his 1980's comic "The Rocketeer" (far left) and well as creating other "Bettie Revival" artwork. That's when the Bettie floodgates really opened.
  
OK this was just a 1960's (and 1980's revival) detour, I still need to jump back to the 1940's.
The TV has now been turned off.
[ This Message was edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-02 13:26 ]
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4208
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2009-12-02 2:06 pm Permalink
John-O,
I am afraid I was around in the thick of the Bettie revival, I lived in Hollywood in the 80s, my night job was working at "The Golden Apple" a rally point for early Bettie Page freaks,so I join the ranks, A regular there of course was "Dave Stevens" who ended up dating my roommate for awhile,he was a cool guy, so when someone mentions Bettie Page, this might explain my over enthusiasm.
Also as a original member of the Banana Splits club, watch what you say about the Splits......man
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-12-02 2:31 pm Permalink
Hey, I probably bought the first issues of the Betty Pages from you! That was a great zine!
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4208
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2009-12-02 2:47 pm Permalink
I may have been, Sven, one crazy store, one of my co workers at the time was Jesse James "Monster Garage" who helped with security during book signings.
Many famous regulars came and went daily there.
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JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2489
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2009-12-02 5:27 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-12-02 14:47, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Many famous regulars came and went daily there.
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And I was one of them. I used to drop in every month from the mid-80's up until 2004 when (owner) Bill Liebowitz passed away.
Now back to Mister Naufrago.....
Quote:
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On 2009-12-02 12:30, Mister Naufrago wrote:
....The importance of this ingredient grew with time originating peculiar sub genre that unashamedly mingled both styles.
....To this day (con)fusion of styles persists.
Anything similar in the U.S.?
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Of course we have that same (con)fusion of styles here, you just need to visit "Danger Island".
Ha, ha. Forget mid-century kitsch, here in LA we have major historic landmarks that unabashedly mix vastly differing styles. Union Station for one combines a Mission Revival exterior with a Streamline Moderne interior.
As far as your specific example is concerned, that's what I'm hoping to see show up on this thread. There's only two operational mid-century Africa-themed businesses that I'm aware of in Los Angeles (future post). Neither of them has any Poly-Pop style. Ditto for our So Ca Tiki places, no stuffed lions or gorillas to be seen.
Thanks for sharing. Only BigBro and Sabu have come through so far. I can't believe we have hundreds of soiled cocktail napkins and menus posted here, but not one stuffed lion. 
[ This Message was edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-02 17:30 ]
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-12-02 11:29 pm Permalink
As to Mr. Naufrago's question, the main place I know of where those two genres got mixed freely was the house of Witco. But that I will get to later. First, let's go on a little matchbook Safari:
The most iconic image in these parts is of course Burbank's SAFARI INN sign:
I used this architectural detail of an African lancer from the Inn in Tiki Modern:
The shield'n'spear could actually be regarded as the main logo of the style:
(here it's even a Witco shield)
Not all shield'n'spear places were called "Safari" though:
But there definitely were more "Safaris" out there than any other names:
Here's the one Safari Restaurant that still is open, and that I have been to:
But, as I said, there were other monikers, earlier in the century:
And here a cross-over subject that is not really Polynesian but part of Polynesian pop history:
And that's all for tonight, folks! 
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Mister Naufrago
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 212
From: Spain
| Posted: 2009-12-03 12:31 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-12-02 12:46, lucas vigor wrote:
Mr. Naufrago, are you from Spain?
My father was born in Andalucia.
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Sí paisano.
My grandparents left the country and I was born and spent my chilhood in Venezuela.
The family returned to Spain after el Generalisimo death.
You should visit Andalucia some day.
The weather is great, beaches, surf, lots of Tiki and even ocasional earthquakes.
Just like in California.
Meanwhile check this Moai Andaluz
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4208
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2009-12-03 12:45 am Permalink
Nicccceeeeeee....
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Mister Naufrago
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 212
From: Spain
| Posted: 2009-12-03 12:46 am Permalink
OK this was just a 1960's (and 1980's revival) detour, I still need to jump back to the 1940's.
The TV has now been turned off.
[ This Message was edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-02 13:26 ]
[/quote]
No problem with me.
I grew up with Los Banana Splits too...
[ This Message was edited by: Mister Naufrago 2009-12-03 00:50 ]
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