Sunday

NEW YORK -- If Brendan Fraser suffers from a fear of typecasting, you'd never know it.

Fraser made a name for himself as the thawed-out being in Encino Man, then actually pursued the live-action lead in the cartoon spoof George Of The Jungle.

He even smiles affably when somebody asks him what his third in the trilogy of knuckleheaded hunksters will be.

"Let's see," he says, "there was cave man, jungle man, so I guess the next one is space man."

Fraser is kidding, but if George Of The Jungle, opening Wednesday, is a hit, he might even be able to package any space oddity he wants.

As casually glib as Fraser is, he admits that portraying the monosyllabic George might have been the biggest bungle of his career. "The good news is, it isn't," he says self-assuredly.

His confidence is bolstered by surveys, test screenings and a George recognition factor that seems to cover most generations.

For some inexplicable reason, the simple song -- George, George, George of the jungle, watch out for that tree -- is familiar to kids who have never seen the '60s cartoon. And the cartoon itself plays today on TV for kids of all ages.

Certainly Fraser and Leslie Mann, who is George's companion Ursula -- "Oh, you mean long-haired mate, hang around cave" -- recall the animation series. So does Thomas Haden Church, who is the villain Lyle.

Also present and accounted for in the movie are the erudite ape called Ape, as vocalized by John Cleese, Tookie The Toucan, Shep the faithful dog that is really an elephant, and the tongue-in-cheeky narrator.

Fans of the wonky cartoon show might miss the Ronald Colman impersonation that passed for Ape's voice. And George's haircut in the movie is late '60s hippie compared to the animated George who sported a goofier mid-'50s pompadour.

Still, Fraser insists that he wouldn't have taken the part if the screenplay had failed to capture the zany and often sharp-witted spirit of the Jay Ward cartoon creation.

"I'm a big fan of cartoon lore," says Fraser. "George is definitely part of the vocabulary for kids, including myself, and I really think the movie gets the joke of the cartoon and translates it to the screen."

Fraser almost sounds professorial as he explains: "Ward's cartoon spoofs Tarzan with subversive and socio-political humor, and disguises it as entertainment for kids."

That's exactly what Ward intended with his introduction of George Of The Jungle as a Saturday morning cartoon show in 1967.

"Only 17 episodes ran on ABC," says Fraser proudly, "squashed in with Super Chicken and Tom Slick."

Naturally, the live-action feature had loads of logistical problems, from George bashing into trees on his swinging vine to the elephant Shep acting like a dog. Ape talking like a wise human was another challenge.

Through Dream Quest Images computerization and Jim Henson's Creature Shop puppeteering, director Sam Weisman solved most of his problems.

Fraser was asked to resolve the George transition problem. "I don't know how to act like a cartoon," he says, "so I tried to make him a human being with dimension and a soul, but still allow for huge comic choices."

He also worked out slavishly for six months before the movie even began shooting. He bulked up with a high protein diet, and along the way managed to reduce his body fat to a slim 6%.

"As soon as I got George, I had a weird craving for hamburgers and chocolates because I knew I wouldn't see any of them for months."

What he did see was lots of extra physical effort, although Fraser had a stand-in. "The insurance liability takes weren't my own," he says chuckling.

However, Fraser did do some vine swinging, and the athletic actor was called on for leaping and jumping. Ironically, he broke his big toe while tripping innocently on an L.A. studio set.

One swing on the Hawaiian location he does remember as challenging.

"I had to be 60 feet above ground," he says. "I was traveling at 30 miles per hour for 300 feet suspended by nothing more than a nylon cable hidden deep within the butt flap."

So what was that like?

"I try not to think about it," he says. "Anyway, I was more nervous about a lion I had to face."

But fear not, as the narrator might say. Fraser was brave and bold and really far away, and he never got clawed once or anything. "If I had, there would be a piece of me somewhere else."

Meanwhile, back to George and a Fraser explanation of what makes the cartoon titan tick.

"George," says Fraser, "isn't the most complicated fellow.

"But he is King Of The Jungle. He is benign, benevolent, the bungling defender of the weak, protector of the innocent. He's George Of The Jungle."

And?

"Okay, Ape runs the jungle," admits Fraser.

So, George is just lucky, I guess.

From the sounds of things, so is Brendan Fraser.

THE GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE FILE

CREATOR: Jay Ward was getting more sophisticated with his wit when George Of The Jungle made its debut Sept. 7, 1967. Previously, Rocky And Bullwinkle was considered his shining example of subversive comedy. Also among Ward's achievements -- Crusader Rabbit, the first TV cartoon, and Dudley Do-right, which is also soon to be a movie.

VOICEMAN: Bill Scott, who did the Bullwinkle voice, was the voice of George. Fraser says, "Bill apparently looked like Theodore Roosevelt." Son Keith Scott is the movie narrator.

FAVORITES: The reclusive Ward loved George, but he also had a soft spot for Super Chicken and Tom Slick cartoons, who shared the billing with George.

Brendan Fraser gives life to the cartoon spoof George of the Jungle