- You may be looking for Tarzan, the Ape Man from 1959, or Tarzan, the Ape Man from 1981
| Tarzan the Ape Man | |
|---|---|
 Tarzan the Ape Man 1932 poster |
|
| Directed by | W. S. Van Dyke |
| Written by | Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel) Cyril Hume (adaptation) |
| Starring | Johnny Weissmuller Neil Hamilton Maureen O'Sullivan C. Aubrey Smith |
| Distributed by | |
| Release date(s) | March 25, 1932 (New York City premiere) |
| Running time | 99 min. |
| Country |  United States Algeria |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $652,675 (estimated) |
| Preceded by | Tarzan the Tiger |
| Followed by | Tarzan and His Mate |
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) is an action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith and Maureen O'Sullivan. The movie is loosely based on Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes, with the dialogue written by Ivor Novello. The movie was directed by W. S. Van Dyke (who later went on to direct The Thin Man and the first three of its five sequels). It was remade twice, first in 1959 and later in 1981.
Contents |
Plot
James Parker (C. Aubrey Smith) and Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton), in Africa on a quest for the legendary elephant burial grounds (and their ivory), are joined by Parker's daughter Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan). Holt, attracted to her, tries somewhat ineffectively to protect her from the jungle's dangers, notably failing to prevent her abduction by the jungle's guardian, the mysterious Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) and his ape allies. The experience is terrifying to Jane, yet she finds herself missing the ape man after she is returned to her father. When the expedition is captured by a tribe of pygmies she sends Tarzan's ape friend Cheeta (Jiggs) for help, bringing Tarzan to the rescue. In the end, she elects to stay in the jungle with Tarzan.
Firsts
- Tarzan the Ape Man was the first Tarzan film to star Weissmuller and O'Sullivan, and marked the first appearance of the character of Cheeta the chimpanzee, and the animal actor who created it, Jiggs. The character of Cheeta was created for this film, never having appeared in the original Burroughs novels.
- The film was the first of a long series of franchised Tarzan films running from 1932 into the 1970s, initially starring Weissmuller and later other actors.
- Tarzan's distinctive call was first heard in this film; it was reportedly created by sound recordist Douglas Shearer using special audio effects, including an Austrian yodel played backwards at quickened speed. Weissmuller himself always claimed he had created the trademark Tarzan yell in a yodeling contest he won while he was a boy. He later learned to mimic the famous call so well people assumed that he was the one doing the yell in the films.
Cast
Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller)
Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton)
Jane Parker (Maureen O'Sullivan)
James Parker (C. Aubrey Smith)
Mrs. Cutten (Doris Lloyd)
Beamish (Forrester Harvey)
Riano (Ivory Williams)
Cheeta (Jiggs - uncredited)
Ape (Ray Corrigan - uncredited)
Bird Creature (Johnny Eck- uncredited)
References
DVD commentary for the Tarzan Collection DVD set released in 2005.
External links
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