Jana of the Jungle

Jana of the Jungle is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series created by Doug Wildey, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 9, 1978, to December 2, 1978.

Overview

Jana (voiced by B.J. Ward) is essentially a female version of Tarzan who traveled to the rain forests of South America in search of her lost father (whom she never finds). Her father vanished in a boating accident when she was still a child, but the introduction shows that he survived. She has long blonde hair, wears a dress made of unspecified animal skin and a necklace which doubles as a throwable weapon and makes a high-pitched resonating sound when thrown (somewhat similar to the chakram that would be the weapon of choice for the later, live-action Xena, Warrior Princess) given to her by her father before the boating accident.

Besides her animal friends (Ghost, a sleek white jaguar and Tico, a pesky water opossum), Jana has two human friends: Dr. Ben Cooper (voiced by Michael Bell), a young wildlife biologist who maintained the preserve started by Jana's father and helped in her continuing search for her father; and Montaro (voiced by Ted Cassidy), a descendant of a lost warrior tribe armed with a supernatural weapon known as the Staff of Power that can cause earthquake shockwaves when it strikes the ground. Montaro rescued Jana from the boating accident in which her father disappeared.

These are some of the jungle animals Jana called to, many for help:

• Croco, a crocodile
• Kachi, a monkey
• Peechu, birds (parrots, macaws)
• Nacto, a bat
• Slithor, a snake

Opening-credits narration

The last thing I remember was traveling up the Great River with my father. He had just given me my special necklace when... [boat hitting rocks and capsizing]. I was rescued by Montaro, a noble descendant of a lost warrior tribe. Endlessly searching for my lost father, Montaro, Tico and my jaguar, Ghost, help me guard the jungle and those who dwell within it. I grew up by the laws of nature and the animals of the jungle became my friends. I am Jana of the Jungle!

Episodes

Broadcast history

Jana of the Jungle was originally broadcast in these following formats on NBC:

• The Godzilla Power Hour (September 9, 1978 – October 28, 1978, NBC Saturday 9:30-10:30 AM)
• The Godzilla Super 90 (November 4, 1978 – September 1, 1979, NBC Saturday 9:00-10:30 AM)

A total of 13 original episodes of Jana of the Jungle were produced in 1978, with the first eight broadcast as part of the second half of The Godzilla Power Hour from September 9 to October 28. In November 1978, when The Godzilla Power Hour was expanded to 90 minutes (with the addition of Jonny Quest reruns) and re-titled The Godzilla Super 90, the five remaining episodes of Jana of the Jungle continued on this new format until December 2. The Jana character also made a cameo appearance piloting a rocket-car in an episode of Yogi's Space Race in 1978.

Jana of the Jungle resurfaced in 1985 as part of USA Cartoon Express which is the last time any of the original 13 episodes were shown on television. This is one of the very few Hanna-Barbera series that has yet to be seen on either Cartoon Network or Boomerang; however, one of the episodes, "The Cordillera Volcano", was available for a limited time on WB's Hanna-Barbera online stream.

Home media releases

To date, the series has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray.

Production credits

• Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
• Producer: Doug Wildey
• Directors: Ray Patterson, Carl Urbano
• Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
• Story Editors: Dick Robbins, Duane Poole
• Story: Herb Armstrong, Bob Johnson, Duane Poole, Dick Robbins, Sam Roeca, George Shea, Bob Stitzel
• Story Direction: John Bruno, Moe Gollub, Jan Green, Jon Zaar Haber, Rick Hoberg, Larry Huber, Mark Kirkland, Will Meugniot, Don Rico, Desmond Serratore, Dave Stevens, Bill Wray, Tom Yakutis
• Recording Director: Wally Burr
• Voices: Marlene Aragon, Michael Bell, Bill Boyett, Ted Cassidy, Jeff David, Virginia Eiler, Ron Feinberg, Joan Gerber, Jane James, Casey Kasem, Ross Martin, Vic Perrin, Barney Phillips, Michael Rye, B.J. Ward, Bill Woodson
• Graphics: Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
• Title Design: Bill Perez
• Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
• Musical Supervisor: Paul DeKorte
• Character Designers: Doug Wildey, George Wheeler, Fred Irvin
• Layout Supervision: John Ahern, Warren Marshall
• Layout: Cosmo Anzilotti, Lyle Beddes, Garnett Bugby, Todd Curtis, Sukhi Dail, Cory Dangerfield, Owen Fitzgerald, Bob Foster, Drew Gentle, Simon Gittins, Moe Gollub, Charles Grosvenor, Dave Hanan, Jack Huber, Larry Huber, Mike Kawaguchi, Boyd Kirkland, Mark Kirkland, Brad Landreth, Jack Manning, Earl Martin, Jim Mueller, Dan Noonan, Floyd Norman, Mike O'Mara, Gerrard Pointak, Debra Pugh, Linda Rowley, Keith Sargent, Glenn Schmitz, Bart Seitz, Doyle Shaw, Roy Smith, Thomas Tholen, Greg Thurber, Toby, Grant Wilson
• Animation Supervision: Bill Keil, Jay Sarbry
• Assistant Animation Supervisor: Bob Goe
• Animation: Carlos Alfonso, Frank Andrina, Ed Barge, Oliver Callahan, Lars Calonius, Amaro Carretero, Rudy Cataldi, Jesse Cosio, Joan Drake, Marcia Fertig, Al Gaivoto, Manuel Garcia Galiana, Fernando Gonzalez, Jeff Hall, Terence Harrison, Bob Hathcock, Fred Hellmich, Harry Holt, Angel Izquierdo, Hicks Lokey, Ernesto Lopez, Roberto Marcano, Luis Martinez, Pedro Mohedano, Constantin Mustatea, Margaret Nichols, Eduardo Olivares, Juan Pina, Morey Reden, Vicente Rodriguez, Mariano Rueda, Robert Tyler, James T. Walker, John Walker, Ron Westlund
• Background Supervisor: Al Gmuer
• Backgrounds: Dario Campanile, Ann Guenther, Paro Hozumi, Michael Humphries, Alison Julian, Bill Lorencz, Andy Phillipson, Jeff Riche, Sera Segal-Alsberg, Peter Van Elk
• Checking and Scene Planning: Cindy Smith
• Xerography: Star Wirth
• Ink and Paint Supervisor: Billie Kerns
• Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
• Camera: George Epperson, Jerry Smith, Tom Epperson, Chuck Flekal, Ron Jackson, Larry Smith, Terry Smith, Brandy Whittington, Jerry Whittington
• Supervising Film Editor: Larry C. Cowan
• Dubbing Supervisor: Pat Foley
• Music Editor: Daniels McLean
• Effects Editor: Pat Peck
• Show Editor: Gil Iverson
• Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
• Production Manager: Jayne Barbera
• Post Production Supervisor: Joed Eaton
• A HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTION
• This picture has made the jurisdiction of I.A.T.S.E., affiliated with A.F.L.-C.L.O.
• Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. ©MCMLXXVIII All rights reserved.

Jana in comic books

In January 2007, Dynamite Entertainment launched a comic book, with plot by Frank Cho and script by Doug Murray, called Jungle Girl, featuring a blond female character called Jana. She is a Tarzan-esque heroine that lives in some kind of "Lost World", a jungle inhabited by strange creatures including dinosaurs and cavemen. While bearing the same name and taking place in a jungle setting, the Cho/Murray comic character is not really connected with the TV series.

External links

• Jana of the Jungle on IMDb
• Jana of the Jungle at the Big Cartoon DataBase (The Godzilla Power Hour)
• Jana of the Jungle at the Big Cartoon DataBase (The Godzilla Super 90)
• Jana of the Jungle at Toonarific Cartoons