Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)

An aviatrix emerges from the jungle looking as young as she was when her plane went down many years before. Unscrupulous hunters discover that this is due to a secret fountain of youth. ... See full summary »

Director:

Lee Sholem

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters), Curt Siodmak (screenplay),

Stars:

Lex Barker, Brenda Joyce, Albert Dekker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lex Barker	...	Tarzan
Brenda Joyce	...	Jane
Albert Dekker	...	Mr. Trask
Evelyn Ankers	...	Gloria James Jessup
Charles Drake	...	Mr. Dodd
Alan Napier	...	Douglas Jessup
Ted Hecht	...	Pasco
Henry Brandon	...	Siko

Storyline

An aviatrix emerges from the jungle looking as young as she was when her plane went down many years before. Unscrupulous hunters discover that this is due to a secret fountain of youth. Tarzan tries to keep the hunters from finding the hidden valley setting of the fountain. The flyer ages as the effects of the fountain wear off.

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Plot Keywords:

tarzan | jungle | fountain of youth | lion | monkey | 

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Taglines:

New Daring ! New Dangers !

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tarzan and the Arrow of Death

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sol Lesser Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lex Barker was forced to shave his normally hairy chest in order meet the requirements of the role in this and the Tarzan films that followed.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, Cheeta (who is an ape) drinks the elixir. She does not turn into a baby chimp, she becomes a monkey with a tail. The Fountain of Youth retards aging, it would not cause evolutionary regression.

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Connections

Follows Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)

User Reviews

Ponce DeLeon Had It Wrong

Tarzan's Magic Fountain which introduced Lex Barker to the role of Tarzan and marked Brenda Joyce's farewell performance as Jane was hardly a change from some of what the RKO Studio was doing with the franchise when Johnny Weissmuller was swinging on the vines at RKO.

Tarzan's keeping secrets again even from Jane about yet another civilization lost in the jungle. This one has a fountain of youth in it and we now learn that Ponce DeLeon was looking on an entirely wrong continent for same.

But the secret spills when Cheta brings in evidence of famed aviatrix Evelyn Ankers who like Amelia Earhart disappeared during a round the world flight over Africa. As it turns out she parachuted into the jungle and these people took her in and kept her forever young.

Now however she has to go out and give evidence that will save her beloved who in her absence was convicted of murder and has been in prison all these years. When she leaves the Blue Valley with that mystical and magical Fountain Of Youth she reverts to her proper age in appearance, but she and now husband Alan Napier return to Africa to live with the people who took her in.

The problem is that a couple of bottom feeders played by Charles Drake and Albert Dekker want to tag along and exploit the youth water. But as it does in Tarzan films, Tarzan and the jungle elements take care of the bad guys.

When the series was originally with MGM it tried not always successfully to stay within the Edgar Rice Burroughs parameters of the character. Gradually that changed as the Tarzan budgets got lower. But during RKO the series was at its worst. So many changes were happening in Africa, but no notice was taken at RKO, especially after Howard Hughes acquired the studio.

Still Lex Barker does look good in a loincloth.