Temple Of Doom Fans

[Dash]

TOD is the closest the series ever got to being straight-up Horror. Besides being the most pulpy of the series it also feels very much like a live-action EC Horror comic from the 50s with the dark, eerie ambience and the visuals and color palette.

AH! The EC comics comparison is so dead on. Also reminds me of one of those Earl Norem men's adventure magazine covers brought to life...
Love this film soooo much.

 

[Shadow Master]

You'd swear that cover would've been a storyboard or piece of concept art for TOD or something. TOD really feels like a vintage 40s/50s-era pulp or EC Horror comic come to life. I wouldn't be surprised if Spielberg and Lucas were influenced by EC Comics as kids and had them in mind when they made TOD.

 

[Dash]

You'd swear that cover would've been a storyboard or piece of concept art for TOD or something. TOD really feels like a vintage 40s/50s-era pulp or EC Horror comic come to life. I wouldn't be surprised if Spielberg and Lucas were influenced by EC Comics as kids and had them in mind when they made TOD.

True. Pretty sure they're on record as being influenced by the Carl Barks Scrooge McDuck comics as well ...

 

[Shadow Master]

When was that comic published? If it was before ROTLA I'd be hard-pressed to believe that wasn't a big influence on the series.

 

[Dash]

When was that comic published? If it was before ROTLA I'd be hard-pressed to believe that wasn't a big influence on the series.

That came from "Uncle Scrooge" issue number 7, published September 1, 1954 (a story titled "The Seven Cities of Cibola"). Here's more info on the Carl Barks inspiration... https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-133/

 

[Shadow Master]

That came from "Uncle Scrooge" issue number 7, published September 1, 1954 (a story titled "The Seven Cities of Cibola"). Here's more info on the Carl Barks inspiration... https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-133/

Seeing as it dates back to 1954 it would've existed when Spielberg and Lucas were kids. So it definitely could've been read by them at the time and had a profound influence. That's one of the things I love so much about TOD, it really embraces the pulpyness of the character's influences.

 

[Dash]

Seeing as it dates back to 1954 it would've existed when Spielberg and Lucas were kids. So it definitely could've been read by them at the time and had a profound influence. That's one of the things I love so much about TOD, it really embraces the pulpyness of the character's influences.

The "pulpyness" is probably one of the reasons why I appreciate TOD over LC. Something happened where LC had sort of lost the Indy flavor... It always seemed more safe, Disney-esque- as if it belonged in the same universe as The Rocketeer.

 

[Shadow Master]

Yeah, good as TLC was it was too lighthearted and comical for my tastes and coming so soon after TOD felt like such a jarring tonal shift. And after how well TOD showed Indy doesn't always need Nazis to work, to have the new film be essentially Raiders 2.0 didn't mesh too well with me. I always got to wonder how the remainder of the series may have been if not for the backlash TOD got, which Spielberg took very hard. TOD isn't afraid to go into some very dark territory.

 

[Dash]

Yeah, good as TLC was it was too lighthearted and comical for my tastes and coming so soon after TOD felt like such a jarring tonal shift. And after how well TOD showed Indy doesn't always need Nazis to work, to have the new film be essentially Raiders 2.0 didn't mesh too well with me. I always got to wonder how the remainder of the series may have been if not for the backlash TOD got, which Spielberg took very hard. TOD isn't afraid to go into some very dark territory.

Have a look at John Kenneth Muir's review below (if you've got the inclination). He talks about how they stripped the shadow from Indy as a character in LC. He went from a being accused of "being a grave robber" out for fortune and glory (TOD) to a guy who believed artifacts belonged in a museum. That always bugged me in a "Greedo-Shot-First" kind of way.
https://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-films-of-1984-indiana-jones-and.html

 

[Shadow Master]

I actually have read that. I very much agree with it. I also never liked the revelation of Indy being revealed to have stolen his fedora and jacket look, which always rubbed me the wrong way. Another reason the first two films rate the highest for me, I far prefer the more mysterious and rogue Indy of the first two.

 

[Asta]

True. Pretty sure they're on record as being influenced by the Carl Barks Scrooge McDuck comics as well ...

View attachment 388953

The rolling boulder was originally inspired by a scene from The Perils of Pauline (1914), though I don't know whether Spielberg managed to find a copy of it when he was collecting old serial reels prior to ROTLA. So they may have come to that through the comic.

George Lucas was working on a new film project and called Steranko, inquiring if he’d be interested in creating a series of production illustrations, just as Ralph McQuarrie had done for the Star Wars movies…’It’s an old-fashioned movie, in the mode of a serial,’ Lucas explained. ‘It’s based on an old story idea of mine and what I’d really like to do is see that movie!’
…

Steranko flew out to the West Coast to meet with [Spielberg] and discuss his approach and inspirations. Spielberg was busy editing 1941 at a Burbank facility when the two men connected. After chatting for a while, the director suggested they continue at dinner and they piled in his car to drive to a nearby restaurant. His inspirations became immediately obvious: the back seat of the car was stacked with a multitude of film cans. Steranko noted a few of their titles: Spy Smasher and Zorro’s Fighting Legion, the serial reference Lucas had mentioned during the initial phone call.

…

Raiders was not, [Spielberg] explained, a suspense film. The plot was rooted in the action-adventure genre. The characters were larger than life; the locations were exotic, at times, bordering on the fantastic; and the set pieces were to be evocative of their period. Action, he stressed, was the keynote, and the plot was to feature enough cliffhangers to stock a serial – which accounted for the homework in the car, which Spielberg would survey to hone his handling of the script’s daredevil stuntwork and explosive movement.

Jim Steranko: Arte Noir, Jim Steranko, J. David Spurlock & Angel de la Calle (2002)



So much of the Indy films was taken directly from the cliffhangers, sometimes scene for scene.

A lot of TOD came from Jungle Girl (1941):

Shamba, the native witch doctor with his painted face, skulls, and buffalo-horned headress, could well be the model for Mola Ram.

He also uses a voodoo doll. Jungle Girl was set in Africa so it was a little out of place when this was transported to the India of TOD. Shamba, like Mola Ram also uses a secret door in his temple as an escape route.


There's a scene with the hero and heroine being chased through tunnels by a flood of water until they get to an opening in the cliff, which looks exactly like the scene in TOD as the water rushes past them.

There's an ore crusher as in TOD.

And a scene with a large artificial animal mouth that's similar to the dragon Willie dances in front of in Club Obi-Wan.

Plus a big gong appears!


That's just one serial. I've watched almost sixty of them, looking for the inspirations for Indy and Star Wars.


More of TOD can be seen in The Tiger Woman (1944). The first chapter, entitled "Temple of Terror", has a ceremonial killing of a trespasser by means of dropping him into the flaming lava pit beneath a throne room.

Later on there’s a mine cart chase through the tunnels, albeit a motorized one.

This serial also has a scene suggesting torture with a hot poker (Toht in ROTLA). And a scene in which oil is poured into a flooded subterannean setting and ignited, as in The Last Crusade. irt also has shoot-outs between racing speedboats.

 

[Dash]

The rolling boulder was originally inspired by a scene from The Perils of Pauline (1914), though I don't know whether Spielberg managed to find a copy of it when he was collecting old serial reels prior to ROTLA. So they may have come to that through the comic.



Jim Steranko: Arte Noir, Jim Steranko, J. David Spurlock & Angel de la Calle (2002)



So much of the Indy films was taken directly from the cliffhangers, sometimes scene for scene.

A lot of TOD came from Jungle Girl (1941):

Shamba, the native witch doctor with his painted face, skulls, and buffalo-horned headress, could well be the model for Mola Ram.

He also uses a voodoo doll. Jungle Girl was set in Africa so it was a little out of place when this was transported to the India of TOD. Shamba, like Mola Ram also uses a secret door in his temple as an escape route.


There's a scene with the hero and heroine being chased through tunnels by a flood of water until they get to an opening in the cliff, which looks exactly like the scene in TOD as the water rushes past them.

There's an ore crusher as in TOD.

And a scene with a large artificial animal mouth that's similar to the dragon Willie dances in front of in Club Obi-Wan.

Plus a big gong appears!


That's just one serial. I've watched almost sixty of them, looking for the inspirations for Indy and Star Wars.


More of TOD can be seen in The Tiger Woman (1944). The first chapter, entitled "Temple of Terror", has a ceremonial killing of a trespasser by means of dropping him into the flaming lava pit beneath a throne room.

Later on there’s a mine cart chase through the tunnels, albeit a motorized one.

This serial also has a scene suggesting torture with a hot poker (Toht in ROTLA). And a scene in which oil is poured into a flooded subterannean setting and ignited, as in The Last Crusade. irt also has shoot-outs between racing speedboats.

Oh, man! Thanks for that, Kuat. Now I'm going to be lost in the farthest depths of the rabbit hole researching those serials!

 

[Asta]

Oh, man! Thanks for that, Kuat. Now I'm going to be lost in the farthest depths of the rabbit hole researching those serials!

It was definitely a lot of fun!

The rolling boulder from The Perils of Pauline (1914):

Spoiler

Some Temple of Doom inspirations:

The Tiger Woman (1944):

Death by lava!

Jungle Girl (1941):

Shamba:

The voodoo doll:

An ore crusher:

The flooding tunnels:

And escape onto the ledge just in time:

The animal head that reminded me of Club Obi-Wan

And fromThe Tiger Woman that scene in Venice in The Last Crusade:

Perils of Nyoka (1942)

You can spot so many possible inspirations in dozens of serials, but this one leapt out at me from nowhere:


SOS Coast Guard (1937):

 

[Dash]

It was definitely a lot of fun!

The rolling boulder from The Perils of Pauline (1914):

Spoiler

Some Temple of Doom inspirations:

The Tiger Woman (1944):

Death by lava!

Jungle Girl (1941):

Shamba:

The voodoo doll:

An ore crusher:

The flooding tunnels:

And escape onto the ledge just in time:

The animal head that reminded me of Club Obi-Wan

And fromThe Tiger Woman that scene in Venice in The Last Crusade:

Perils of Nyoka (1942)

You can spot so many possible inspirations in dozens of serials, but this one leapt out at me from nowhere:


SOS Coast Guard (1937):

HUGE thanks for that info, Kuat! Even though you've (inadvertently) robbed me of an entire Sunday now that I'll be watching the bulk of the above on Youtube.

 

[Shadow Master]

Incredible how closely that matches up with so much of the series. Of all the Indy films, TOD is the one that really most embraced the pulpy roots of the character and I think it's part of why it works as well as it does.

 

[Asta]

Incredible how closely that matches up with so much of the series. Of all the Indy films, TOD is the one that really most embraced the pulpy roots of the character and I think it's part of why it works as well as it does.

They all get their fair share, but as you wrote TOD seemed to get a lot from just a couple of series.

I'm in the process of downloading a load of my old screencaps from Photobucket so I can get them up on Flickr to share.

 

[Asta]

Some ROTLA inspirations:

Spy Smasher (1942):

The hero in his trademark leather jacket:

The use of a map transition to portray a journey:

A flying wing:

And a fight on a flying wing:

Escaping in a vehicle through a hidden doorway:

Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943):

Whipping a gun out of a hand:

D**k Tracy Returns (1938):

While Stagecoach (1939) and Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) are famous for Yakima Canutt's stunt that gave rise to the German convoy scene in ROTLA, D**k Tracy Returns (1938) was inspirational as well:

D**k Tracy (1937):

A bigger flying wing:

 

[Asta]

D**k Tracy (1937) also provided bits of The Last Crusade:

An airship:

With aircraft attached:

A chase involving a motorcylce and sidecar:

A speedboat chase between ships closing together:

But the finale of this chase ended up in the trash compactor, so to speak...

 

[Asta]

The flooding tunnel in Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) has been cited as providing the shot selection/pacing for the flooding tunnel in TOD.

It also provided the title for an Indy videogame:

Serials were a mixed bag in terms of quality. The golden age was the 1930s to early 1940s. Republic's were generally the best. Later on they became cheaper and relied more upon stock footage from earlier serials.

Some of the stuntwork was pretty spectacular, in an age where a lot of it was done for real, and without much concern for safety.

King of the Texas Rangers (1941) embodies the spirit of Indiana Jones:

 

[Dash]

The flooding tunnel in Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) has been cited as providing the shot selection/pacing for the flooding tunnel in TOD.

It also provided the title for an Indy videogame:

Serials were a mixed bag in terms of quality. The golden age was the 1930s to early 1940s. Republic's were generally the best. Later on they became cheaper and relied more upon stock footage from earlier serials.

Some of the stuntwork was pretty spectacular, in an age where a lot of it was done for real, and without much concern for safety.

King of the Texas Rangers (1941) embodies the spirit of Indiana Jones:

THANKS again for ALL of the screenshots, Kuat! Awesome stuff!