Swiss Family Robinson: Lost in the Jungle (1958)

Before The Naked Venus, Edgar G. Ulmer shot a 30-minute pilot for a TV series based on The Swiss Family Robinson, that no networks ever picked up. The inexpressive acting of the children caused the wreckage of this short feature, despite the efforts of their coach, Adrianna Ulmer. But the director took advantage of the Mexican location to sketch the theme of Nature as a beautiful prison – an idea he would brilliantly develop in The Cavern (1965). In fact, Ulmer started working on the production of The Cavern in 1957, and this work influenced this fascinating TV oddity. Director: Edgar G. Ulmer. Writers: Harold Jacob Smith, Edgar G. Ulmer (adaptation), Johann David Wyss (novel). Stars: Marin Allix, Donald Allain, William Vann Rogers, John Schmidt, Michael Schmidt, Reba Waters, Casey Rogers Williams.