Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters)
Carroll Young (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 May 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

Tarzan at His Best !

Plot:

Boy is away at school in England. The high priest is trying to force a young girl to marry an evil pearl trader posing as the god Balu...

Plot Keywords:

Tarzan | Mermaid | Cult | Africa | Wedding

Cast

Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Brenda Joyce	...	Jane
George Zucco	...	Palanth, the High Priest
Andrea Palma	...	Luana, Mara's Mother
Fernando Wagner	...	Varga, Pearl Trader
Edward Ashley	...	Commissioner
John Laurenz	...	Benji
Gustavo Rojo	...	Tiko, Mara's Fiancé
Matthew Boulton	...	British Inspector-General
Linda Christian	...	Mara

Also Known As:

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Mermaids (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12894)

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Sol Lesser Productions

Trivia:

Johnny Weissmuller's stunt double Ángel García was killed while performing the famous cliff dive into the ocean at Acapulco, Mexico.

Goofs:

Continuity: Tarzan wears shoes in this movie, and the shoes have the ability to appear and disappear between shots. When he goes after Mara and her kidnappers, he has on what appear to be sandals. During the times he is in the cave, the shoes appear and disappear. Later on, when Tarzan is attacked by an octopus, he has no shoes on, and after he kills it, the shoes are back on his feet.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Tarzan and the Trappers (1958)

Soundtrack:

Let Us Hasten to Adventure

Tarzan vs. a False God

TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS (RKO Radio, 1948), directed by Robert Florey, stars Johnny Weissmuller in what became his 12th and final performance as the Lord of the Jungle, and sixth under Sol Lesser's production for RKO. While this long running adventure series could have ended here, the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, having been on the screen since the silent movie days beginning with Elmo Lincoln in 1918, would go on vine swinging across the theater screen for another two decades with numerous and younger actors assuming the part, with Weissmuller, on record as being the one most associated with the role, not because he was the best (or was he?), but appearing in more "Tarzan" adventures and longer than any other actor.

As for the story, Mara (Linda Christian), a beautiful maiden from the forbidden island, is forced by the High Priest (George Zucco) to become an unwilling bride of a feared island "God" Varga (Fernando Wagner), a villainous pearl trader, although she actually loves the exiled Tiko (Gustavo Bojo). Mara escapes Aquantinia and is fished out of the water by Tarzan (Johnny Weissmiller). Tarzan and Jane (Brenda Joyce), agree to help her, but after Mara is found, she is abducted and taken back to her island. Tarzan and Jane follow, are held prisoners, but following their escape, Tarzan intends to unmask the false god and expose the white men after their priceless pearls before Mara's wedding is to take place. Also featured in the cast are Edward Ashley as Balu; and Andrea Palmer as Luana.

In spite the fact that TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS, might have made Weissmuller's farewell performance into something special, its ordinary 68 minute storyline, which appears to have been revamped many times over the years, especially from the Maria Montez and Jon Hall South Seas adventures produced over at Universal through most of the 1940s, weakness dominates few of its strengths. Obvious changes were also being made at this time. Missing from the cast of regulars is Johnny Sheffield as Boy, who had outgrown his part. He is mentioned by Jane, as she writes a letter to him, to be away in England attending school (a truant officer must have come for him after all these years), leaving Tarzan and Jane with Cheetah to fill in the void. Along with the good and the not so good, this marks the first in the series since the early MGM days to be lensed on location instead of in a closed set. Opening titles credit this with location scenes filmed in Acapulco and the studios at Churubusco and Mexico City, which is all well and good, but one would wonder why color photography wasn't an added factor to the expense of location footage. Interestingly, the use of the footage lacks the substance of any indication of this being in Tarzan's native homeland of Africa. As for the featured players, George Zucco as the villainous high priest, is the only asset. One only wishes that he had more screen time matching wits with Tarzan to provide more interest to the story.

While the weakest in the series, TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS shouldn't be listed as it worst. Lacking more action than usual, one of its main faults is not so much as adding new characters to the story, but the extensive use of a singing mailman, played by John Lorenz as Benji (no, not in the form of the famous dog). Not truly categorized as a musical, it consists of numerous songs to make it so, including such forgettable tunes as, "I'm Taking a Letter to My Friend, Tarzan," "Oh, Most Beautiful Mermaid," "Fairwell, Fair Mermaid," "Let Us Hasten to Adventure" and "I'll Serenade You With My Guitar." A pity Tarzan doesn't get his chance to serenade to Jane in a canoe surrounded by swimming native girls, which might have worked as a very silly highlight, but for what it is, TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS is so offbeat from its predecessors, lacking the standard use of animal stampedes, dangers setting place underwater (though there is a memorable cliff diving scene and an added attraction of Tarzan fighting with an octopus), the traditional Tarzan ape call, along with additional footage centered upon other actors bearing little or no interest to the viewer, of course with the exception of the characteristic Zucco.

Having played on commercial television for several decades as part of its "Tarzan" lineup, with the ones distributed through RKO Radio to date never distributed on video cassette, TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS was last seen, along with the other "Tarzan" adventures, on the American Movie Classics cable channel from 1998 to 2000. As specified, TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS marked the end of an era for Weissmuller, who no longer was physically fit to appear in any more installments. Considering his type-casting, he didn't land himself on line to collect his unemployment check. Almost immediately, he found renewed success assuming the part as another jungle hero (fully clothed) in a brand new film series as JUNGLE JIM (1948 to 1955) for Columbia Pictures. Brenda Joyce would continue to play Jane one more time in the next installment of TARZAN'S MAGIC FOUNTAIN (1949), introducing Lex Barker as the new Tarzan.