Tarzan of the Apes

Le Saboteur

Active member
Hi Stoo.



2012 marks the 100th Anniversary of Edgar Rice Burrough's famous lord of the jungle. Appearing originally in a special edition of All-Story Magazine (October 1912), Tarzan would appear in some twenty-five novels from 1914 to 1960.

Given the larger than life adventures of the character, is it any wonder that Hollywood came calling? The Romanian born Johnny Weissmuller is most commonly associated with the character, having appeared in twelve movies between 1932 & 1948. Nine other actors have been associated with the role over the years, and according to imdb, 89 movies have appeared over the years with "Tarzan" in the title.

David Yates hopes to add number 90 to the list in 2013. Who? You may not know the name, but he helmed the last four entries in the Harry Potter series putting a cool 3 or 4 billion dollars in Warner Bros' war chest. Word out of Tinseltown has True Blood star Alexandar Skarsgard (Vampire Eric) virtually locked in as Lord Clayton III. No official confirmation as of yet from the studio, but Yates definitely has the clout to get his choice of actor and WB isn't going to waste his time with a movie they have no intention of greenlighting.

Skarsgard is 6'4" and has the general physique. But more importantly, he can act. Providing everything goes well, we may get a Tarzan closer to ERB's presentation, and less Weissmuller. Fingers crossed.

A synopsis has found its way on-line. Really more of a log line.

Variety said:
Years after he?s reassimilated into society, he?s asked by Queen Victoria to investigate the goings-on in the Congo. Tarzan teams with an ex-mercenary named George Washington Williams to save the Congo from a warlord who controls a massive diamond mine.

The annoyingly ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson is rumored to be playing the ex-mercenary. While the warlord and his diamond mine aspect seems out of place, the rumor mill has the story taking in the early part of the 20th Century as appropriate. Could Opar make an appearance? It's not based on any of the books, so who knows where it could go.

Thoughts? Hopefully Stephen Sommers has been replaced as scribe.

neal_adams_18-tarzan_and_the_leopard_men.jpg


In other news, Titan Books' Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration by ERB scholar Scott Tracy Griffin hit shelves last week!

Titan Books said:
Celebrating one hundred years of Tarzan, Titan Books presents the only official commemorative illustrated history of this worldwide phenomenon. To celebrate the Lord of the Jungle?s 100th birthday, internationally-acclaimed Edgar Rice Burroughs expert Scott Tracy Griffin presents the ultimate review of a century of Tarzan. Lavishly illustrated and with fascinating insight into every element of Burroughs? extraordinary legacy ? from his first writings to the latest stage musical ? this is a visual treasure trove of classic comic strip, cover art, movie stills, and rare ephemera. From the first publication of the smash hit Tarzan of the Apes, Burroughs? ape man captured the hearts and the imaginations of adults and children across the globe, whether by written word, moving image, comic strip or radio. Each of the 24 original novels and the many varied appearances on stage, screen and in print receive a detailed commentary, illustrated with some of the most evocative and beautiful artworks, illustrations and photographs, many rarely seen in print before. With features on Korak, Jane, Tantor and Cheetah, plus their innumerable friends, foes and exotic adventures, this is an amazing collection of all things Tarzan and a vital addition to any Tarzan-lover?s library.

Check out a small gallery of rare art from the books here.

Brief interview from the Times of Los Angeles can be read here.
 
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Stoo

Well-known member
Le Saboteur said:
HOORAY! A thread about Tarzan!(y) Thanks a million for starting it, Sabbie.:hat:
Le Saboteur said:
Given the larger than life adventures of the character, is it any wonder that Hollywood came calling? The Romanian born Johnny Weissmuller is most commonly associated with the character, having appeared in twelve movies between 1932 & 1948. Nine other actors have been associated with the role over the years, and according to imdb, 89 movies have appeared over the years with "Tarzan" in the title.
Of all those titles, I've seen 43 of them. When I was very, very young I did see some re-runs of the '60s TV series with Ron Ely but hardly remember anything about them. In the mid-to-late '70s, one of my favourite Saturday morning shows was Filmation's, "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle", because of the jungle setting its superior animation (little did I know at the time that much of it was rotoscoped). When that series ended so did my interest in the character until...

...1984 with, "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes". What a wonderfully photographed film! As I discovered later, it is only loosely based on Burroughs' original story but it did generate a thirst for more and I still love that film to this day. (The 1981 movie with Bo Derek was horrendous.)

The first few films with Johnny Weissmuller are good but, in the later ones, he looked really out of shape and his acting left a lot to be desired. "Boy" actually became the better character. When Lex Barker took over the role, the films improved. He made a great Tarzan and brought new life to the series, albeit much too briefly. The colour films in the late '50s and '60s are big and splashy but rather stale by comparison (though some have their moments).

Oddly enough, what attracts me the most is not so much Tarzan, himself, but the explorers he encounters. LOADS of Indiana Jones/Belloq-type characters in these movies!(y)
Le Saboteur said:
Providing everything goes well, we may get a Tarzan closer to ERB's presentation, and less Weissmuller. Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed, indeed. Weissmuller's portrayal is the most famous, hence, the popular & everlasting notion that Tarzan speaks in mono-syllabic terms. E.R. Burroughs had him become much more articulate.

(Not to mention that: "Me, Tarzan. You, Jane." is another one of the greatest misquotes in film history.;))
Le Saboteur said:
The annoyingly ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson is rumored to be playing the ex-mercenary.
I certainly hope not (for a couple of reasons).(n)
Le Saboteur said:
...the rumor mill has the story taking in the early part of the 20th Century as appropriate. Could Opar make an appearance?
The article you linked to says that Tarzan is asked by "Queen Victoria to investigate the goings-on in the Congo", so the story would have to take place before January 1901 (before she died).

As for Opar making an appearance, that would be cool. It was used as recently as 1998 in, "Tarzan and the Lost City", with Caspar Van Dien.

This new film is whetting my appetite but it wouldn't be a surprise if it flops at the box-office. Sadly, the concept of Tarzan just seems a bit too old-fashioned for today's audiences (though I do know a few females who don't mind watching Tarzan films, if only to see an almost-naked, buffed-up beefcake running around).:D

I could go on but this post is already long enough...:eek:
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Pale Horse said:
Oh The Irony
Y'know what? I knew that the Disney animated version would eventually be mentioned and I knew that it would be by YOU, Paley!:p Speaking of which, I actually went to see that in the theatre and don't remember too much of it, apart not liking the inclusion of Phil Collins songs.(n)

What film is that bottom photo?:confused:

That asked, can we please keep the Disney conversation (in relation to The Lord of the Apes) to a minimum? If not, Tarzan will have to release his Savage Fury!:whip:

TarzansSavageFury.jpg


Directed by the late & great, Cyril Endfield.:)
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Stoo said:
The first few films with Johnny Weissmuller are good but, in the later ones, he looked really out of shape and his acting left a lot to be desired.

I've seen seven made between 1932 and 1943, and there's something good in each of them.

Stoo said:
When Lex Barker took over the role, the films improved. He made a great Tarzan and brought new life to the series, albeit much too briefly. The colour films in the late '50s and '60s are big and splashy but rather stale by comparison (though some have their moments).

These were the ones I remember watching on TV, as they used to play on Saturday mornings. The only downside that I remember watching them was the very noticeable use of mismatched stock wildlife footage.



I also used to watch the Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle cartoon series that played in the afternoons after school. While not exactly brilliantly produced by today's standards, it had some evocative storylines.

Nkima.jpg
 
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Billy Ray

Well-known member
I've never read any of the Tarzan novels but, as I am just wrapping up ERB's John Carter books (and thoroughly enjoying them I might add), I plan to delve into them next. I really can't believe how great those books are, and how much ERB has been ripped off by pretty much everyone (Lucas being the major culprit), so I am really looking forward to Tarzan.

With that said, I've seen some of the older films as a kid, and was also a huge fan of the Filmation series, so I am looking forward to this new film. I am also a big fan of Alexandar Skarsgard, love him on True Blood and thought he was great in Generation Kill as well. Hope it all pans out.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
You missed my whole post
Stoo said:
Y'know what? ...I knew that it would be by YOU, Paley!:....not liking the inclusion of Phil Collins songs.(n)
Nor I, nor the core audience I suspect. Hence it's dismal showing...that or Rosie.
What film is that bottom photo?:confused:
Why, George of the Jungle, naturally. :p
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Montana Smith said:
I've seen seven made between 1932 and 1943, and there's something good in each of them.
---
These were the ones I remember watching on TV, as they used to play on Saturday mornings. The only downside that I remember watching them was the very noticeable use of mismatched stock wildlife footage.
---
I also used to watch the Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle cartoon series that played in the afternoons after school. While not exactly brilliantly produced by today's standards, it had some evocative storylines.

Nkima.jpg
Weissmuller was in 12 Tarzan flicks. Of the 7 you've seen, I'm assuming they are the 6 MGM productions and 1 from RKO (the reason I ask is because there were 2 RKOs in 1943). The MGM films are the better ones. To me, the other 6 from RKO are sub-par (but, indeed, enjoyable with something good in each one). That said, in his last one, "Tarzan and the Mermaids" (1948), Weissmuller was looking pretty flabby.

If the 1943 entry you saw wasn't, "Tarzan Triumphs", then I recommend watching that because it has Tarzan up against those dastardly Natzees!:gun:

As for the Filmation cartoon: Afterschool? No Saturday morning showings in the U.K.?:confused:
Montana Smith said:
I remember this one from those Saturday morning Tarzans, but not clearly enough to have made those connections. (y)

These don't appear to available on DVD. (n)
The colour films from the late '50s/1960s are available on DVD from Amazon.com but they aren't legitimate releases. Caveat emptor!
Billy Ray said:
I've never read any of the Tarzan novels but, as I am just wrapping up ERB's John Carter books (and thoroughly enjoying them I might add), I plan to delve into them next. I really can't believe how great those books are, and how much ERB has been ripped off by pretty much everyone (Lucas being the major culprit), so I am really looking forward to Tarzan.

With that said, I've seen some of the older films as a kid, and was also a huge fan of the Filmation series, so I am looking forward to this new film. I am also a big fan of Alexandar Skarsgard, love him on True Blood and thought he was great in Generation Kill as well. Hope it all pans out.
Nice to hear, Billy Ray!:) If you're interested, other good stories from Burroughs are his 'Caprona' trilogy ("The Land That Time Forgot", etc.) I've never read the John Carter books but when you speak of him being 'ripped off', I don't doubt it, but one could argue that ERB 'ripped off' other authors as well. Such as: Kipling, Doyle and Verne.

Glad to hear that you were a fan of the Filmation series, as well!:) For it's time & target audience, that show was good stuff.
Pale Horse said:
You missed my whole post

Nor I, nor the core audience I suspect. Hence it's dismal showing...that or Rosie.

Why, George of the Jungle, naturally. :p
Pardon me, Pale, but I don't understand your "missed my whole post" comment. (By the way, you didn't mention version 1.1!;))

"George of the Jungle". Ah, yes, of course. I've never seen the Disney version but do remember the cartoon! Great theme tune:

George. George. George of the Jungle, strong as he can be.
George. George. George of the Jungle, watch out for that...
Waa-aa-aah! *CRASH*
...TREE!
 
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Montana Smith

Active member
Stoo said:
Weissmuller was in 12 Tarzan flicks. Of the 7 you've seen, I'm assuming they are the 6 MGM productions and 1 from RKO (the reason I ask is because there were 2 RKOs in 1943). The MGM films are the better ones. To me, the other 6 from RKO are sub-par (but, indeed, enjoyable with something good in each one). That said, in his last one, "Tarzan and the Mermaids" (1948), Weissmuller was looking pretty flabby.

If the 1943 entry you saw wasn't, "Tarzan Triumphs", then I recommend watching that because it has Tarzan up against those dastardly Natzees!:gun:

The ones I have are:

Tarzan The Ape Man (1932)
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Tarzan Escapes (1936)
Tarzan Finds a Son (1939)
Tarzan?s Secret Treasure (1941)
Tarzan?s New York Adventure (1942)
Tarzan Triumphs (1943)


Stoo said:
As for the Filmation cartoon: Afterschool? No Saturday morning showings in the U.K.?:confused:

They may have been, but when I was watching it was on sometime between 4.00 and 5.00pm. That would have been the mid to late-70s.


Stoo said:
The colour films from the late '50s/1960s are available on DVD from Amazon#com but they aren't legitimate releases# #SIZE="1"##Caveat emptor###/SIZE#

I checked Play.com first, and they had nothing.

Just looked at Amazon.co.uk, and can see one that's Region 2: a five disc Spanish set containing Tarzan's Magic Fountain, Tarzan and the Slave Girl, Tarzan's Peril, Tarzan's Savage Fury, and Tarzan and the She-Devil.

It's not cheap though. £65.75!
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
HOORAY! A thread about Tarzan!(y) Thanks a million for starting it, Sabbie.:hat:

And it only took two posts before Disney's 1999 offering was thrown out for discussion! Why am I not surprised?!

As an aside: The villain of Disney's outing ended up being called Clayton. Tarzan is never referred to anything but his eponymous description. Clayton's death scene, however, ranks up there with the best Disney has ever done.

Tarzan_mimics_Clayton_posture.jpg


Stoo said:
Of all those titles, I've seen 43 of them. When I was very, very young I did see some re-runs of the '60s TV series with Ron Ely but hardly remember anything about them. In the mid-to-late '70s, one of my favourite Saturday morning shows was Filmation's, "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle", because of the jungle setting its superior animation (little did I know at the time that much of it was rotoscoped). When that series ended so did my interest in the character until...

I've seen, well, two. Disney's '99 outing and the previous year's Tarzan and the Lost City with Casper van Dien. Virtually all of my knowledge of the character comes from Burrough's original stories. I've been putting together a complete collection of the Ballatine Books release from the seventies' Great Paperback Resurgence..

Tarzan-Neal-Adams.jpg



Stoo said:
Oddly enough, what attracts me the most is not so much Tarzan, himself, but the explorers he encounters. LOADS of Indiana Jones/Belloq-type characters in these movies!(y)

Who couldn't get behind that?! Meeting Oxley in similar circumstances would have made Skull that slightly more tolerable.

Stoo said:
Fingers crossed, indeed. Weissmuller's portrayal is the most famous, hence, the popular & everlasting notion that Tarzan speaks in mono-syllabic terms. E.R. Burroughs had him become much more articulate.

If memory serves, and it should, Tarzan ends up speaking six languages and becomes a spy during World War I. So, yes, a far cry from the monosyllabic uttering of Weismuller!

He also becomes a flying ace, but that's something else entirely.


Stoo said:
The article you linked to says that Tarzan is asked by "Queen Victoria to investigate the goings-on in the Congo", so the story would have to take place before January 1901 (before she died).

The fact that the story remains in its period trappings gives me hope for a good movie even if it does flop. Though, with Warner Bros. behind the latest outings of Sherlock Holmes, I'm kind of leery that they'll adopt a similar tone to produce a box-office success.

Interestingly enough, while picking up my copy of the Centennial Celebration, a fellow fan mentioned an animated version due out next year. A few clicks around the net, and it appears to be motion-captured a la last year's Tin Tin Adventure.

I haven't found any specifics yet, but the animation does look good. Dig:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YtQSKn2-8ik" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Le Saboteur

Active member
While poking around the 'net, I stumbled across an interesting tidbit: Henry Jones, Sr. (that's Sean Connery to you and I) appeared in Tarzan's Greatest Adventure in 1959!

Annex+-+Connery,+Sean+%28Tarzan%27s+Greatest+Adventure%29_01.jpg


In another one of those only in Hollywood stories, Connery allegedly pleased the producers so much that they asked him to take over the titular role once Gordon Scott's contract expired. He had to decline apparently since he had taken the lead in an obscure film called Dr. No.

tarzans-greatest-adventure+-+from+findingconnery.wordpress.com.jpg
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
...1984 with, "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes". What a wonderfully photographed film! As I discovered later, it is only loosely based on Burroughs' original story but it did generate a thirst for more and I still love that film to this day. (The 1981 movie with Bo Derek was horrendous.)

Well, now. The Warner Archive confirmed @ Wonder Con that Greystoke would be making its Blu-ray debut later this year. No release date was mentioned, but I have since learned that it's set to go on sale on 25 June 2013! You can pre-order it through Amazon or the Warner Archive!

In other news, David Yates' revival has been put on hold by Warner Bros. It seems they've grown skittish of the film's reputed budget, and are putting all of their money into giant robot v. giant monster combat. The film is supposed to be greenlit for 2014, but could end up being permanently shelved if Warner Bros. remains unhappy with the budget. Of course, this means that giant robot combat needs to haul in a cool trillion dollars for anything that isn't a surefire money maker.

Dynamite Entertainment is filling in the gap with the Lord of the Jungle. They're up to issue #15 so far; no apparent order, though. The current arc is dealing with Opar.

lord_of_the_jungle_04_francavilla_cover_low.jpg
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
In other news, David Yates' revival has been put on hold by Warner Bros.

Well, maybe it hasn't been completely iced out. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are, well, reporting that Christoph Waltz is in final(?) negotiations to play the lead villain the Tarzan revival. Per the article, Waltz will play a Belgian soldier (pour les Belges y en a plus!) who attempts to capture Lord Greystoke in order to ransom him for a mountain of diamonds.

Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (Vampire Eric in True Blood) remains attached as the titular Ape Man, but no word on who will take on the role of Jane Porter. Both outlets indicate that Warner Bros. is in talks with both Emma Stone (Easy A, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Margot Robbie (Pan Am, The Wolf of Wall Street) to fill the role.

Variety reports that the studio is angling to greenlight the picture later this fall, with a summer start date. Dr. Gonzo is betting dollars to doughnuts that his Doc Savage flick will get made before this does, so get in on it now if you're a gambler!

And in other more current Tarzan news, there is a new teaser trailer for the Constantin Films animated feature, Tarzan 3D. It looks like the core story (with a few changes) remains intact, but they've updated it to the modern era. No U.S. release date is forthcoming -- the film rights haven't been sold yet -- but it's set to debut in Germany on the 10th of October 2013.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UzTZa0MIwlg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A second trailer was recently released as well.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lRAnRniaxJA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

While I'm not keen on some of the updates/changes/whatever, it would be a shame if this ends up being a straight to video release.



<a href="http://www.focusonanimation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tarzan-3dx.jpg"><img width="600" height="800" src="http://www.focusonanimation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tarzan-3dx.jpg"></a>

Click on the image for a higher resolution.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Pressemotiv_12_1400_5da17bb200.jpg


For our German speaking constituents, do check out the official Constantin Film site. They have a nice image gallery featuring some behind the scenes photos from the mo-cap sessions in addition to key art.

There's an official film site as well. You can check it out over here.

If and when the David Yates helmed picture makes it to the silver screen, hopefully they ask Neal Adams to do the poster. He's my favorite Tarzan artist.

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF_ylEI_Xc/UMp9y9i3OzI/AAAAAAAAZtQ/nZ7QqSMUD-g/s1600/neal_adams__portfolio_piece__003.jpg"><img width="600" height="800" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF_ylEI_Xc/UMp9y9i3OzI/AAAAAAAAZtQ/nZ7QqSMUD-g/s1600/neal_adams__portfolio_piece__003.jpg"></a>
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
While I wasn't looking, an English-language trailer for Tarzan 3D hit the 'net. Still no release date for the English-speaking world*, but they must be hopeful.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q99ftWXShtc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A lot of early 'net rage has focused on the seemingly lackluster visuals and "stilted" dialogue. For me, the visuals look fine. While the dialogue is certainly straight forward & on the nose, Kellan Lutz's Lord Greystoke sounds a little too articulate in the beginning for my taste.

*The flick is currently out in Germany & Russia, but according to IMDb.com, it'll be making it's way westward with an eventual release in the UK in early 2014. Check local listings.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
I love that Neal Adams artwork back there, Sab.

When I was a little nipper my mum picked up a Tarzan comic-book for me from a jumble sale. It was a big book, which might be termed a 'trade paperback' nowadays.

I was used to the Tarzan cartoon on TV, and this comic book came as quite a surprise, as it was pretty adult in nature. Wish I could turn up another copy of it, as mine went the way of so many childhood possessions - into the great unknown.

Googling images I'm pretty sure this was it,

TarzanCover.jpg


by Burne Hogarth (1972).

http://burnehogarth.com/blog/biography
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Montana Smith said:
I love that Neal Adams artwork back there, Sab.

I think he perfectly encapsulates Tarzan. In other words, that's how the Ape Man should look.


Montana Smith said:
I was used to the Tarzan cartoon on TV, and this comic book came as quite a surprise, as it was pretty adult in nature. Wish I could turn up another copy of it, as mine went the way of so many childhood possessions - into the great unknown.

If that is indeed the book you had, then, if memory serves (and it should), that was an illustrated version of the original novel. He also went on to illustrate Jungle Tales of Tarzan. So, it's not surprising that the comic was so adult-oriented! He was drawing from ERB's original text!

It's equally impressive that Hogarth drew the strip for 11-years straight! In today's day and age, that's nearly unheard of. He began in 1937, taking over for Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) of all people, and kept on going right through World War II when a paper shortage reduced the comic to a single Sunday(?) strip.

I wish I had a scanner, because there's a very cool map similar to this one in The Centennial Celebration.

0620-tarzanafrica.jpg


Does anybody else remember a mid-nineties live-action Tarzan show? I didn't until earlier today. Seems like it was out around the same time as Xena, Hercules, and Jack of all Trades.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/n7EZVSmFsvU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Does anybody else remember 1994's live-action version of The Jungle Book? If you do, then congratulations. I think we're in exclusive company. Turns out that The Mummy's Stephen Sommers directed it. Given that it's a pretty spot-on adventure flick, could Mr. Sommers recapture that spirit given his most recent outings?

MV5BMTg5NTY0MzczMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNzI5MzI3._V1._SX475_SY330_.jpg
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Has anybody ever heard of Brothers of the Spear? I just heard about it, and it sounds like it was a long-running backup story in the Tarzan comic. Russ Manning did much of his original work on before taking over the parent strip.

From Wikipedia:

Wikipedia said:
The Brothers of the Spear were Dan-El and Natongo. Natongo was the son of a Zulu chieftain in the land that would become Botswana, and Dan-El was his adopted brother. They become sub-chiefs, swore brotherhood and had adventures together. Dan-el they learned was king by right, whose throne had been usurped. What was notable was that Dan-El was white, and whose kingdom was that of a lost white tribe in Africa (Aba-Zulu), while Natongo was black (later ruling neighboring Tungelu). The first two years of the series dealt with them winning their thrones. By that time, they had individually gotten married. But even being kings and husbands, they continued to have adventures together, many times with their wives.

I'm dubious of the quality, but Darkhorse did release a hardcover archive of the series.

18046.jpg


A preview is available here.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Le Saboteur said:
While poking around the 'net, I stumbled across an interesting tidbit: Henry Jones, Sr. (that's Sean Connery to you and I) appeared in Tarzan's Greatest Adventure in 1959!
Sean Connery turns in a decent performance as an Irish villain. This is a good adventure flick and one of the better in the colour Tarzan series that Sy Weintraub produced. It was also done by a favourite director of mine, John Guillerman. Been awhile since I've seen it so you've inspired me to dig the thing out and watch it again.

It's also the first Tarzan film to have an explosion in it!:eek:
Le Saboteur said:
Has anybody ever heard of Brothers of the Spear?
No, but the Zulu aspect me intrigues me. I was unaware that Russ Manning had anything to do with Tarzan. The only work of his that I'm familiar with is the old "Star Wars" newspaper comic strip that he did around '79/'80 (which I enjoyed immensely at the time).
Smiffy said:
I love that Neal Adams artwork back there, Sab.
LeSaboteur said:
I think he perfectly encapsulates Tarzan. In other words, that's how the Ape Man should look.
To me, his rendering is wa-a-a-y too muscular. I remember reading somewhere that (supposedly) Edgar Rice Burrough's personal pick for the MGM Tarzan films was Olympic athlete, Herman Brix (a.k.a. Bruce Bennett), but he couldn't do it because of an injury so Weissmuller was chosen instead.

Herman Brix *did* end up playing the role a couple of years later in the serial, "The New Adventures of Tarzan" (1935) a.k.a. "Tarzan and the Green Goddess", where the adaptation of the character is the closest to the books than any other. Burroughs, himself, was involved in the production AND Brix did his own stunts and vine-swinging.

That serial has one of the coolest, longest, dangerously high vine-swings (by Brix) from a REAL jungle cliffside. There is also a great scene which has him tied to a tree trunk and Tarzan breaks the ropes by flexing his chest! :D

In my mind, Herman Brix is the ideal Tarzan:

1935_TarzanHermanBrix_zpsb9f24f96.jpg
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
I was unaware that Russ Manning had anything to do with Tarzan. The only work of his that I'm familiar with is the old "Star Wars" newspaper comic strip that he did around '79/'80 (which I enjoyed immensely at the time).

I have one of the hardcover editions of Manning's work on the Tarzan strip, but need to pick up the other three. For that matter, are the final two books even out yet? I've only seen the two volumes. I'll need to root around for 'em.

Anyway, yes, Mannning penned the Tarzan strip between '69 & '72. Despite giving up the daily strip, he did stay on the Sunday strip up through '79 two years before his death.



Stoo said:
To me, his rendering is wa-a-a-y too muscular. I remember reading somewhere that (supposedly) Edgar Rice Burrough's personal pick for the MGM Tarzan films was Olympic athlete, Herman Brix (a.k.a. Bruce Bennett), but he couldn't do it because of an injury so Weissmuller was chosen instead.

I certainly see where you're coming from, but I must disagree. Brix looks pretty good overall, but those legs are too spindly. He would never be able to get the kind of leverage on Kerchak he needed before the silverback destroyed him.

I thought about writing another lengthy post about ape physiology, but I'll sum it up this way: A fully grown silverback can lift about 2,000kg, or 10 times its own body weight. He can also theoretically bench press 1,000kg. That's substantial. Especially when you consider that the record for a male deadlift is something like 450kg unassisted. So to even stand a realistic fighting chance in the African wild, Lord Greystoke is going to need to be substantially muscled.

Watch this gorilla snap this banana tree nearly in half.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4amRA0jl0qI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Stoo said:
That serial has one of the coolest, longest, dangerously high vine-swings (by Brix) from a REAL jungle cliffside. There is also a great scene which has him tied to a tree trunk and Tarzan breaks the ropes by flexing his chest! :D

I'm going to need to add some of these to my Netflix queue. There's so much to watch, though!
 
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