Jungle Jim and Jungle Pam - Drag Racing Legends
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- Опубліковано 13 вер 2024
- Years before John Force arrived on the scene, drag racing's original flamboyant showman was "Jungle Jim" Liberman; a larger-than-life individual whose flaming burnouts, glib personality, and boundless energy helped endear him to fans in a manner that eluded other drivers with better winning records.
Liberman was much more than a touring professional; with his wild wheelstands, 100-mph backups from burnouts, stubborn refusal to lift on even the most out-of-shape runs, and his curvaceous companion, "Jungle Pam" Hardy, Liberman provided all the entertainment of a traveling circus.
Liberman's life, like the lives of many fast-living icons of youth such as James Dean, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin, was as short as it was fast-paced. He died at the age of 32 after suffering fatal injuries in a head-on collision with a bus on Sept. 9, 1977. His premature passing left a void in the sport that wasn't replaced until Force's explosive personality emerged in the late 1980s.
Today, the legend of "Jungle Jim" lives on with "Jungle Pam," his constant companion in his heyday who titillated race fans with her skimpy outfits and provocative on-track actions.
"At every race track that I go to," said Hardy, "everyone comes up and asks for my autograph. They ask what he was like and if he was as crazy as they've heard. The fans really miss him, and they miss the fun part of drag racing. The sport has become so professional now that there's no room for any of that anymore."
"I was just 18 when I met him. I was still attending high school in West Chester, Pa., and had never been further away from home than the next town over. I was walking down the street one day, and here comes this yellow Corvette speeding down the street. This guy walks out, comes up to me, and says, "Hi, I'm Jim."
I had never been to a drag race before, but the next thing I knew, we we're heading for his match race in Xenia, Ohio. He showed me how to back him up after the burnouts, and from then on, my life was just a whirlwind tour all over the country."
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song "American Girl" was released in 1977, the same year Jungle Jim passed away.
Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die
Tryin' she had one little promise
She was gonna keep
Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
It was kind of cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
She could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441
Like waves crashin' in the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it's so painful
Something that's so close
And still so far out of reach
Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
This video was created from clips from the Diamond P video "Fabulous Floppers" and photos that I took of some of Jungle Jim's cars at 131 Dragway back in the '60s. The photos of Jungle Jim and Pam at 1:48, 1:53 and 1:59 are courtesy of Tom McCrea tmccrea. Photo at 2:36 is by Steve Scott. Other pictures are from unknown photographers.
I remember those days in the late 60's early 70's in my opinion were the "Golden years" of drag racing" I grew up following everything drag racing back then, It was really great to revisit those days gone by......Jungle Jim, Don Prudhomme, Tom McKewen, Bill 'Grumpy" Jenkits, Don Garlits, etc.....thanks for the memories.....
Both Jim and Pam were "wow factors" who made drag racing events worth traveling to see. They truly complimented each other and were in fact a damn good team who are treasured in many hearts. This video is an awesome peek at the great times back then!
I seriously doubt that folks knew the history that Jim and Pam were making back then. I mean how would they? How could they? Only now do we fully realize the incredible impact they had on barnstorm racing and the loss of one of the most talented drivers ever.
"Drag Racing Is Farrr out!!!"
Russell James Liberman 1945 - 1977
You are sorely missed!!!..
I remember those days It's hell getting old
@William Brown Same here... Used to go to Seattle for "64 Funny Cars" Those were the days...
U boys still have to squat to piss. she don't
clncts
aer
The greatest time for drag racing!
Jim and pams contribution to growing the sport of drag racing is massive,
Show me a teenager that didn't look pam up and down real hard, or a man who didn't envy jims life.
But beyond the visual appeal they both worked bloody hard to be be good at what they did,but had fun doing it when they could and understood the showmanship side of the sport.
What a wonderful tribute to Jim and Pam. I was there for those magic moments,although we didnt know it at the time. You captured the time and place and mood. Thank you for the memories. Well done! JJ, you rule, still!
Glad I grew up in the 60's and 70's.
Me too! Unforgettable memories ‼️
My God I miss these days!
Excellent video Sir .Did We Get to go and see these titans of Drag Racing . Yes We Did and it was just the Best Racing ever. With All The Best Drivers and Cars ,Bikes , Wheel Standers, Jets and Rockets. Jungle Jim and Pam , were always Family members Like all the Drivers and Techs and everyone that Were part of the Greatest Show On Earth .From street racers ,like Grandma in her Cadillac Racing with the air conditioning on. At Orange County Raceway to The top fuel Drags and Funny cars. The Smell of the Spinning Tires Was Always the best and we couldn't wait to get the first wiff of that and take a deep breath with a smile and a nod of oh yea give me more. Thanks again for the Excellent Video .
Love the vintage funny cars . You don't see the burnouts that these guys used to do anymore. Pure white smoke billowing out ,completely
obscuring the inside of the car ,all the way to half track. Jungle Jim was pure showmanship.
Jim had the two best rides of the drag circus. ;-)
New England Dragway 1972. Saw Don Garlits before he blew half of his foot off, TV Tommy Ivo, Shirley Muldowney before she became famous, Don Prudhomme, chaiTown Hustler, the Hawaiian, Sox & Martin, grumpy Jenkins, Hemi under glass, Little Red Wagon, I saw Led Zeppelin 70 + 73. Saw the Ford GTs win at LeMans, on Wild World of Sports. Muhammad Ali, Bobby Orr, Jim Clark, Mark Donahue, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Armstrong, Watkins Glen in 73. I could go on and on but my point is I'm so glad I lived the years I lived it was so so good. Don't get me wrong there were really tough times too. It was Live and Let Live back then .Not like the hatred of today.
You're absolutely right about that, I'm glad I've lived most of my life and got to do it back when men were men and women loved em for it, now it's nothing but finger pointing BS, just like this clown who just got caught recently staging an attack on himself so he could cry racism and homophobia, if someone isn't making a victim out of them so they can finger point they'll invent it if they have to.
I lived in Pomona during the 60s and could hear them race from my house, too bad it all went to hell in a handbasket! Cherish those days.
hello ya. wish I could relive the 70's.good good old days. not like the bull shit now. all this killing 💔 now days. schools churchs an all. can't go any place.movies.thanks for sharing that with me. take care an have a bless day.
Man, I wish had my ole stingray bike back with a banana seat and a sissy bar. I would clothes pin a fresh King of Diamands card to the forks and listen to the sweet sound of it riding the spokes... Simple pleasures back then brother.
@@richardyoung4616 I lived three miles from Irwindale and like you could hear them from the house. Best Saturdays of my young life were spent at Irwindale, Lions & OCIR !
Thanks for posting this! I've watched it maybe ten times. I lived through those racing days and it was amazing! Brings back great memories.
Exactly what I wanted to say as well---you've saved this "older-in-age-only" fella a LOT of typing!
My arthritic joints say Thank You...!!! :)
MAN O MAN I HAD A CRUSH ON HER!! .... Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
Who can ever forget "That Pair" if you got my meaning !!! The Drag Racing days of the 1960s to 70s I think was the best. : )
They were the best at the time......And he was a A 1 show man...
In the early 70s my father actually let jungle Jim drive his nitro Harley and in turn was able to take his funny car on a run. A family story that won't be forgotten.
The 66 Nova A/FX car was my favorite of his. Pam guiding him back was the cherry on top.
English Town, match Race Madness--waited all week to see the show---
Jungle Jim, Bruce Larson, Arnie The Farmer Beswick, Altered Wheelbases--
The out of control cars, the Smoky burn outs, Nitro in the air, Wheel stands----
Boy....do I miss those days!!!!
Even though I was a Mopar man, Arnie was my hero. the first funny in the 8's and he had no factory sponsorship. Remember when Americans had that 'can do' attitude, what happened?
I love the classic cars. The cars and drivers had such personality back then. A video like this reminds me how techno-sterile everything is today. The cars may be faster but the 70's were more thrilling. Thanks for a great step back in time.
Fantastic pictures and videos! I was always a Ford guy but one MUST appreciate all of the cars in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Simply incredible!! Thank you!!
a great guy and what can i say that hasnt been said about pam hardy. one gorgeous lady. i thank you for bringing back this fun we had growing up in the 60s.
I have 2 older brothers 9 and 11 years older. Jims age and they took my twin brother and I to the drags back in the early 70s and this hit me hard, how cool it was and brought me back those old memories, so exciting. When you are 9-10-11 etc street racing in their 409 and ss 396 camaro and 64 Vette. It caused me to have a 40 year career in the Corvette business during and since college. No one fit in, or added more to that scene than Jim and Pam! Soooo Coool
Drag racing's glory days. Brings back a lot of memories. Pam was a true beauty. Makes me smile just to see the pics.
I remember them well. Saw Jim run many times at Englishtown in the 60's and 70's and PAM was always with her guy. Thanks for posting a look back at once was. RIP Jim
That is a great tribute. Who can forget him or her. We were all so young and totally American.
Like Pam said in her interview, no one will ever replace Jungle Jim in any way or form because he was a very unique man in his sport as was Pam in what she did to help him.
The greatest match racer!
My favorite driver of all time.
Thanks So much for the montage video. I am fortunate enough to say I met them both back in the day and had my picture taken with them. It hangs on the wall in my office and has its own place of honor among all my other good old days of Drag Racing memories. Good honest Racers who always had time to say hello.
The Golden Years of drag racing. Before NHRA stood for "No Hot Rodders Allowed." The top drivers could be found walking around in the pits instead of sequestered in multimillion $$ RV's roped off from us common folk. Super Stocks ran at national events. NHRA is sooo homogenized now. Doubt if the suits would even tolerate a Jungle Jim and Pam anymore. What a pair those 2 were.
"What a pair those 2 were". You got that right
Don Garlits at Byron in an oil soaked white t-shirt after doing the rebuild on his lower end while Don Prudhome drank a pop and cussed his crew to get the car ready for the next round. Shirley signing autographs.................. The BIG was THE DADDY.
not all drivers are like that, I met antron brown walking around
I got the punchline lols yes when Women were real looking top too bottom.
Agree my husband told me about them days when you could walk up and offer a beer too them.The cars now days are boring looking yes they are fast but there are no more wild paint jobs that made them stand out from the others don't hear of jets vs funny cars anymore or wheel standers.
First jungle Jim, then John Force, and now Clay Millican is the face of drag racing today!, well done
Excellent Tribute 👍
I loved those days! Never again!
use to watch Jungle Jim race at Vargo drag strip in line lexington pa. Dad would take me and charlie in and sneek us in the trunk of our old 55 chevy.Man they were the days ! Thanks for the blast from the past
Kudos to this great man & his woman!
Great showman/woman gave fans their money's worth; he had nerves of steel&brass balls!.
Bingo!
Jungle Jim was pure awesome. You have to love the old vintage funny cars. I go to our local track to watch them run whenever they show up this way.
Saw Jungle Jim at Great Lakes Dragaway driving the Chevy 2. Always ran balls to the wall.
Hell yes.....best flopper driver ever...never lifted...always the showman....Wild Willie Borsch needed a hero so god created Jungle Jim......
I saw them to! I lived in Rolling Meadows Illinois
I may or may have not been guilty of self pleasuring as a teen to JP’s pictures 👍🏻👍🏻
I liked the glasses she wore (my librarian fantasy ;-)
Nice to see Pam is doing well
RIP JJ🙏🏻🏁
Thank-You very much. They were certainly a team- with each other winners and without he was just another racer.. well done
Half Moon Bay - late 60's - I was there. So was the NOVA. Thanks for the great memories
This was the shit I grew up with,she was on my bedroom wall when I was 15,man.
Great video and excellent music choice. It brought back memories of the 70's at the Rock
can never forget those flaming burnouts at atco maple grove cecial couny raceway just glad to been a part of it in that era thanks
awesome, those were the days of fun in drag racing
Hot girls and drag racing. What more could you ask for...
A time machine:)
guns lol
Oswego dragway in the 60's as a kid. Helluva show they put on! Will remember it forever, .............................
forever.
You have no idea how much a comment like that means to me! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to watch this video!
John
Thank you very much for this video this man was the best!
The best of times!
Great Job John these are people I idolized as a kid and still do. Sad to say they were out of the game by the time I was old enough to travel to national events. Thanks for posting this!!
best flopper driver ever...never lifted...always the showman....Wild Willie Borsch needed a hero so god created Jungle Jim......
And the rest of the world wonders why we love the ol' US of A so much.
:) ♡♡♡
I grew up in the 60s & 70s. I never met anybody that was depressed. Occasionally, people might be unhappy but that didn't last long, not when you had fast cars and good looking babes like Jungle Pam.
Outstanding set of pic memories here John, great choice on the music too...Your Stuff Rocks Sir! : )'
My father use to take me to the drag strip down at Englishtown/Oldbridge N.J. back in the early 70"s.I distinctly remembering Jungle Jim being there,the good ol days. The legend will live on in infimy! Nobody has matched him yet,never will.
History at it's finest!! Damn good ol days that are long gone and never reproduced! Cheers to the real good ol days. :)
Wed night match race madness Jungle came late rolled the car off the trailor filled the tank with nitro and rolled up to the start carried the front wheels for at least 200 feet .....LEGENDARY.
Awsome video!!! Yes the best on youtube. Jim was my idol and i loved him as a kid. Got me into racing. Thanks for such a great post, and R.I.P. great one...
Went to Englishtown every year for about 10 years straight for the Summernationals back in the 70s. Saw plenty of Jungle Jim and even more of Jungle Pam :) back then. Another poster below referenced Capital Raceway--they used to run the nitro funny cars every other Saturday, it was awesome. I live in VA, but it only took about 45 mins to get to Capital Raceway. Spent *many* a Sat night there breathin' in the nitro fumes lol.
We would all go to Connecticut Dragway every Sunday during the 70s! Saw them all! Went to Englishtown a few times! He was my favorite, miss him to death Ct dragways gone, sucks
all, I can say,is they had their shit together. thanks for sharing. love to watch it over an over.have a bless day.
Awesome Video tribute! R.I.P. Jungle Jim I know your rumblin out there still somewhere Brother! ;)
Connecticut Dragway late 60s and early 70s my buddies and I were obsessed with Funny Cars and used to talk to Frank Marrata , who owned the track, about who he could book for the summer holiday shows. He was always accommodating to us and even let us watch f/c with him on the grass so we could get pics. One of the fondest memories of my life.
Thanks for posting this! RIP Jungle Jim.
Shelton dragstrip- fantastic races and drivers- Jerry Ruth and many others. Sneaking in thru the woods. Great track and the best years of my life!
Spent many a weekend at US 30 outside Gary, Indiana. Drove out from Chicago and stayed until it they started letting anyone run and you would actually get a time slip showing your top speed and time. Nobody cares about insurance and all that, if you blew something, it was a long way back to Chi. For $1 more you could get a pit pass and walk around and talk to Dick Landy, Dickie Herald, Ronnie Sox and others. And they would actually talk to you and listen. They were approachable. Competing drivers would actually help if you had a problem. I never ran, never had a car that would have turned under 18 but I had a great time and it didn't cost much, I think admission was 4 dollars and 1 dollar for the pit. I saw Pam close up and it was worth the admission.
You hit on something there when you said (APPROCHABLE). I met BIG DADDY at a car show in Canada, and found him to be a little rude (NO JOKE). I simply asked him if everything in his career had gone the way he wanted, and he got very angry. Didn't mean to make him upset at all, I find most famous people these days to be very uptight. I also met TWIG ZEIGLER that same day and he was very nice.
I don't think anyone could of put a better combo of music and drag racing together! Awesome man...Definately missed out on the great days of racing.
I was glad I had these times!
Wow, just wow. I remember building one of his model cars when I was like 12 years old, now I'm 52 lol. Awesome, truly, thanks for the memories. Remember the Snake and the Mongoose? I still watch drag racing every chance I can, that's why I saw you're video.
California Kar Kulture is what made drag racing great! It's so sterile now, all the funnies look the same, can't really tell what they are but in the good old days you could tell a Ford from a Chevy or Mopar. Drag racing has no soul like it did back then. And for Jungle Pam? What can you say, a true icon and one heck of a sexy woman. Thanks Pam for making drag racing even more fun for us guys.
Cheers
This is without a doubt the best video I have seen on UA-cam. As Pam has said "the circus has left town", drag racing in no where near what is was in the 60s and 70s. Shame.
I love those old drag racing video keep up the great work
seeing these kind of vids really makes me think I was born in the wrong decade man, I would give anything ANYTHINg to be able to go back in time just for a day and meet Jim, pam, Landy, And all the greats back in Drags Hey day
FANTASTIC VIDEO. Incredible guy, car, chick, and ERA. I had a Revell model of Jungle Jim's car... just cannot recall which car. I loved building it.
GREAT MEMORIES.....GREAT VIDEO !
Well put together there John, thanks dude, what days!
Excellent Video! Made me feel like 13 again. I was lucky enough to see them at Atco Raceway in NJ as a kid. What a showman (And woman, WOW). They were worth the price of admission alone! I sure miss those days...
What a Tragedy Lost he his life in Traffic Accident at just 31, gone but not forgotten one of the Great legends of Drag Racing.
"DRAG RACING IS FARRRRRRRRRRRRRR OUUUUUUUUUUUUT!" - JUNGLE JIM
Great Job. Thanks for posting.
1st lady of drag racing bless u pam
These two were quite a show back in their day, a lot of fun !!
bingo!
Super cool video. I love drag racing and my first memories of drag racing were of jungle Jim and Pam. Those memories shaped a lot who I am today. Still number one to me. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Jungle Pam, for the memories. The '70s, high school, fast cars, and hot women. It was too cool, I'll say I was a blessed teenage gearhead. But walked away, and went in the military, but I still count myself blessed,,,
God Speed Jungle Pam where ever you are,,,
Semper Fi
Wow, just wow... great stills and what has to be some really rare footage too. You've made a fantastic historic video here, really nice job. I used to see Jungle Jim when I was young and your video really captures that time. Thanks, I really appreciate this vid!
Match racing back then was pure entertainment so many cool people and cars I remember this fondly those cats knew how to put on a show I remember the radio announcer Saturday night Houston International drag way big funny car match race haha still makes me smile
I made many runs in Maryland and Va back from 65 to 72 running small block Chevelles. A 1970 Chevelle turning 11.30's in the quarter mile with a built 350 put together by Mousey Brown who was a great S/S Camaro runner. Saturday night at Capital Raceway and Sundays at Aquasco Speedway God I miss them days
Mousey Brown, Bushwacker (he had "you've just been wacked off" across the back of his Nova), Black AA fueler named Rambling Rosebud with a black hemi Dodge push car, ah Capitol in the 60s and early 70s. I'll bet I watched you race more than once Skypony. No dialing in. I ran I stock automatic in my 68 Nova.
He was great! Seen him and Pam!
kool ☺ yes sir...Yer doin' a great thing there , Thanx again for takin' yer time , in th preservation of history & what made our life what they are,,,,very nice ☺☺
R.I.P Jim! you were a great man and a legend!
The older I get the more grateful I am that I grew up in the 70s , Jungle Pam was a visual treasure 🛞🏁😍
Great song and a great driver ... What a show man...
Chuck Casey
I grew up with Jim Liberman and he was just as wild as a teenager. His father who was an engineer at Lockheed in Sunnyvale Ca would get mad at Jim every time Jim would take the engine off of their lawnmower and put it in a go-cart or scooter which was made out of galvanized pipe. He started drag racing at Fremont Drag Strip in the early 60's with a 57 Chevy with a 409CID and later with a 62 or 63 ChevyII Nova. During those years he became friends with Lew Arrington and they built the first Brutus GTO Funny car. We also knew Clair Sanders who at the time drove the "Limefire Baracuda" and who later drove for Jim when was running a two car team. I also worked for Jim one summer and stayed with them in West Chester. At that time he was married to Jungle Bobby (Roberta) and Randy their son was just a toddler. One time during that summer I was driving the slope bed Dodge truck that carried the race car, fuel, oil and spare parts. We were all loaded up and heading to Columbus OH for a match race, we came off the freeway and was headed down into Wheeling WVA. At the bottom of the hill was the Ohio river so you had to go left or right with a stop light. If I remember correctly there were one or two cars stopped at the light and no one coming up the hill in the other lane. This truck had an auto trans, drum brakes and a parking brake that tightened a band around the driveshaft. As said, I was driving, Pete the other mechanic was sitting on the passenger side and Jim and Roberta were in the sleeper behind Pete and I. as we started down our speed increased so I went to apply the brakes and the peddle went right to the floor. Lucky for us no one was coming up on the other side so with horn honking and Jim yelling pump the peddle, which I was at a very rapid pace and Pete waving the other cars to stay back and Roberta yelling OMG-OMG-OMG we made it around the corner in the other lane of traffic. Through the whole ordeal Jim was laughing which got us all laughing. We got the truck stopped fixed the brakes and carried on to Columbus. I remember many good times at the Liberman house with Jim, brother Bob and Jims mom and dad.
Wow! Cool collection of pics and vid. She looks as hot as the burn outs! Thanks and RIP Jungle Jim.
I love those old altered wheel-base Funny Cars.
I remember going to Capitol Raceway in Crofton,MD in 1970-71 to see Jungle Jim at the "King Of The Burnouts" Drag racing event.I had a Jungle Jim T-Shirt that was my Trophy back in the day..........My All time Favorite.......Ears Still Ringing.....
The heyday era came and went in the blink of an eye. What we can learn from these days is to live each day one at a time, because tomorrow is only one day away and the future is never ever guaranteed!!
Excellent slideshow and video mix. Not to mention an incredible tribute to the late great Jungle Jim and of course, Pam... wowza!
He made a set of headers for my 1966 Chevy ll L-79 while he was working at Goodies speed shop. I really liked his 62 Chevy ll BRUTUS. And I loved Jungle Pam out there. They were really something else, those two. Good times.
you're only young once,you gotta live like there's no tomorrow,cause there ain't.I didn't happen to hear what happened to JIM, I know him and PAM had a lot of fun draggin round the country,to die in a bus accident is the irony of running flat out and never draw blood,strange life,and its ending,RIP JIM