Pick of the Brown Bag
March 2, 2025
by
Ray Tate
The Pick of the Brown Bag takes a break from the comic books this week to right a long time wrong in cinema.
A much maligned film, Sheena turns out to be an unjustifiably buried treasure. After viewing the uncut DVD version, which runs 117 minutes, my first thought was "Holy crap. That was a good movie."
Either Will Eisner and/or Jerry Iger created the original Sheena. Artist Mort Meskin definitely debuted her American presentation in 1938's premiere issue of Jumbo Comics.
Her premiere is also credited in the 1937 British magazine Wags #46, but nobody seems to have a copy of it.
Often Sheena is considered a rip-off of Tarzan. Like some view Supergirl to Superman. Sheena however wasn't even a heroine in her first serialized story.
The Shaman of the tribe makes Sheena the tribe's queen after he poisons her father. Her father was either an anthropologist or archaeologist. The Shaman couldn't let him leave with the knowledge he now possessed.
The Shaman could have simultaneously killed the toddler Sheena, but he conceived an exploitation. He makes Sheena queen of the tribe. The Shaman states he did this specifically to "retain my power over my people." In other words, Sheena was a Shaman's con.
Over the years, Sheena's origin softens. The Shaman now named Koba brewed the poison unwittingly. He intended to create a hypnotic substance that would keep Sheena's father now named Caldwell, or Rivington, amongst the tribe.
Out of guilt, the Shaman makes the orphaned child queen of the tribe. In later retellings Sheena is simply orphaned; the tribe finds the child, and being civilized, they adopt her. The Shaman becomes her trusted ally and mentor.
Key in any of Sheena's origin stories is that she does not suffer the white savior trope that plagues Tarzan. Sheena is raised by black people and taught the ways of the jungle by black people. She becomes the tribe's guardian because of the tribe's parenting. Arguably, she's the best of the tribe now because she learned everything from the best of the tribe then.
This brings me back to the subject at hand. Sheena begins at the beginning and creates an easy to follow linear narrative. That narrative moves at a rapid pace and doesn't waste a second of its 117 minutes.
The writers of the film subtly update Sheena's origin. Her parents, emphasis on the plural, are scientists. They discover a miraculous secret amongst the Zambouli tribe. As what occurs in Jumbo Comics, the want to share this secret with the world leads to Sheena's parents' doom.
Sheena then differs. Neither the tribe, nor the Shaman murder Sheena's parents. In the film, Shaman foresees this destiny. As well as Sheena's rise.
The scene is played unlike what you expect. It's very clear that a choice of fate belonged to Sheena's parents. There's an underlying resignation by tribe members. Two innocent people, who some in the tribe knew, died to give them their fated guardian. The tribe and Shaman do not seem to forget that.
Shaman adopts Sheena as the prophecy foretold. It helps the credibility of the story that we see no illusion of the augur. We only have Shaman's word and the actions of the tribe as the lodestone. You either believe the story, or you don't. Sheena is destined to become the guardian of the tribe. Queen of the Jungle is merely a description of Sheena's power.
Before the credits roll, we see the toddler Sheena grow into a girl who learns the ways of the Zambouli and Shaman.
Shaman by the by is a woman portrayed by an actual African princess of the period: Princess Elizabeth of Tooro.
Sheena is in fact a feminist film made by women and men. The power of womanhood is symbolized by the goddess Shaman and the tribe worship.
The girl grows up to be Tanya Roberts whose physicality and talent are ideal for the part of Sheena. Indeed Tanya Roberts pursued the role. Perhaps that's why she's so sincere as Sheena.
Sadly now deceased, Tanya Roberts was in fact an unfairly maligned actress. Many asses dismissed her as a brainless tease from Charlie's Angels and more often remember her derisively as a Playboy model and Bond girl. Tanya Roberts was taught the craft by Uta Hagen and acted in off-broadway plays before she disrobed. Incidentally, I am not one of those asses. I respect Bond girls and nude models.
Sheena's plot moves rapidly but at a natural pace. The modern day story begins with a motive for crime. Money. Satellite imagery and metallurgy identify titanium on Zambouli land. Somebody did their homework. The discovery fits in with an American educated Prince's plans to assassinate his brother the King of Tigora where lies that precious land. He will take not only snatch his brother's crown but also his intended queen. She though is a participant of this coup.
Like any skillful murderer, Prince Otwani, played superbly by Trevor Thomas, attempts to secure an alibi through an old friend. Sports journalist Vic Casey played by Ted Wass, mainly known for his comic acting. Here he gives an amazing straight performance as Sheena's soon-to-be mate.
I'm not giving anything away. The reveals come so quickly and depend on the cast's ability to convey the nuances of emotion. The would be queen Zobda displays her wickedness quite early after her introduction. When Vic meets Sheena for the second time, it's pretty clear where their chemistry is going.
You accept it. Vic is a nice, resourceful everyman who is an expert in his field. Sheena deserves him. Does he deserve Sheena? He would be the first to say no. Wass conveys heartsick love with utter ease. His role could have been a throwaway part, but his performance must be given top marks.
The murder plot is an impressive set-up. It may have given Columbo pause. The thing of it is. The murder doesn't follow the formula you expect. Instead, director John Guillerman, who directed the very best Tarzan movie ever, points out that Sheena is not a detective. She's the guardian of the tribe and acts that way. She doesn't care who the murderer is. She just knows that Otwani imprisoned her friend as the patsy and she commanding the animals busts that person out of jail. Oh, and the prisoner isn't Vic. I'm not divulging the identity.
Tanya Roberts worked with real animals in Sheena. She also apparently did the, heh, lion's share of the action sequences.
Potentially lethal stunts no doubt handled by the professionals, but blended smoothly. Sheena predates CGI. The helicopter is real. As are the explosions. The breathtaking African scenery is also real. Again, credit Guillerman's experience with the late sixties Tarzan films.
After Sheena breaks her friend out of jail, Sheena becomes a pursuit movie. A chase implies rapid progress, but these aren't the streets of San Francisco. The Prince and Countess Zobda lead a group of mercenaries into the jungle. The jungle provides ample impediments to their speedy acquisition of Sheena, Vic and their protected charge. Sheena's knowledge of the landscape adds to the mercenaries' headaches. In one scene Sheena demonstrates her cunning and archery prowess to sharply deter her pursuers.
Although the Prince wants to capture Sheena, since he finds her "interesting," his consort seeks to end her life. Regardless. It's what they don't do that raises the film above the standard. The Prince for example could have padded the movie by trying to throw Sheena in with his frame. However, he's no average villain. He knows that Sheena isn't a known quantity. He also knows the fall guy and Vic may possess evidence of his duplicity. Before he can even come up with an excuse for Sheena's execution, he needs to secure that evidence. Furthermore, Sheena's journey isn't bloodless. This isn't a movie where the good guys win and there's much rejoicing. The filmmakers recognize the superior technology of the villains. You don't need to stretch your suspension of disbelief all that much.
Let me end on these notes. There are some remarkable lines in Sheena. I don't mean juicy lines or so bad they're good lines. The dialogue is spare and without pretension. It's well-written. You believe all of it. You believe the characters. Everybody worked hard to give dignity to Sheena and her world. Give Sheena a chance. You will not be disappointed.
The Flipside
I have spoken highly of this film that Rotten Tomatoes lambastes with an unfair eleven percent. There are a few elements that purist Sheena fans, whom I'll call nitpickers, may object to. The biggest one is that Sheena is a friend to all animals and commands all animals.
The comic book Sheena only could persuade her animal friends to help her. Though that version of Sheena does almost use a telepathy to convey her messages. Her animal friends are still wild. She hasn't taught them anything.
Sheena represents these specific animal friends in the film, but at one point Sheena commands a pride of lions.
The film nevertheless covers how Sheena can perform such feats. Shaman taught Sheena the skill as well as other seemingly supernatural agencies. The communication furthermore fails her in a pivotal moment. Her "powers" have limits.
In the comic books, Sheena wears a leopard bikini. She in fact started this jungle girl fashion trend. Sheena also kills animals when necessary. This version of Sheena does not.
Okay. So, what? No animals are harmed in any production anyway. Besides, Sheena kills the most dangerous animal on the planet. Man. In comics and in Sheena our guardian kills.
The zebra Sheena rides is painted horse. Yup. That's unfortunate. The filmmakers vividly remember Sheena riding a zebra and wanted to carry on the legacy.
Blame it on ambition. Zebras can't be tamed for horseback riding. This is the one time CGI would have come in handy. Oh, and wild horses in Africa are extremely rare. So, having Sheena ride a horse wouldn't have made sense. Jungle legend the Phantom rides a horse named Hero. He is domesticated.
What about Bob? Sheena famously chose Bob the game hunter as her mate. Who's this Vic guy? Really? You want to bring up Bob? Bob is outdated. And it's not because he's a white, male game hunter. Bob could have been transformed into Bobbi the black lesbian game hunter. She would still be outdated. No civilized person on earth believes a person should be allowed to enter a creature's habitat and ruthlessly murder it. Hunting for food is one thing. Hunting for fur, horns or heads is disgusting.
Bob is just a name and just as important as a character in the Sheena mythos. Sheena really can fall in love with anybody and it would not matter. Ted Wass however makes Vic Casey a whole human being. He respects Sheena to show him the way to walk in the jungle without leaving a footprint.
Anything else? No? All right. Shut up then, and go watch Sheena.
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