This movie has little connection with the 1932 original. It does, however, have lifted footage (tinted to more-or-less match the color), including obvious footage of Weissmuller's ...
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Title: Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Denny Miller | ... | Tarzan | |
| Cesare Danova | ... | Harry Holt | |
| Joanna Barnes | ... | Jane Parker | |
| Robert Douglas | ... | Col. James Parker | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
This movie has little connection with the 1932 original. It does, however, have lifted footage (tinted to more-or-less match the color), including obvious footage of Weissmuller's vine-swinging. Miller is not once called Tarzan in the movie, and his yell is also lifted Weissmuller. The elephants who wreck the pygmy village are lifted/tinted from the original, but the "pygmies" (real in the original) were kids from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Costumes are left over from "King Solomon's Mines" so that more stock footage could be lifted. And the crocodile fight is taken from "Tarzan and his Mate" Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords:
1950s | tarzan character | character name as title | jungle | jungle love |Taglines:
They Challenge the TABOOS of a Forbidden Land ! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
October 1959 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Talttumaton Tarzan See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$1,438,800Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$3,727,800Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Jane Parker: His master is not an ape - He's more of a man than you are!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The musical score for this film, by noted jazz musician Shorty Rogers, often bears no relation to what is seen on screen, and gives the impression someone has brought a wind-up phonograph on the safari and is merely playing a random jazz recording from their personal collection. See more »Goofs
The elephant that is shown charging soon before Jane is picked up by Tarzan is an Asian elephant, not an African elephant. The fake large ears are noticeable as Tarzan says, "Un-ga-wa" to the elephant to lift Jane and himself onto it; they are almost falling off. Asian elephants are less aggressive than African, and are more easily trained. Also, they don't live in Africa. See more »Quotes
Harry Holt: [When Jane offers water to Tarzan's pet chimp] Why don't you offer him my pants and helmet as well- One ape is as good as another!Jane Parker: His master is not an ape - He's more of a man than you are!
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This particular Tarzan movie (made by the Metro Goldwyn Mayer studio) has long had a very bad reputation, which may explain why Turner Classic Movies (which has free access to all the older MGM movies) seldom shows it. Is the movie really deserving of its bad reputation? Pretty much so, in my opinion. Made during the start of the long decline of the studio, it's really obvious that the top brass did not give the filmmakers adequate funds or resources. For example, the movie is jam-packed with stock footage, even having the gall to showcase some stock footage that was originally filmed in black and white while the newly shot footage was shot in color. Things aren't much better when it comes to the newly shot footage. The newly shot footage often looks cheap, with (among other things) tacky set dressing and poor special effects. There's also no feeling of great adventure, or even awe and wonder. Instead, scene after scene seems to have been shot with great haste without considering if the scenes would grab an audience. This may explain why the actors seem to be going through the motions. This includes the title character, who comes more like a lucky doofus instead of someone who has skill and knowledge about how to conquer every challenge and danger in the jungle. And believe it or not, Tarzan pretty much comes across as a secondary character instead of being up front and center! It's then a real surprise that Tarzan in this movie doesn't keep letting out a loud shout of pain instead of his familiar yell.