James Oliver Curwood, an author better known for his stories of the Canadian Northwest, wrote the screenplay for the Selig three-reeler Jungle Lovers. Shot in the "wilds" of the Selig Zoo in California, the film stars Bessie Eyton and Richard Morris as two young innocents raised in the jungle by an eccentric scientist (Edward Piel). Having regarded each other as brother and sister while growing up, the girl and boy realize upon reaching adulthood that they are in love. An Ivory hunter invades the jungle and kidnaps the girl, forcing the boy and his scientist protector to go to her rescue. Captured by the natives, the hunter and the girl are about to be sacrificed when the scientist saves the day via strategic application of his new invention, a powerful explosive. Bearing no hard feelings, the hero and heroine invite the now-subdued natives to attend their wedding.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
