Jana of the Jungle
| Jana of the Jungle | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Doug Wildey |
| Directed by |
Ray Patterson Carl Urbano |
| Voices of |
B.J. Ward Michael Bell Ted Cassidy |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Producer(s) | Doug Wildey |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Distributor |
Taft Broadcasting (original) Worldvision Enterprises (former) Turner Broadcasting (former) Warner Bros. Television (current) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 9 – December 2, 1978 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Godzilla Power Hour |
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.
Jana (voiced by B.J. Ward) is essentially a 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.
Besides her animal friends (Ghost, a sleek white panther and Tico, a pesty 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:
The opening title narration provided by the Jana character consisted of the following:
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 from 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.
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Wikipedia