Tarzan at the Movies: From Weissmuller to Disney

When Edgar Rice Burroughs first published Tarzan of the Apes in 1912, film adaptations were probably the furthest thing from his mind. More than a century later, movies are still being made about his most popular creation, with only the likes of Dracula, Godzilla, and Sherlock Holmes able to rival Tarzan’s remarkable filmography. Along the way, some of Hollywood’s most memorable actors have donned the loincloth and brought the world’s most famous ape man to life.

Tarzan first swung onto the big screen in 1918, when Elmo Lincoln became the first actor to portray the iconic ape man. It was not until 1932, however, that MGM’s Tarzan the Ape Man, starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, turned Tarzan into a genuine box-office sensation and established the cinematic formula that would define the character for generations. From Weissmuller and Lex Barker to Gordon Scott, Ron Ely, Christopher Lambert and Disney’s animated interpretation, Tarzan has continually been reinvented to suit changing audiences and filmmaking styles. Over the past year, I’ve been reviewing Tarzan movies for this site, a labour of love if ever there was one, and I invite fellow Tarzan fans to join me on this journey through more than a century of cinematic history. Together, we’ll look back at the many adventures, interpretations, misfires and triumphs that have brought Tarzan the Ape Man to the big screen. Click on the links or posters below to explore all my reviews of the world’s most cinematic ape man.

Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)

A trader and his daughter set off in search of the fabled graveyard of the elephants in deepest Africa, only to encounter a wild man raised by apes.

Tarzan and His Mate (1934)

The idyllic life of Tarzan and Jane is challenged by men on safari who come seeking ivory, and come seeking Jane as well.

Tarzan Escapes (1936)

An expedition seeking to bring Jane back to civilization and Tarzan into captivity gets more than it bargained for.

Tarzan’s Revenge (1938)

Eleanor and her parents are hunting big game, accompanied by her wimpish fiancé. Ben Alleu Bey wants to add her to his 100-woman harem. Tarzan wants her too.

Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)

Tarzan finds a boy from a crashed plane and raises him with Jane in the jungle. A search party comes looking for the plane.

Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941)

It’s not ivory that the villains of this entry are after this time out. Now it’s gold they want, and Boy’s innocence could spell disaster. Can Tarzan save Jane and Boy from white man’s insatiable greed?

Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942)

In this adventure, we meet a group of unscrupulous circus people who kidnap Boy and take him to New York City to make him work the Big Top. Jane and Tarzan track them down through this new concrete jungle.

Tarzan Triumphs (1943)

Nazis invade the Lost City of Palandria, and only Tarzan and Boy can thwart their evil plans to enslave and exploit the populace.  Cheeta’s Hitler impression a stand-out moment for the series.

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943)

Our favourite Lord of the Jungle brings Boy along on a mercy mission that takes them into dangerous lands, facing off against Nazi spies, dinosaurs, and giant spiders.

Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)

In Tarzan and the Amazons, white intruders find a hidden city full of Amazons; Tarzan and Boy fight over whether to help these idiots or just call it a bad day and go home.

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)

The Ape Man and Boy must do battle with a leopard cult, and rescue some pretty school teachers from their evil clutches.

Tarzan and the Huntress (1947)

White invaders cross into Tarzan’s territory to hunt for animals to replenish a great animal shortage that zoos have been facing since the war ended.

Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)

A girl flees from her people to escape being forced into a marriage with a conman posing as a god. Tarzan and Jane step in to help foil this evil plot.  This would be Johnny Weissmuller’s last outing as Tarzan.

Tarzan’s Magic Fountain (1949)

A missing aviatrix walks out of the jungle after being missing for twenty years and hasn’t aged a day. Tarzan must help her keep the secret of her youth.  This is the first Lex Barker Tarzan.

Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950)

Members of a lost civilization are raiding African villages for women, and only Tarzan can stop them.  Meanwhile, Jane gets into a nasty cat-fight with a girl hot for Tarzan’s jungle action.

Tarzan’s Peril (1951)

The Ape Man must stop a notorious slaver and gunrunner from arming an evil African warlord. Dorothy Dandridge and a man-eating plan provide great entertainment.

Tarzan’s Savage Fury (1952)

Jane and Tarzan are duped by a pair of criminals, one posing as his cousin Oliver Greystoke, all in the hopes of finding the Waziri and their fabled diamonds.

Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)

Ivory hunters enslave friends of Tarzan and try to kidnap Jane. The Lord of the Apes tries to stop this but spends most of his time captured.  This was Lex Barker’s last outing as Tarzan.

Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955)

We find two hunters, posing as photographers, who actually plan to slaughter countless animals for their fat, hides, and tusks, and only Tarzan stands in their way.  Gordon Scott begins his run as Tarzan.

Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957)

Tarzan must escort a group of plane crash survivors through a hostile jungle while dealing with a possible traitor in their midst.  Tarzan is seen here for the first time in glorious colour.

Tarzan and the Trappers (1958)

In this outing, we find poor Tarzan caught up in “The Most Dangerous Game” in what was a failed attempt at a Tarzan television series.

Tarzan’s Fight for Life (1958)

In Tarzan’s Fight for Life, the jungle man must prevent an evil witch doctor from turning the jungle into a war zone between science and superstition. This was the final feature for producer Sol Lesser.

Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959)

A group of bad men have murdered their way to find a diamond mine, and only Tarzan the Lord of the Jungle can stop them.  Watch out for a pre-James Bond Sean Connery as one of the villains.

Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)

Tarzan must bring in a wanted killer while being hunted by the man’s villainous family.  John Carradine gives an excellent turn as the evil patriarch of this rotten group.  Also the last Gordon Scott Tarzan.

Tarzan Goes to India (1962)

In this outing, we find Tarzan hired to stop a herd of elephants from being drowned by a hydroelectric dam project in India. Can the ape and a rogue elephant save the day?  Jock Mahoney dons the loincloth for this outing.

Tarzan’s Three Challenges (1963)

Tarzan must guide “The Chosen One” through the jungles of Thailand while being hunted by the evil Khan.  Woody Strode does double duty as the dead Khan and his evil brother.

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966)

Tarzan must rescue a small boy from nefarious villains who want to get the location of a lost city of gold from the poor kid.  Mike Henry picks up the Tarzan torch after Jock Mahoney’s departure.

Tarzan and the Great River (1967)

Tarzan heads into the jungles of Brazil to track down the evil Jaguar Death Cult. He teams up with an annoying boy sidekick and a hot blonde doctor.

Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968)

Tarzan must locate a boy who has been lost in the jungle for six years while also trying to referee two heirs to a jungle throne. This would be Mike Henry’s last outing as Tarzan.

Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)

In this Jane-centric version of Tarzan the Ape Man, we find Bo Derek cavorting naked with the apes while beefcake Miles O’Keefe says nothing as Tarzan.  Richard Harris, who portrays Jane’s father, was most likely paid in Scotch.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)

With this outing, we get a serious and realistic attempt at the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs tale of a man raised by apes and the girl he fell in love with.

Tarzan in Manhattan (1989)

Tarzan goes to New York to rescue the chimp Cheetah, who has been captured by an evil animal experimenter, and teams up with cabbie Jane Porter and her ex-cop father.

Tarzan and the Lost City (1998)

In this outing, we have Tarzan returning to Africa to help some old friends prevent villainous white men from discovering the lost city of Opar.  As this postpones his wedding to Jane, things get a little ugly.

Tarzan (1999)

Disney’s Tarzan is an animated version that pits Tarzan against a cruel hunter and a few misplaced Phil Collins songs.  It gets even more things wrong from the book but still manages to be an excellent Tarzan flick.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

In The Legend of Tarzan, a reluctant John Clayton returns to Africa to stop a group of mercenaries from enslaving the population of the Congo.  Director David Yates removes much of the pulp adventure aspect of the Burroughs’ books, but at least Jane is given more to do this time out.

Few fictional characters have enjoyed Tarzan’s longevity on the big screen. From the silent adventures of Elmo Lincoln to Johnny Weissmuller’s iconic performances, the more serious interpretations that followed, and Disney’s wildly successful animated version, each era has left its own mark on the character. Some adaptations have stayed close to Burroughs, others have taken considerable liberties, and a few have ventured so far into the jungle that you might wonder whether anyone remembered the original books. Yet that enduring ability to be reinvented is precisely what has kept Tarzan alive for more than a century. These reviews are a celebration of that extraordinary cinematic legacy, taking a look at the many faces of Tarzan and the films that have made him one of the most enduring heroes in movie history.

You can check out Tarzan’s amazing history across cinema and television here: The Many Faces of Tarzan.