TARZAN and the BANDIT

(18 SWINGING ON A VINE)    Well I’ll bet you never knew that there has been 18 actors to scream the TARZAN YELL!! On film since 1918 18 actors have played the Lord of the Jungle. Let’s check out these 18 who played our favorite loin cloth swinging, animal talking, 19 year old blonde babe chasing, chillin wit da apes dude out. While digging though all the research about how many played Tarzan, I was blown away of the facts, blowback, criticism and heat these movies had in their history. So I said I’ll just stay with the names and years of the movies they were in. I will be back with the craziness of Tarzan movies at another time and it will be a show for sure. Until then let’s take a look at the who’s who of Tarzan.                                                                       (I CAN SEE HIM, BUT I CAN’T HEAR HIM)                                                                    Otto Elmo Linkenhelt February 6, 1889 in Rochester, Indiana – Died June 27, 1952 Los Angeles, California aged 63 years. He is the first Tarzan to appear on film in 1918’s Tarzan of the Apes, he appeared in only one other The Romance of Tarzan also 1918 of course they were silent classics. Our next to swing around the jungle is Gene Pollar  who gets only one shot at the role in 1920’s The Revenge of Tarzan. 1920 also sees P. Dempsey Tabler  grab the vine in The Son of Tarzan. It’s 1927 when Tarzan and the Golden Lion  makes movie history without even knowing it. Tarzan is played by James Pierce  and in his first starring role a young man named  Boris Karloff   as  Owaza and the beautiful Dorothy Dunbar as Jane. Dorothy was Born May 28, 1902 in Cripple Creek Co. – she passed away October 23, 1992 Seattle Washington  aged 90 years. Karloff  Born  William Henry Pratt  on November 23, 1887 – Camberwell, Surrey, England, he left us February 2, 1969 Midhurst, Sussex, England aged 81 years. This film stands out among the others just based on these 3 actors. It is also a very good film done very well. The 1920’s era’s ends with Frank Merrill in Tarzan the Tiger 1929   Merrill                                         Dunbar   Karloff                                                                                  (NOW WE CAN HEAR HIM)                                                                                                                                                              Now it’s time for the most famous of all Tarzan’s. Johnny Weismuller his story is one for the age’s. Maybe before Mike Phellps was hitting the bong before during and after swim practice our friend Mr. Weismuller was hitting blunts. Let’s look at this stud. He stands 6 feet 3 inches 190 pounds, he is Born János Weissmüller June 2, 1904 Szabadfalva (Freidorf), Austria-Hungary he passes away January 20, 1984 Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico aged 79 years. Representing the United States Swimming Olympic Games 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle GOLD, 400 m freestyle GOLD, 4 x 200 m freestyle GOLD, Water Polo Team BRONZE onto 1928 Amsterdam 100 m freestyle GOLD, 4 x 200 m freestyle GOLD. That’s powerful people of Earth.                                                                                                                    1924 Paris                                                                                                                                                                                      The first movie is in 1932 Tarzan the Ape Man. 1934 Tarzan and His Mate, Tarzan Escapes 1936 and in 1939 Tarzan Find a Son with Johnny Sheffield as Boy,                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Tarzans Secret Treasure comes out in 1941, and in 1942 the last of MGM’s production and the last time Maureen O’Sullivan plays Jane in Tarzan’s New York Adventure. 1943 he brings Tarzan to the screen twice with Tarzan’s Triumph and Tarzan’s Desert Mystery. 1945 Tarzan and the Amazons, with Brenda Joyce as Jane my personal favorite. Tarzan and the Leopard Woman 1946 and 1947 Tarzan and the Huntress with Patricia Morison as Tanya Rawlins, unscrupulous big game huntress, there’s alot of tits and ass in this one. Tarzan and the Mermaids in 1948 this one also has a crazy back story. 2 members of the film crew were killed during production. One Mexican crew member was crushed by a motorboat. Angel Garcia, a stunt diver who doubled for Weismuller during the high dive scene, was killed  he survived the dive but was swept by the surf into the rocks. This is also Weismuller’s last Tarzan film errie.                                                                                                                                                                                                          (KEEP ON TARZAN-ING)                                                                                                                       

Lex Barker takes to the jungle from 1949 until 1953 starting with Tarzan and the Magic Fountian 1949 , Tarzan and the Slave Girl 1950 with Vanessa Brown as Jane, and Denise Darcel is Lola our Slave Girl, not a bad ass.
Darcel                                                                           1951 Tarzan’s Peril  was also known as Jungle Queen and Tarzan and the Jungle Queen  so don’t get confused. Gordon Scott takes grip on the vine in 1955 with Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle,  Some of it was shot in Kenya, and then in 1957 Tarzan and the Lost Safari, in 1958 Tarzan hit’s TV with Tarzan and the Trappers also in 1958 back to the big screen Tarzan’s Fight for Life. 1959 we see  Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure and then Scott’s last role as Tarzan in 1960 Tarzan the Magnificent. Before we move onto the final 5 Tarzan’s, it’s time for the Honorable Mentions of the in between Tarzans 1933 Buster Crabbe Tarzan the Fearless, 1935 & 1938 Herman Brix he is later billed Bruce Bennett with The New Adventures of Tarzan and in 1938 Tarzan and the Green Goddess. 1935 we have Glen Edgar Morris in Tarzan’s Revenge. Then in 1959 Denny Miller in Tarzan the Ape Man. While we are at it how about the voice of Tarzan. It was a hit radio show, and in 1932 James Pierce voice’s Tarzan until 1934. Carlton Kadell takes over the mic until the shows end in 1936. It returns to the radio in 1951 when LaMont Johnson grabs the voice, until it finally leaves radio in 1953.                                                                                                   (THE FINAL TARZANS)                                                                                                         It’s 1962 Jock Mahoney shows up in the branches in Tarzan Goes to India then 1963 his last swing Tarzan’s Three Challenges. To me this next guy who is pictured above, Mike Henry is the coolest of the Tarzans, know why, I’ll tell ya. 1966 he takes to the jungle in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold again in 1967 Tarzan and the Great River. His last role as Lord of the Apes is in 1968 Tarzan and the Jungle Boy. However better yet he shows up in 1958 with the Pittsburgh Steelers until 1961 then he play’s for the Los Angeles Rams from 1962 till 1964. Even better than all this he play’s one of the best comedy roles ever next to the Great One himself Jackie Gleason as the son of Buford T Justice in 1977’s Box Office Hit Smokey and the Bandit with the late great Burt Reynolds.                                                                                                                                                           In more modern times we have 1981 Mike O’Keefe in Tarzan the Ape Man, this movie was a 10, Jane played by Bo Derek. Christopher Lambert in 1984 version Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Hugh Hudson directed the 1981 Academy Award Best Picture Chariots of Fire. 1998 we have Casper Van Dien take to the jungle in Tarzan and the Lost City a Warner Bros Production. Our last Tarzan to swing from tree to tree is Alexander Skarsgard in 2016 The Legend of Tarzan, There you have every Tarzan to swing across the great Silver Screen. It’s important to also add the man who played him on Broadway in the 1921 production Tarzan the Ape Man Ronald Adair as Tarzan and Ethel Dwyer as Jane Porter. Stay tuned for more crazy stories, until next time please return for new articles and new content as well as show updates. iTunes listeners please leave a 5 Star review and a quick comment thank you. The 3RD Floor Podcast is available everywhere you get your podcast so please check us out until next time we’ll be here “JUST HANGIN OUT IN SPACE AND TIME”