Fang and Claw


1h 13m 1935

Brief Synopsis

Legendary explorer Frank Buck hunts the jungles of the Far East for rare and deadly animals.

Film Details

Also Known As
Frank Buck's Fang and Claw
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Dec 20, 1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
The Van Beuren Corp.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the book Fang and Claw by Frank Buck with Ferrin Fraser (New York, 1935).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 13m
Film Length
8 reels

Synopsis

From his camp headquarters in India, explorer Frank Buck and his native crew venture into the jungles of the Far East to capture wild animals for zoos across America. With his knife at his side, Buck first traps a 300-pound python, while his aides tie it to a long pole for carrying. Next, Buck and a helper spot a rare Bird of Paradise and catch it with a twine snare and a cage made out of rattan vines. In another part of the jungle, Buck stumbles on a baby armor-plated rhinocerous as it is being attacked by a large tiger. Buck shoots the tiger to save the rhinocerous, and then amputates the rhinocerous' mangled ear. On their way back to camp, they encounter a twenty-four-foot python, which they shoot out of a tree and bag with a net. In camp, Lucy, the rhinocerous, joins Hard Luck Harry, a honey bear, and other camp inhabitants. To trap a large number of monkeys, Buck sets up a huge net and lures them with tapioca and other roots. Soon after, Buck snares a sixteen-foot crocodile and another python, which had bitten and encoiled itself around his helper Ali. Buck then takes off for the deepest jungles of central Malay to capture an enormous tiger. After climbing a steep cliff, Buck locates reclusive tribesmen, who show him the tracks of the giant tiger. Buck and his men build a sturdy, camouflaged wooden cage, bait it, and wait for the tiger. That night, the tiger prowls over the cage and is caught. Buck ties the tiger to one side of the cage and dismantles the other side, enabling the men to carry the animal on a "stretcher" back down the cliff. Finally, Buck traps a group of rare Asian antelopes and saves a native from the attack of another menancing tiger. With his game packed in crates, Buck leaves Singapore for the United States.

Film Details

Also Known As
Frank Buck's Fang and Claw
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Dec 20, 1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
The Van Beuren Corp.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the book Fang and Claw by Frank Buck with Ferrin Fraser (New York, 1935).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 13m
Film Length
8 reels

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The opening title of the film reads: "Frank Buck's Fang and Claw." In a written onscreen statement, the film is described as the "official and authentic motion picture record of Frank Buck's wild animal collecting expedition in the Asiatic jungles." The film appears to have been shot silent, with a soundtrack added later. According to Buck's autobiography, the expedition included footage shot in northern Assam, in the northeast section of India. Modern sources state that the film earned only $46,000, considerably less than the previous two Buck pictures, Bring 'Em Back Alive and Wild Cargo. RKO edited portions of Fang and Claw and its predecessors into a new "best of" feature called Jungle Cavalcade, which was released in 1941.