Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)

Tarzan's jungle home, and his family, Jane and Boy, are threatened by men greedy for gold.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Myles Connolly (original screenplay), Paul Gangelin (original screenplay)

Stars:

Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Parker
Johnny Sheffield	...	Boy (as John Sheffield)
Reginald Owen	...	Professor Elliott
Barry Fitzgerald	...	O'Doul
Tom Conway	...	Medford
Philip Dorn	...	Vandermeer
Cordell Hickman	...	Tumbo

Storyline

A scientific expedition happens to discover that gold exits on Tarzan's escarpment. The villainous Medford and Vandermeer kidnap Jane and Boy to extort from Tarzan the location of the gold. Everyone is captured by wicked natives. Tarzan and his elephants rush to the rescue.

---

Plot Keywords:

1940s | 40s | civilization | wild animal | predator | 

---

Taglines:

The Greatest Tarzan Is Back!

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

El tesoro de Tarzán

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone) (blue tone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film gives a hint at to the location of the escarpment, which is eight weeks journey to Nairobi. In Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) we see that Boy's parents were on a leg of a flight that would take them to Cape Town, which means that the plane would have stopped at Nairobi for fuel. This would place the location southwest of Nairobi. According to the above, this would place the escarpment some four hundred miles from Nairobi, roughly in the area of Kamanga, Tanzania, yet the presence of chimps would indicate Rwanda. Even so, as facts in these films tend to be quite fluid. In the courtroom scene in Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) we are told that the escarpment is, "in the Congo area." This would make it to the west of Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, which form its eastern border. Obviously, flying from Nairobi to Cape Town with a detour of at least 600 miles to the west, makes no sense. But this is, after all, a Tarzan film.

---

Goofs

When the natives are hurling spears at the truck, the tips of some of the spears bend, flex, or rebound (they are obviously made of rubber or foam).

---

Quotes

Jane: You mustn't be angry with him, dear. He realizes so little yet.
Tarzan: Boy good. People bad.
Jane: We mustn't blame them for wanting gold. In the outside world, gold means as much to them as the strength in your arms means to you.
Tarzan: People nowrashima. Fools!
Jane: Not all of them. But none of them have what we have.
Tarzan: Tarzan have Jane.
Jane: They'll be gone tomorrow and we'll be alone again. Wonderfully alone as we've always been. Has it seemed a long time, Tarzan?
Tarzan: Sun make one safari for Jane Tarzan.
Jane: Oh Tarzan! A poet ...

---

Connections

Followed by Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Gold on Tarzan's Plateau

In Tarzan's Secret Treasure Johnny Sheffield finds gold at the bottom of the river where he and the family are out for their morning dip. The Boy knows nothing of what the yellow stuff is and Tarzan could care less as it doesn't effect his style of living, but Jane knows and wants it kept secret for all concerned.

A scientific expedition saves young Sheffield from the clutches of a savage tribe and Johnny Weissmuller is naturally grateful. But when the kid gives away the secret of the gold two of the white men, Tom Conway and Phillip Dorn get real greedy as Maureen O'Sullivan knew they would. Not even the protestations of the expedition leader Reginald Owen dissuades the other two, in fact they withhold fever medicine from him so Owen dies.

This episode of the Tarzan saga is nicely done and contains every kind of jungle peril out there, savage native tribes, attacking rhinoceros, lions, elephants and crocodiles. The last two figure in a very exciting climax when Tarzan puts things right in his jungle paradise.

Tarzan's Secret Treasure also features a very droll performance by Barry Fitzgerald as a most lucky Irishman who was along on the expedition. Fitzgerald's character has a good heart and does earn Tarzan's gratitude for services above and beyond. But as the film ends I believe Weissmuller and O'Sullivan are trusting a bit much to man's better nature in regard to him.

All in all, not too bad a Tarzan film.