Tarzan the Fearless

TAZAN THE FEARLESS (1933 B&W) features Olympic medal winner Buster Crabbe as Tarzan. On the plus side, Crabbe has the requisite physique for the role and his expressions are more developed than Johnny Weissmuller's blank look; in addition Crabbe has one of the best Tazan yells that I've heard (this is in contrast to another reviewer who panned it). After slaying a lion he lets out a near-bloodcurdling victory cry that well captures the scream as depicted by Burroughs in his books. On the down side, Crabbe wears a loincloth that is ridiculously skimpy on the backside, almost like the costumer was gay and wanted to flagrantly show-off Crabbe's buns. Another negative aspect is that this is a second-rate production compared to the Weissmuller films of the same era, no doubt the result of rival producers wanting to cash-in on the huge success of the Weismuller films.

GRADE: C