061: Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) - released 3/25/1932; viewed 6/04/06.
Gandhi is arrested by the British again. The 1932 Winter Olympics go down in Lake Placid, New York. The first daytime soap, Clara, Lu, and Em debuts on the radio. Six million unemployed in Germany. Japan and China fight over Manchuria. The son of Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped and a media circus ensues. Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
BIRTHS: Dabney Coleman, Piper Laurie, Francois Truffaut, John Williams, Milos Forman, Ted Kennedy, Majel Barrett, Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Shalit. DEATHS: Edgar Wallace, John Philip Sousa, George Eastman.
DOUG: As 1932 gets underway, MGM unleashes the first of a long series of films starring Edgar Rice Burroughs' titular hero in Tarzan the Ape Man, starring Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. Big John looks good as Tarzan. He doesn't have to do much acting, just look wide-eyed, pose shirtless for the camera, and don't be afraid to touch Ms. Sullivan anywhere (I do love the moment when Tarzan grabs Jane's foot right out from under her). The scenes where he swings through the jungle are pretty cool, though they're clearly trapezes (did he do any of his own stunts?). Maureen O'Sullivan plays Jane. She gets to shoot a shotgun (and quite well at that), which surely made her a powerful female character in her day, but she's still a damsel in distress to me since she fills her luggage with her entire fall wardrobe, and for most of the movie she WON'T STOP SCREAMING! The best scenes are between Tarzan and Jane, particularly in the scene in the pond where she amuses herself with the fact that he can't understand her, while he looks over her with such childlike curiosity while touching her rather inappropriately and repeating every last word she says. There is some good action here, such as Tarzan battling a pair of lions (they look like real lions), but some of the effects look fake, especially at the beginning, when the Parkers walk in front of the row of natives, and it's clearly a processed screen; it looks so fake it's bizarre. The film is very uneven, switching between jungle scenes shot on set and choppy stock footage, with unconvincing effects and gorillas that are obviously guys in suits. I wasn't very satisfied with this, the first installment in Weissmuller's 12-film Tarzan series. I would like to check out the second film, Tarzan and his Mate, which I've read is the best.
KEVIN: Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Johnny Weissmuller makes his debut as Edgar Rice Burroughs' titular hero in MGM's Tarzan the Ape Man. I doubt this is the best installment of the Tarzan movie series, but it's a cool adventure nonetheless. Some of the special effects are laughable, such as a scene at the beginning when Jane and her father admire a local tribe that is obviously a composite screen. Most of the apes look like guys in suits. Tarzan swings through the jungle on conveniently placed trapezes. But we do see Tarzan duking it out real live lions and tigers in between intimate scenes with Maureen O'Sullivan's Jane Parker. The character of Jane felt uneven to me. She's comfortable shooting a rifle and being outdoors, yet she brings along the entire east wing of Bloomingdale's with her on safari. The climax could've been better, (and easier to see), plus it's no fun watching the black guys get killed first. I look forward to the next adventure, Tarzan and His Mate. I'm sure the Production Code cracked down on the sexuality and the cruelty to animals in later films. Until then, welcome to the jungle, baby!
Last film viewed: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). Last film chronologically: One Hour With You (1932). Next film: Scarface (1932).
Gandhi is arrested by the British again. The 1932 Winter Olympics go down in Lake Placid, New York. The first daytime soap, Clara, Lu, and Em debuts on the radio. Six million unemployed in Germany. Japan and China fight over Manchuria. The son of Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped and a media circus ensues. Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
BIRTHS: Dabney Coleman, Piper Laurie, Francois Truffaut, John Williams, Milos Forman, Ted Kennedy, Majel Barrett, Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Shalit. DEATHS: Edgar Wallace, John Philip Sousa, George Eastman.
DOUG: As 1932 gets underway, MGM unleashes the first of a long series of films starring Edgar Rice Burroughs' titular hero in Tarzan the Ape Man, starring Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. Big John looks good as Tarzan. He doesn't have to do much acting, just look wide-eyed, pose shirtless for the camera, and don't be afraid to touch Ms. Sullivan anywhere (I do love the moment when Tarzan grabs Jane's foot right out from under her). The scenes where he swings through the jungle are pretty cool, though they're clearly trapezes (did he do any of his own stunts?). Maureen O'Sullivan plays Jane. She gets to shoot a shotgun (and quite well at that), which surely made her a powerful female character in her day, but she's still a damsel in distress to me since she fills her luggage with her entire fall wardrobe, and for most of the movie she WON'T STOP SCREAMING! The best scenes are between Tarzan and Jane, particularly in the scene in the pond where she amuses herself with the fact that he can't understand her, while he looks over her with such childlike curiosity while touching her rather inappropriately and repeating every last word she says. There is some good action here, such as Tarzan battling a pair of lions (they look like real lions), but some of the effects look fake, especially at the beginning, when the Parkers walk in front of the row of natives, and it's clearly a processed screen; it looks so fake it's bizarre. The film is very uneven, switching between jungle scenes shot on set and choppy stock footage, with unconvincing effects and gorillas that are obviously guys in suits. I wasn't very satisfied with this, the first installment in Weissmuller's 12-film Tarzan series. I would like to check out the second film, Tarzan and his Mate, which I've read is the best.
KEVIN: Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Johnny Weissmuller makes his debut as Edgar Rice Burroughs' titular hero in MGM's Tarzan the Ape Man. I doubt this is the best installment of the Tarzan movie series, but it's a cool adventure nonetheless. Some of the special effects are laughable, such as a scene at the beginning when Jane and her father admire a local tribe that is obviously a composite screen. Most of the apes look like guys in suits. Tarzan swings through the jungle on conveniently placed trapezes. But we do see Tarzan duking it out real live lions and tigers in between intimate scenes with Maureen O'Sullivan's Jane Parker. The character of Jane felt uneven to me. She's comfortable shooting a rifle and being outdoors, yet she brings along the entire east wing of Bloomingdale's with her on safari. The climax could've been better, (and easier to see), plus it's no fun watching the black guys get killed first. I look forward to the next adventure, Tarzan and His Mate. I'm sure the Production Code cracked down on the sexuality and the cruelty to animals in later films. Until then, welcome to the jungle, baby!
Last film viewed: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). Last film chronologically: One Hour With You (1932). Next film: Scarface (1932).