Clyde Beatty
Posted By thecircusblog on October 23, 2017
I believe there are three other movies that Beatty starred in. These episodes were call cliff hangers. Just when it got exciting it ended and in graphics would say see the next episode
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thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
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The movies starring CLYDE BEATTY, always playing himself, were:
1933 – THE BIG CAGE (Universal), co-starring Anita Page, Raymond Hatton, and Mickey Rooney.
1934 – THE LOST JUNGLE (Mascot) Released both as a feature and a 12-chapter cliffhanger. Co-starrred Cecilia Parker and Syd Saylor.
1936 – DARKEST AFRICA (Republic’s first serial) 15 chapters. Co-stars Manuel King, Elaine Shepard, and Lucien Prival. Re-released in 1949 as KING OF JUNGLELAND, and again in 1966 as the feature-length BAT MEN OF AFRICA.
1940 – CAT COLLEGE – A Pete Smith Soecial (#56) – Stars Clyde and Harriett Beatty and Patricia English. Shot at the Beatty Jungle Zoo, in Ft. Lauderdale FL.
1941 – CLYDE BEATTY’S ANIMAL THRILLS (Castle Film #610), also shot at Beatty Zoo.
1943 – CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (Universal) Used Beatty’s footage from THE BIG CAGE, but he did not work in person on this film. Stars John Carradine and Milburn Stone. Re-released not long thereafter as JUNGLE WOMAN.
1949 – AFRICA SCREAMS (Nassour Productions/United Artisits) Stars Abbott & Costello, Beatty, Frank Buck, Hillary Brooke, Shemp Howard, Max and Buddy Baer.
1953 – PERILS OF THE JUNGLE (Commodore Productions/Lippert Pictures) Co-stars Stanley Farrar, Phyllis Coates, and John Doucette.
1953 – THE PIT OF UMANGI (Commodore Productions. Co-stars Stanley Farrar, Jane Adams, Herbert Heyes, Roscoe Karnes, Jr. Not widely known, and production notes are confusing with PERILS OF THE JUNGLE, albeit it with a different leadiNG lady.
1954 – RING OF FEAR (John Wayne-Bob Fellows Production/Warner Bros. Studios) Co-stars Mickey Spillane, Pat O’Brien, Sean McClory, Marian Carr, and Pedro Gonzeles-Gonzales.
CREDIT FOR THIS RESEARCH AND COMPOSITION BELONGS TO DAVE PRICE.
CLYDE BEATTY FILMS – NOTE: Most of these starred Beatty. When so stated, others involved footage of him, or had his assistance. This is the complete list:
1. TARZAN THE APE MAN – 1932: Beatty assisted off-camera with the Hagenbeck-Wallace animals, then returned with them to Peru, Indiana Winterquarters before Christmas, 1931.
2. THE BIG CAGE – Universal, 1933. His first starring feature. Co-stars were Anita Page, Raymond Hatton, Andy Devine, and 13-year-old Mickey Rooney.
3. THE LOST JUNGLE – Mascot Studios, 1934. Released both as a 12-chapter serial and later as a feature. Co-stars Cecelia Parker and Syd Saylor. Beatty and Saylor share a marker for this one on the corner of Radford Avenue and Ventura Blvd., on Studio City’s Walk of Fame.
4. DARKEST AFRICA – Republic Studios, 1936. Republic entered the serial market with Beatty and co-stars Manuel King and Elaine Shepard. 15 chapters, re-released in 1949 as KING OF JUNGLELAND, and again in 1966 as feature-length BATMEN OF AFRICA. Ray “Crash” Corrigan appears in his gorilla suit as “Bonga”. As wild animal trainers, Beatty is billed as “The Greatest”, and Manuel King as “The Youngest”.
5. CAT COLLEGE – A Pete Smith Special (#56), 1940. A short, starring Clyde and Harriett Beatty, filmed at their Jungle Zoo, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
6. CLYDE BEATTY’S ANIMAL THRILLS – A Castle Film (#610), 1941. Also filmed at the Jungle Zoo, in Fort Lauderdale.
7. CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN – Universal, 1943. Beatty’s footage from THE BIG CAGE is used in scenes for Milburn Stone to portray substituting for Beatty, who the story says cannot be there in time for the circus opening. Stone, later “Doc” on GUNSMOKE, wore duplicate wardrobe and imitated Beatty’s movements, with his animals in rear-projection. Co-starring was John Carradine. Later re-released as JUNGLE WOMAN.
8. AFRICA SCREAMS – Nassour Studios, 1949. Co-starred with Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, Hillary Brooke, Frank Buck, Max and Buddy Baer, Joe Besser, Shemp Howard. Edward Nassour produced with brother William.
9. DANGER IS OUR LOVE – Nassour Studios, 1949. Promoted as being prepped for Fall shooting, featuring both Clyde and Harriett Beatty. Full project either not completed or not released.
10. PERILS OF THE JUNGLE – Commodore Productions, presented by Lippert Pictures, 1953. Co-starred Phyllis Coates, Stanley Farrar, and John Doucette. Filmed in late 1952 season. Beatty left the circus early, and Joe Walch substituted working the act.
11. PIT OF UMANGI – Commodore Productions, 1953. Co-starred Stanley Farrar, Jane Adams, Herbert Heyes, Roscoe Kearns, Jr., and Leonard Mudie. This data and stills were in the October 1953 issue of CLYDE BEATTY COMICS, drawn by Mel Keefer and published by Commodore. As a separate film, no other data has been found. NOTE: Commodore Productions created and aired THE CLYDE BEATTY RADIO SHOW of 52 half-hour episodes, which had 2 full runs over the Mutual Network, in 1951 and 1952. Beatty did not work on the show, and was portrayed on air by actor Vic Perrin. Articles in THE BILLBOARD told of a Beatty TV series having some 15 episodes planned or in the can. But Commodore was breaking up at the time due to disagreements between the husband-and-wife team of Shirley Thomas and Walter White, Jr. The series never aired.
12, RING OF FEAR – John Wayne-Bob Fellows Production, Warner Bros., 1954. Co-starred Mickey Spillane, Pat O’Brien, Marian Carr, John Bromfield, Sean McClory (who stole the picture), and Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales. Filmed following the 1953 tour, using 1954 equipment. Released in Warnercolor and Cinemascope. This film marked Beatty’s last starring picture. NOTE: Footage was later recycled into 1959’s THE FLYING FONTAINES. After the 1954 season, the Martin & Lewis film THREE RING CIRCUS was shot on the Beatty show, with “Clyde Brent Circus” painted on one side of the wagons, as Paramount did not want to pay Beatty for using his name. This one was re-released circa 1975 as JERRICO THE CLOWN.
13, NOTE: Beatty can be seen in clips of CIRCUS DAYS, and numerous others found on YouTube. New titles are used by whoever gets rights to his footage, but the Beatty name is often in these titles.
THIS LIST IS CREDITED solely to the years of research and composition by DAVE PRICE, and offered here with his permission. Also, see his March-April 2013 BANDWAGON article, “CLYDE BEATTY IN HOLLYWOOD”. The front cover of this issue is a movie poster featuring Beatty and Manuel King in Republic’s DARKEST AFRICA..