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.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (based upon the characters created by), Cyril Hume (adaptation)

Stars:

Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Neil Hamilton	...	Harry Holt
C. Aubrey Smith	...	James Parker
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Parker
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Cutten
Forrester Harvey	...	Beamish
Ivory Williams	...	Riano

Storyline

James Parker and Harry Holt are on an expedition in Africa in search of the elephant burial grounds that will provide enough ivory to make them rich. Parker's beautiful young daughter Jane arrives unexpectedly to join them. Harry is obviously attracted to Jane and he does his best to help protect her from all the dangers that they experience in the jungle. Jane is terrified when Tarzan and his ape friends first abduct her, but when she returns to her father's expedition she has second thoughts about leaving Tarzan. After the expedition is captured by a tribe of violent dwarfs, Jane sends Cheetah to bring Tarzan to rescue them...

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Plot Keywords:

africa | swinging on a vine | loincloth | exotic locale | whipping | 

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Taglines:

A Glorious New Thrill!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tarzan, the Ape Man

Filming Locations:

Lake Sherwood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$652,675 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joel McCrea, Bruce Cabot, Preston Foster, Randolph Scott and Buster Crabbe all were tested for the role of Tarzan.

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Goofs

Tarzan is stalked by a lioness in the trees. Lions rarely climb trees except to escape heat and insects or poach a kill of another predator.

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Quotes

Jane Parker: Tarzan! Don't go! Come with us. We'll all go back together. Tarzan. Tarzan! Tarzan.
James Parker: Jane, dear, you belong to us and he brought you back. Now, you must let him go. He belongs to the jungle.
Jane Parker: Not now, he belongs to me.

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Connections

Version of Tarzan in Manhattan (1989)

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Soundtracks

Voo-Doo Dance
(uncredited)
Music by George Richelavie
Arranged by Paul Marquardt & Fritz Stahlberg
Played during main title

User Reviews

Tarzan is a hit in movies

Johnny Weissmuller,the former Olympic champion in swimming,makes his debut as Tarzan.The movie spawned a lot of sequels and Weissmuller continued as Tarzan for 11 more films during the next 16 years. I had seen this early and somewhat primitive talkie a couple of years back and found it hard to sit through.I decided I'd give it another chance and was surprised at how much more I enjoyed it.Weissmuller is stunning, he fits the part excellent and looks amazing.There's screen charisma by the thousands.Maureen O' Sullivan as Jane really made the role her own.The African footage, shot during the making of "Trader Horn" is exciting and must have been worth the ticket on its own back in the thirties.There's some bad rear-projection used,but it doesn't spoil the movie if you don't let it bother you. So enjoy this entertaining film.