The Silver Screen Oasis

I have never thought much of Tarzan. I was tempted to put these comments in the comedy section. But let`s face it, my opinion of Tarzan movies is not shared by everyone. I have this movie as part of my Maureen O`Sullivan collection.

Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) kills off his usual number of wild animals, Takes care of the good blackfellers, feeds the naughty blackfellers to the lions. Jane was swinging through the trees (I don`t remember her doing that before), giving out with soprano Tarzan gargles.

Perhaps the highlight of the movie was when Jane went skinny dipping. Probably it was a body double, but what a body. Esther Williams eat your heart out. Of course Jane and Tarzan ended up in each others arms, with the bad guys becoming guests at the lions banquet.

I like the series, and this entry is no exception. I gather some fans consider this the best one. I would probably give that honor to Weismuller's first venture. For most enjoyable, I'd go with TARZAN'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE. But when two half naked people find love in the tree tops, it has to be fun! Yes, Jane's unclad plunge into their private pool is romantic and titillating. And I'm not trying to be funny! This was either pre-code or so fast it didn't count!

When you think about it, this was one of the great screen romances. Rhett and Scarlet have nothing on this jungle couple!

This is one of my favorite Tarzan movies and I would love to see it again on TCM someday.

Tarzan And His Mate (1934) is great pre-code fun. It apparently sneaked in under the wire before the Production Code got teeth in July, 1934, though there are censored copies as well as the naughty original still floating around. If anyone is interested, we have discussed Tarzan films at some length previously at the link below:

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... lit=tarzan

Tarzan and his Mate is the only film directed by MGM's chief Art Director Cedric Gibbons. I'd love to know more of that backstory. One thing I noticed is that he seems to hand out the "beauty shots" equally to Weismuller and O'Sullivan alike.

For me, the most captivating thing about Weismuller's Tarzan is the way he uses language. I think it's a very sophisticated rendition of the character. He mimics English speech the way he might have learned the calls of other creatures in the jungle. It's clear that his lack of vocabulary is in no way tantamount to his lack of intelligence. I think it's some very brilliant acting that doesn't get the credit it deserves.

That's very insightful, intothenitrate! I agree, though I never thought about it before.

intothenitrate. thanks for sharing that piece of information about language that was spoken in that movie. I can clearly see where you are coming from!