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More than twenty years later, Raiders of the Lost Ark is still the pinnacle of achievement for both director Steven Spielberg and writer/editor/executive producer George Lucas. Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult Dr. Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. Government to find the Hebrew Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to still hold the ten commandments. Unfortunately, agents of Hitler are also after the Ark. Indy (Harrison Ford), and his ex-flame Marion (Karen Allen), escape from various cliffhangers in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo to the Greek Islands and back to the United States.

Marion was the only child of Dr Abner Ravenwood, an archeologist obsessed with the Ark of the Covenant. Dr Ravenwood taught at the University of Chicago where one of his most talented students was Indiana Jones. Jones, however, also proved to be talented with women and their profesional relationship ended when he broke Marion's heart. Marion had been a teenager then and she hated him in the years to come. Her life became even harder when her father died in an avalanche in the Himalayas. He left her broke in Nepal where she had to struggle on her own to survive. Marion worked for two years in a dusty bar in Patan. Initially, she probably prostituted herself until the owner of the bar went mad and she became the owner. She renamed the bar the Raven Saloon and managed to get by, though she wasn't able to accumulate enough money to return to the states. 		Raiders


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Raiders of the Lost Ark in 30 seconds (and re-inacted by bunnies)

Will Karen Allen reprise her Marion Ravenwood role in the next Indiana Jones Movie?
On July 7-8, 2006, Karen attended a 25th Anniversary screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark and did a Q&A afterward. Here's a summary of what she said about the history and future of Indiana Jones.
Also, check the Karen Allen News Page for all the latest facts and rumors! 		[Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Soundtrack]

Raiders Poster

Bunnies Raiders

Raiders of the Lost Ark Reviews
1981 Oscar® Nominations for Raiders of the Lost Ark:
  • Best Picture (Lost to Chariots of Fire)
  • Directing - Steven Spielberg (Lost to Warren Beatty for Reds)
  • Cinematography - Douglas Slocombe (Lost to Reds)
  • Music (Original Score) - John Williams (Lost to Vangelis)
  • Film Editing - Michael Kahn
  • Art Direction Art Direction - Leslie Dilley and Norman Reynolds; Set Decoration - Michael Ford
  • Sound - Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman
  • Visual Effects - Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston
  • Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing) - Benjamin P. Burtt, Jr. and Richard L. Anderson

  • At the 1982 Academy Awards, Karen Allen read the nominees and presented the Oscars for Art Direction/Set Decoration to Leslie Dilley, Norman Reynolds and Michael Ford (March 29, 1982).
  • Also at the 1982 Academy Awards, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd were slated to present the first ever Visual Effects Award, but Belushi died two weeks prior to the event. Though devastated, Aykroyd presented the award alone, commenting on stage "My partner would have loved to have been here to present this award, given that he was something of a visual effect himself."
Other Awards for Raiders of the Lost Ark:
  • With domestic revenues of $242,374,454 Raiders of the Lost Ark was the top-grossing film of 1981.
  • The American Film Institute's countdown of the 100 most thrilling movies of all time put Raiders of the Lost Ark at #10. Fan voting placed it at #2, behind Star Wars. (June 12, 2001)
  • The Writers' Guild of America's selection of the 101 Greatest Screenplays put Raiders of the Lost Ark at #42. Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. (April 6, 2006)
  • Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Films, USA (1982)
  • Saturn Award for Best Actor (Harrison Ford) Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Films, USA (1982)
  • Saturn Award for Best Actress (Karen Allen) Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Films, USA (1982)
  • Golden Globe Nomination for Best Director (Steven Spielberg) (1982)
  • Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special (John Williams) (1982)
  • People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Film British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Award for Best Production Design / Art Direction (Norman Reynolds) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Cinematography (Douglas Slocombe) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Editing (Michael Kahn) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Original Film Music (John Williams) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Sound (Ben Burtt Roy Charman Bill Varney) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • BAFTA Nomination for Best Supporting Artist (Denholm Elliott) British Academy Awards (1982)
  • Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film (Michael Kahn) American Cinema Editors (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark Scripts and Commentaries Raiders of the Lost Ark Fan Fiction and Essays featuring Marion Ravenwood 		Simpsons -Raiders Of The Lost Fridge
Raiders of the Lost Ark Pictures Marion autographed prints
Raiders of the Lost Ark Cast Biography

Karen Allen Bio at indianajones.com

Raiders of the Lost Ark Sound Clips

Raiders of the Lost Ark Notes

Then there's [Indy's] damsel-who's-not-always-in-distress, Marion. Sure, she screams from time-to-time, but she's no wallflower. The punch she delivers to Indy may be the hardest one thrown in the movie, and she's no less gentle with the bad guys. Karen Allen plays the part with spirit and spunk, and the attraction between the two leads is palpable. Marion is heads-and-shoulders above the other two women Indy flirted with, and her absence is one of the key missing ingredients from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Here's hoping she returns if there's an Indiana Jones 4, with just as much fire.

A Film Review by James Berardinelli - November 5, 2003

On the release of the Indiana Jones DVDs, Karen commented on her costar: "For me, Harrison [Ford] was kind of my guide. He was the flashlight in the darkness for me, because I could sit back and watch how he worked in this type of filmmaking, which is very technical for an actor an awful lot of the time."

CBS News The Early Show - October 17, 2003

Karen Allen still laments missing her chance for a full-fledged buss. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ford asks Allen to kiss his bumps and bruises "to make them all better," she says. "So I'm kissing him, and I go to kiss him on the lips, and he passes out! I got ripped off!"

People - "The Sexiest Man Alive 1998"

"Q: She knocked out Indy with one punch in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Who is she?
A: Karen Allen"

People - April 12, 1993, page 100

"Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -- This is the movie that the old Saturday matinee serial cliffhangers never had the budget or exuberance to be. Steven Spielberg sends Harrison Ford's fedora-topped, bullwhip-wielding archaeologist, Indiana Jones, roller-coastering after nothing less than the Ark of the Covenant, with Karen Allen shrieking loyally alongside as they take on Nazis, snakes and lots of sand."

Boston Globe - April 19, 1991, page 46

Spy, in its January 1990 issue, published the results of a poll of 450 people regarding celebrities. Favorite celeb: Mel Gibson. More interestingly, only 19 percent knew that Karen Allen was the female lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

"Karen Allen was the model for the modern heroine in Raiders of the Lost Ark."
People - July 24, 1989, page 24

"The love interest, who once was played by Karen Allen in the role of a Yankee adventuress, has degenerated into Alison Doody as an Aryan slut."

The Nation - June 19, 1989, page 862

USA Today "Indy's Other Partners in Love and Adventure" - June 13, 1989, page 2D

A fictional explanation why Karen Allen wasn't in either of the Indiana Jones sequels.

"The film makers seem to have given up the job of finding a suitable woman for Indiana after they retired Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood from Raiders."

Sheila Benson, Times Film Critic, Los Angeles Times - May 24, 1989

George Lucas explains why Karen Allen wasn't in either of the Indiana Jones sequels.

Los Angeles Times "Indiana's `Joans' " - May 23, 1989, page 1, Calendar section.


"Karen Allen supposes they are going to make the [second] sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark without her. But not because she dragged her feet or was hard to get in negotiations to bring back the original cast. She says Steven Spielberg simply has never even asked her or approached her agent about the sequel, which again will star Harrison Ford. Meanwhile, the actress has other things on her mind, such as her honeymoon with actor Kale Browne. They married May 1 in New England."

Liz Smith, May 10, 1988


"Steven Spielberg will attempt to do the impossible - bring back all the same actors from his Raiders of the Lost Ark for the next installment, Raiders III. (Of course, he can't bring back the characters who were killed in the original plot.) To have Harrison Ford agree to reprise his role as Indiana Jones, Spielberg now must reassemble the original smash-hit cast. Denholm Elliott is among those who already have said they will return. Now everyone is trying to persuade Karen Allen, who had a rather rugged time making the first one. Will she or won't she agree to come back? Sean Connery has signed on to portray a new character, the father of Indiana Jones. Filming begins in Spain next month."

Liz Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer - April 5, 1988


"Capshaw had heard stories of Spielberg playing practical jokes on Karen Allen, Indy's romantic interest in the original Raiders.

" 'I told [Steven Spielberg] that I have to trust my director completely or I just can't work, so I didn't want him dropping snakes on my head or whatever he did with Karen. He promised he wouldn't, and he didn't.' "

Rick Lyman, Philadelphia Inquirer - May 27, 1984

". . . Harrison Ford must defeat the Raiders of the Lost Ark before finding romance with Karen Allen. She's simply an afterthought. As in the movies of old, despite her two-fisted personality, Allen's purpose is simply as someone for Ford to kiss at film's end."

Boston Globe - June 23, 1983

"All right, Raiders of the Lost Ark fans, here's the news you've been waiting for: The not-a-sequel sequel to Raiders now has a name.

"Paramount Pictures announced last week that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death would go before the cameras in April.

"Producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg have repeatedly emphasized that this is not a follow-up to the original Raiders. But that is not to say there won't be similarities. Harrison Ford will return to his role as the adventurous whip-cracking archaeologist Jones; however, Raiders' leading lady, Karen Allen, was not mentioned."

Philadelphia Inquirer - March 17, 1983
 Raiders Poster

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death - the long-awaited nonsequel to Raiders of the Last Ark will go before the cameras in April. Producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg have repeatedly emphasized that this is not a followup to the original Raiders. Ah, but there will be be similarities. Harrison Ford will return to his role as the adventurous, whip-cracking archeologist Jones. However, Raiders leading lady Karen Allen was not mentioned in the Paramount announcement."
Boston Globe - March 14, 1983
 [Indiana Jones Pinball]

There is a pinball arcade game with Karen Allen's picture on it, called Indiana Jones -- The Pinball Adventure, from Williams. The pictures on the game are similar to the movie poster, but Karen's likeness is much better on the pinball game.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Trivia
  • The opening Paramount Pictures logo fades into a shot of a very similar but real mountain peak.
  • Tom Selleck was originally cast as Indiana Jones, but he was already committed to CBS-TV to do Magnum, P. I.. Interestingly, a Hollywood writers strike delayed the start of production on Magnum, P. I. until after Raiders had finished filming. Karen auditioned with several different Indy's including Tom Selleck, Jeff Bridges, Tim Matheson and others. Nick Nolte was also offered the role of Indiana Jones, but turned it down.
  • The role of Marion Ravenwood was written for Spielberg's girlfriend Amy Irving, but they had broken up before casting began. Debra Winger and Barbara Hershey were offered the part of Marion, but they both turned it down. Karen also says that George Lucas was instrumental in casting her.
    		• [Amy Irving]
  • Filming began June 23, 1980 and lasted into September of that year.
  • Indiana Jones' name comes from the name of George Lucas' dog and is a play on Steve McQueen's character's name in Nevada Smith.
  • Indiana Jones never loses his hat because it was thought that such a thing would cause problems with continuity. This was a common technique, going back to the early westerns, to make it difficult to tell when you were seeing a stunt double. In some scenes the hat was actually kept on with double-sided tape. The hat became a running joke throughout the series.
  • An early draft of the script had Indy traveling to Shanghai to recover a piece of the Staff of Ra. During his escape from the museum where it was housed, he sheltered from machine gun fire behind a giant rolling gong. Also in the same script, Indy and Marion flee the chaos caused by the opening of the Ark in a wild mine-cart chase sequence. Both of these scenes were cut from the script, but ended up in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
  • Jock's sea-plane at the beginning has the registration number "OB-3PO", referring to Obi-Wan Kenobi and C-3PO from Star Wars.
    		• [Indiana Jones University]
  • The building used for one of the exterior shots of the university is the large music conservatory on the campus of The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. It is right down the street from where much of American Graffiti was filmed.
  • When Indy gets on the plane on his way to Nepal, the Nazi agent (played by ILM's special effects guru Dennis Muren) is reading a Life magazine. It is Volume 1, Number 2, dated November 30th, 1936. Pages 42 and 43 are dedicated to the water color paintings of Adolf Hitler.
    		• [Life]
  • The map of Asia used to show Indy's path to Nepal shows the country of Thailand. However, at the time of the film (1936) that nation was still called Siam.
  • Renowned British wrestler Pat 'Bomber' Roach gets killed twice in this film - once as a giant Sherpa left in the burning Nepalese bar and once as the German mechanic chewed up by the plane's propeller. Roach, who appeared in all three of the Indiana Jones films, said in a recent interview that he would love to be in any future episode.
  • Exterior footage of the DC3 airplane carrying Indy and Marion across Asia is borrowed from the 1973 remake of Lost Horizon.
  • During filming in Tunisia, nearly everyone in the cast and crew got sick, except director Steven Spielberg. It is thought that he avoided illness by eating only the food he'd brought with him: cans and cans of Spaghetti-O's.
  • The monkey raising his paw and saying (in his own language) "Heil Hitler!" was thought up by Lucas and is Speilberg's favorite scene.
  • The script originally included a long fight between the huge swordsman and Indiana with his whip. Harrison Ford was suffering from diarrhea at the time, and asked "Why can't I just shoot him?" so they filmed that instead.
  • The truck that Indy thought had Marion in it was flipped over by firing a section of telephone pole through the floorboards.
  • In filming the Well of Souls sequence, the producers scoured every pet shop in London and the South of England for every snake they could lay their hands on. Hence there are snakes that are identifiable from many different geographical areas. However, once all the snakes were on set, it became clear that there were not nearly enough of them, so Spielberg had several hoses cut into lengths, and these were used as well. Looking closely, you can tell which are the real snakes and which are not.
  • The hieroglyphics in the map room included engravings of R2-D2 and C-3PO. They can be seen on a post to the right of Indy and Sallah as they remove the Ark.
  • Contrary to reports, Karen Allen was not afraid of snakes.
  • Karen Allen (Marion) and Paul Freeman (Belloq), both classically trained actors, were both unhappy with the way their tent scene was written. So they went off by themselves and rewrote the entire scene.
  • Producer Frank Marshall has a cameo as the pilot of the flying wing.
  • In order to get good close-ups, Harrison Ford did some of the scenes himself where Indy is dragged behind the truck. When asked if he was worried about getting hurt, Ford quipped: "No. If it really were dangerous, they would have filmed more of the movie first." Unfortunately, he did badly bruise his ribs while filming the scene.
  • Wendy Leech was the stunt double for Karen Allen (and Kate Capshaw). She is married to Vic Armstrong, who was the stunt double for Harrison Ford.
    		• [Frank Marshall]
  • The film reused the submarine model from Das Boot.
  • The scene where Indy threatens to blow up the Ark with a bazooka as it is being carried through a canyon was filmed in the same canyon in Tunisia used in Star Wars when R2-D2 was zapped and stolen by Jawas.
  • A fly can be seen crawling into Belloq's mouth (and not reappearing) when Indy is threatening the Ark with a bazooka. Actually, the editors took out a couple of frames when the fly flew off, just to make it appear he ate the fly.
  • The crate in which the Ark is placed at the end of the movie has the number 9906753.
    		• [Das Boot Boat]
  • The musical theme for the Ark of the Covenant is heard several times throughout the film. Each time, it either trails off, segues into a different theme, or modulates into a different key. Only at the climax of the film is the entire theme heard and resolved in its original key.
  • Indiana Jones's kangaroo-hide bullwhip was sold in December, 1999 at Christie's auction house in London for $43,000.
  • Director Steven Spielberg was quoted as saying: "I made it as a B-movie. . . I didn't see the film as anything more than a better made version of the Republic serials."

    Marion Ravenwood Action Figure

    In 1982, Kenner produced its first series of action figures based on Raiders of the Lost Ark. The four figures included Indiana Jones (with whip), Marion Ravenwood (right, with monkey), Toht, and the Cairo Swordsman. The Marion figure today is quite rare, often trading for $250 or more. There were also two unreleased figures of Marion.
    		• [Marion Figure]

    Raiders of the Lost Ark Soundtrack:

    On November 21, 1995 the complete 75-minute soundtrack CD of Raiders of the Lost Ark was released by DCC. Here's the complete line-up for the Raiders CD from DCC.
    • The Raiders March (short version)
    • Main Title: South America, 1936 (new)
    • In the Idol's Cave (contains new material)
    • Escape from Peru
    • Journey to Nepal (new)
    • The Medallion (new)
    • To Cairo
    • The Basket Game (contains new material)
    • The Map Room: Dawn
    • Reunion and The Dig Begins (new)
    • The Well of the Souls (contains new material)
    • Airplane Fight (new)
    • Desert Chase (contains new material)
    • Marion's Theme
    • The German Sub / To the Nazi Hideout (new)
    • Ark Trek (new)
    • The Miracle of the Ark
    • The Warehouse (new)
    • End Credits
    Karen with a backscratcher
    Marion's Theme

    Copyright © 2009 Patrick Spreng.