Search - AMC: Tarzan of the Apes: Collection on DVD

So-So Collection of Tarzan Features Offers Different 'Takes'

Benjamin J Burgraff | Las Vegas | 09/10/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

""AMC: Tarzan of the Apes: Collection" is an interesting 2-disc edition of non-Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films (primarily from the 1930s), but be aware, these are non-restored (Public Domain) features, so the visual and sound quality is frequently poor, and the films have occasional breaks that affect the continuity (due, I suspect, from being serials re-edited as features).

Disc 1:
"Tarzan the Fearless" (1933), is most famous as Olympian Larry (Buster) Crabbe's only appearance in the role, 3 years before he'd achieve immortality as Flash Gordon. The 1932 Olympic 400-meter freestyle champion (who'd been a teammate of Weissmuller in 1928), had tested for Tarzan at MGM, was rejected, then appeared in the Paramount rip-off "King of the Jungle", as Kaspa the Lion Man, before Sol Lesser, beginning a twenty-five-year involvement with Tarzan, hired him for this micro-budget indie film (also released in serial format). Clad in a really skimpy leopard skin, uttering less than a dozen coherent words, Crabbe occasionally appears more unbalanced than primitive! On the 'plus' side, Jaqueline Wells is attractive (and even has a soft-focus nude swim), and Crabbe frequently does some amazing vaulting leaps to catch vines (he'd have made a pretty respectable Superman!) (Two stars).

"The New Adventures of Tarzan" (1935), introduced another Olympian, 1928 shot-putter Herman Brix (who'd achieve success after changing his name to Bruce Bennett). The only time Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs would take a 'Producer' credit, this feature and it's sequel (both culled from serials), were unique as the only sound features to actually portray the Tarzan of the novels, until 1959; a sophisticated British lord who, while raised by apes, could speak full sentences, and look hot in a dinner jacket! And Bennett, after a shaky start, truly does a very respectable turn as the Ape Man; intelligent, yet capable of brute force. But the films were textbook examples of filmmaking horror stories. Shot in Guatemala on a shoestring budget, there were language problems, equipment problems, weather problems, script problems, you name it! When stock footage of lions, rhinos, and African elephants appear in Central America, you know the cash has run out. And the version in this DVD ends abruptly, leaving, I'd guess, about ten minutes out! Weighing Bennett's three-star performance against this one-star version, this film barely gets two stars.

While you'd think the logical last film on the disc would be the sequel, "Tarzan and the Green Goddess", instead we cut from Bruce Bennett in a treetop to Gordon Scott in a treetop!

"Tarzan and the Trappers" (1958), Sol Lesser's last 'Tarzan' feature, is actually two episodes of an unsold B&W TV series stuck together, starring the then-current Tarzan, brawny Gordon Scott. Scott, who replaced Lex Barker in the loincloth in 1955, had caught the tail end of the Lesser Tarzan franchise, in a series of poorly-made, low-budget jungle features, but in addition to his Herculean physique, he was very likable, making up for a lack of acting skills with genuine screen presence. While this cheaply-made production (co-starring Eve Brent as a blonde, forgettable Jane, and Rickie Sorensen as an equally forgettable Boy) looked like the end of the line, new producer Sy Weintraub would bring Gordon back for his debut, "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure", in 1959...and the film, and Gordon, would be so good that many would consider him the definitive Ape Man! So while you're watching this stock footage-heavy yawner, remember that much, much better things were only a year away... (One star).

Disc 2:

"Tarzan and the Green Goddess" (1938), the sequel of "The New Adventures of Tarzan", will seem a bit confusing, at first, because of the missing minutes in Part One...but stick with it...it will get even MORE confusing! Who has the Goddess statue? Who has the notes to 'read' the secret explosives formula inside the statue? Where has Tarzan's chimp disappeared to? And where did all those African animals come from? No answers, here! But Bruce Bennett certainly displays why he had a decades-long film career; he's a terrific actor! (Two stars).

"Tarzan's Revenge" (1938): The sole "Tarzan" outing of TWO Olympians, Glenn Morris (1936 decathlon champion) and Eleanor Holm (1932 100-meter backstroke champion) would not only end their acting careers, but also any more Tarzan features competing against MGM, until Metro sold the franchise to Sol Lesser Productions, after "Tarzan's New York Adventure", in 1942. Lesser also produced this feature, released by 20th Century Fox, and it has better production values, better co-stars (George Barbier, C. Henry Gordon, Hedda Hopper, and Joe Sawyer), and three-quarters of a decent script (until the silly Busby Berkeley-knock-off production number at Gordon's jungle palace). The film's problem was, simply, Morris and Holm. Morris' Tarzan lacked any 'fire', in possibly the most wooden Ape Man portrayal, ever. Holm, on the other hand, looked good and had fire...but she also had a New York accent you could cut with a knife! Who could believe she was Barbier and Hopper's daughter? Even scenes displaying her amazing backstroke and his many athletic skills would end with audience giggles, when she opened her mouth. The film was a disaster...and in the version on this DVD, poor sound quality only magnifies the problem...(1 1/2 stars).

I don't pan this collection, because I'm a Tarzan fan, and these are important titles for a comprehensive look at the history of the Jungle Lord. But if you want to see the best of series (at least until 1959), stick with the Weissmuller Classics!





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