Mara of the Wilderness (1965)

A well-acted, quietly haunting little film boasting excellent location photography with Deschutes National Forest in Oregon standing in for Alaska, and attractive lead performances by the late Adam West and by Linda Saunders, as she then was.Wild girl Mara Wade, orphaned at 7 by a bear and raised by wolves, is assumed dead until 12 years later handsome hero West and ruthless hunter Theo Marcuse simultaneously stumble over her and things get ugly (despite the overall gentleness of the film, there are some quite rugged scenes of violence, as when West gets simultaneously caught in two of Marcuse's animal traps).A German adventure film in colour shot in Africa about a blonde wild girl, 'Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald' (1956), in which Marion Marshall had spent the first half of the film topless, had been released in America as 'Liane, Jungle Goddess' in 1959, and was successful enough for her to reprise the role the following year in 'Liane, die weiße Sklavin' (1957). Also in 1959 Audrey Hepburn had played a similar, more modestly dressed, role as Reena the Bird Girl in a film version of William Henry Hudson's 1904 best seller 'Green Mansions'.As the mature Mara, Linda Saunders wears considerably more than Liane and sports an impressive mane of stylish, immaculately combed sixties big hair down to her waist that wouldn't look out of place in an episode of 'Star Trek'. By day she run about barefoot with a knife in her belt and spends her nights curled up with a family of wolves. While Liane naturally spoke fluent German, Mara never says a word; and the film rather boldly has long stretches completely without dialogue.Both West and Saunders soon afterwards found regular employment on TV in 'Batman' and 'Petticoat Junction' respectively, as did Roberto Contreras (who brings a fascinating stillness to his role as Marcuse's long-suffering Indian guide) in 'The High Chaparral' and Denver Pyle in 'The Dukes of Hazzard'. Shortly before his untimely death in a car crash in 1967, Marcuse appeared with West again in an episode of 'Batman'.

This is a fun, modest film with a lot going for it. Beautiful scenic footage of Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, passing for Alaskan wilderness, threatens a travelogue but there are some entertaining actors, including some of the animals (not the bear).It's the same set-up as Tarzan, but a female is orphaned in Alaska instead of Africa and she is raised by wolves instead of apes. Mara is played by the gorgeous Lori (Linda) Saunders (best known as Bobbie Jo from Petticoat Junction) who is sporting a fur bathing suit before Raquel Welch… though it's not a bikini.Mara enjoys laughing while bathing a few times and while she eats raw meat (off camera) and has gone primitive she manages to apply her eyeliner quite well. Mara is quick to scrap and whips her knife out often but it seems odd when she runs away at the big battle climax.Lori has a good rapport with the wolf actors and though she only grunts, has some good facial expressions. It looks like she did most of her stunts and you got to give her credit for running around the wilderness in bare feet.The pre-Batman Adam West plays the anthropologist lead and gets into some pretty violent fights including one that ends up with a pair of wolf traps clamping into him. West works nicely with the animals as well and gets a raccoon sidekick.The evil, sadistic trapper almost steals the show as played by the excellent and prolific Theodore Marcuse who died just a few years later. He was a familiar face to 1960s TV, usually playing villainous Germans or Russians on Hogan's Heroes and Man from U.N.C.L.E. He even met up with Batman later as Von Bloheim. Had he lived he probably would've gone to greater acting heights and fame in the 1970s.Mara of the Wilderness is an amusing diversion, professionally made and with some 1960s TV icons of interest to fans wanting to see these actors in other roles. A 1988 video is long out of print and the movie doesn't seem to be broadcast any more.

Having waited many years to see this film, I was not disappointed. Adam West is well cast in the lead role of the anthropologist and Theo Marcuse excels as the heavy. The scenery is eye-catching and the music score is haunting. Linda Saunders is a classic beauty and is memorable as Mara. A film that should be released on home video.

I viewed this movie when I was young teenager at the movies. I haven't seen it since. I had a definite crush on Lori Saunders and I still think she is the most beautiful actress I have ever seen. I enjoy watching Petticoat Junction. I only wish she would have done more acting.