Tarzan and the Great River (1967)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Robert Day

Writers:

Bob Barbash (screenplay)
Bob Barbash (story)

Release Date:

September 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

More action... More thrills... More heart-stopping adventure than anything now on the screen!

Plot:

Tarzan is summoned to Brazil by an old friend to stop an evil tribal cult from destroying native villages and enslaving the survivors...

Plot Keywords:

Native | Tarzan | Jungle | Beefcake | Sequel

Cast

Mike Henry	...	Tarzan
Jan Murray	...	Captain Sam Bishop
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Pepe
Diana Millay	...	Dr. Ann Philips
Rafer Johnson	...	Barcuma
Paulo Gracindo	...	Professor

Also Known As:

Tarzan and the Big River (USA) (working title)
Tarzan, Brazil (USA) (working title)
Tarzan, Spain (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | Switzerland

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:12 (1968) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | USA:G (re-rating) (1974) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Brazil

Company:

Allfin A.G.

Trivia:

In the second week of filming, Dinky the chimp bit Mike Henry on the jaw. It took 20 stitches to repair the wound. Henry had monkey fever delirium for three days, and took three weeks to recuperate. The chimp was destroyed and replaced. Henry later sued the production company for negligence. He won the suit, but the amount was not made public.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Tarzan and the So-So River

Proof that the "Tarzan" character works best in an African setting, circa 1890s to 1930s, can be found in this mildly enjoyable but undeniably juvenile movie. It tries to "update" and "re-imagine" Tarzan by sending him on a jetliner to Brazil where he arrives wearing a suit and tie. This immediately raises questions. Where does he buy his suits? How does he pay for them? Does he have on a loincloth underneath or does he prefer Jockey-brand briefs?

Tarzan soon dons his customary garb and goes off on an adventure where he's involved in the usual vine-swinging, lion-wrestling, blonde-rescuing, villain-bashing, and giving out that Tarzan yell. Much of this action is padded out with wildlife footage which carelessly confuses African with South American zoology.

What limits this "Tarzan" is not the character's built-in incongruity but rather the kiddie-matinee nonsense which reverses past efforts to make this series more appealing to adults. Thus we have the cloyingly-cute kid, the chimp shenanigans, the corny dialog, the stereotyped cast members, etc.

On the plus side is tall, dark, handsome Mike Henry -- perhaps the only Tarzan with hair on his pecs. Though visually he's almost ideal, with a body by Michelangelo, he has a flat personality and only a minimum of acting ability, but these faults tend to fade away whenever he swings into action.