Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) Collection
Tarzan the Ape Man
Mothered by an ape—he knew only the law of the jungle—to seize what he wanted!
James Parker and Harry Holt are on an expedition in Africa in search of the elephant burial grounds that will provide enough ivory to make them rich. Parker's beautiful daughter Jane arrives unexpectedly to join them. Jane is terrified when Tarzan and his ape friends abduct her, but when she returns to her father's expedition she has second thoughts about leaving Tarzan.
- Original title
- Tarzan the Ape Man
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $652,675
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Jun 13, 2022 · via TMDB
By my reckoning, it takes around twenty-three minutes before our intrepid explorers C. Aubrey Smith ("Parker") and his on-screen daughter "Jane" (Maureen O'Sullivan) hear the jungle call of vine-swinging Johnny Weissmuller and the pace of this treasure hunt really starts to get going. Our travellers, alongside Neil Hamilton ("Holt") are in search of the legendary elephant's graveyard - riches beyond the dreams of avarice. Of course this journey through the hitherto unknown wilderness is perilous: lots of treacherous rivers, mountains and beasties - oh yes, lots and lots of hungry beauties. Much of the imagery is back shot (or stock footage) which isn't great, but there is still quite bit of chemistry once the agile and handsome "Tarzan" comes to the screen and kidnaps/rescued (depending on your point of view) the beautiful "Jane" and the stuff of cinema legend is established. The quality of the production struggles a bit 90-odd years later, but the story is a characterful boy meets girl affair with plenty of action, noise and a good bit of loin-cloth clad romance. I imagine that at the time, this may have been the first exposure many people would have had to a jungle scenario and it must have been quite exciting to watch... There are plot holes a-plenty, but I'd suggest that you don't judge it by modern standards (though I'd say it is still better than any of the 1981, 1984 or 2016 iterations). It's a fun adventure story that is there to be enjoyed on face value.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
Johnny Weissmüller
Tarzan
Maureen O'Sullivan
Jane Parker
Neil Hamilton
Harry Holt
C. Aubrey Smith
James Parker
Doris Lloyd
Mrs. Cutten
Forrester Harvey
Beamish
Ray Corrigan
Ape (uncredited)
Johnny Eck
Bird Creature (uncredited)
Cedric Gibbons
Art Direction
Harold Rosson
Director of Photography
Ray Corrigan
Stunts
W.S. Van Dyke
Director
Irving Thalberg
Executive Producer
Douglas Shearer
Sound
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Characters
Ivor Novello
Writer
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Mar 22, 1932
New York City, New York
Apr 2, 1932
