Tarzan Escapes (1936)

An expedition seeking to bring Jane back to civilization, and Tarzan into captivity, gets more than it's bargained for.

Directors:

Richard Thorpe, John Farrow (uncredited)

Writers:

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

Stars:

Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, John Buckler

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane
John Buckler	...	Captain Fry
Benita Hume	...	Rita Parker
William Henry	...	Eric Parker
Herbert Mundin	...	Herbert Henry Rawlins
E.E. Clive	...	Masters
Darby Jones	...	Bomba
Cheetah	...	Cheetah-A Chimpanzee

Storyline

Jane's cousins Rita and Eric Parker arrive in Africa searching for her. Their uncle has died and has left her half a million pounds provided she agrees to return to civilization. A professional hunter, Captain Fry, quickly agrees to escort them to the escarpment where rumor has it there there lives a great white ape. He's intrigued when told that the great white ape is likely Tarzan and his plan is to capture him and put him on display. When they all find each other, Jane agrees to return to London if only to ensure that her cousins get their late uncle's wealth. Fry manipulates Tarzan into believing that Jane will never return only to trap him. When Jane and the others are taken prisoner by warring tribesmen, it's left to Tarzan to rescue them.

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Plot Keywords:

deception | 1930s | tarzan character | psychotronic film | trap | 

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Taglines:

Never Such Thrills - Excitement - Romance!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Capture of Tarzan

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,058,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the casting credits at the beginning of the film Cheetah is credited as "By Herself".

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Goofs

When Rita Appears on the tree with Jane and Tarzan, they all change hand positions from one shot to another.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Riverboat Captain: All right. Tie her up. Make her fast. Pull her in, boys.

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Alternate Versions

Original version, titled The Capture of Tarzan, was shown to preview audiences in 1935. The film was heavily criticized for scenes of gruesome violence. So strong was the negative reaction that the studio ordered much of the film re-shot. Original director Jim McKay was fired when he refused to do this. The re-edited version was retitled Tarzan Escapes.

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Connections

Followed by Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)

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Soundtracks

My Tender One
(1933) (uncredited)
from Eskimo (1933)
Music by William Axt
Played during end credits

User Reviews

Bad title

This may in fact have been the first movie in history to be the third installment in a series. It wasn't until much later that numbered sequels would even be applied to movies. I really do not like the title because it implies that Tarzan is captured and then he escapes from the city like King Kong. He is in fact captured in this movie, but he immediately escapes and it's pretty irrelevant to the rest of the movie. Anyway, this was still nice. I think my favorite bit would probably be how the sets still look great. I believe they used actual animals for this and it shows.

I admit the plot could be better. It features Jane's cousin trying to bring her back to the city. It really is nice to see how this connects to the previous two films. It's not that much of a direct continuation, but still good. It's great to see all the characters and settings the original two movies had. While not a classic, it's still pretty enjoyable. It just has a very humble feeling to it and it's nice to see such an iconic star like Johnny Weismuller in such an iconic role. ***