Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963)

The spiritual leader of an oriental country is dying. The leader's evil brother Khan is plotting to prevent Kashi, the youthful heir, from assuming his rightful position. Tarzan is summoned... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Day

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters), Robert Day

Stars:

Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode, Tsu Kobayashi

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jock Mahoney	...	Tarzan
Woody Strode	...	Khan / Dying Leader
Tsu Kobayashi	...	Cho San, Prince's Nursemaid
Earl Cameron	...	Mang
Anthony Chinn	...	Tor
Jimmy Jamal	...	Hani
Robert Hu	...	Nari
Christopher Carlos	...	Sechung
Ricky Der	...	Kashi

Storyline

The spiritual leader of an oriental country is dying. The leader's evil brother Khan is plotting to prevent Kashi, the youthful heir, from assuming his rightful position. Tarzan is summoned to protect Kashi and, in doing so, he must face Khan in three tests of strength. The final test is a sword fight which takes place on a wide-mesh net stretched over cauldrons of boiling oil. Jeweled elephants lead grand processions, and a thousand girls perform the "dance of the candles". A baby elephant named Hungry replaces Cheetah in the humor role.

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Plot Keywords:

tarzan | heir | sword fight | boiling oil | net | 

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Taglines:

THREE TIMES MORE THRILLING THAN ANY TARZAN ADVENTURE YOU'VE EVER SEEN!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los tres desafíos de Tarzán

Filming Locations:

Thailand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banner Productions,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the filming, Jock Mahoney decided to show off his physical prowess by swimming across one of Thailand's biggest rivers. Co-star Woody Strode warned Mahoney that the river was one of the dirtiest, most polluted waterways in the world, but Mahoney wanted to save face and swam anyway. He made it, but contracted a severe case of amoebic dysentery and dengue fever, and finally pneumonia, going from 220 to 175 pounds before finishing the film. According to Strode (and to an interview Mahoney gave to Merv Griffin in the 1970s), it took him more than 18 months to recover and he was not the same man he was before. Though he continued acting, his physical stamina was dramatically decreased and he had to pass on many physical parts he might once have jumped at.

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Connections

Followed by Tarzan and the Four O'Clock Army (1968)

User Reviews

A Few Nice Ideas

Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963)

** (out of 4)

Strange entry in the never ending series has Tarzan (Jock Mahoney) going to an oriental country when he learns that their leader is dying. The throne is suppose to go to the dying man's son but his evil brother (Woody Strode) plans on stealing it. This film does have some nice touches here and there but sadly the screenplay takes way too many easy spots and in the end there's just not enough to carry the 93-minute running time. I think Mahoney makes for a rather strange Tarzan because outside the outfit and people calling him Tarzan you'd never really know he was the legendary character. I say that because Mahoney really doesn't give him much of a personality and so many of the classic things are missing here including the famous yell. I'm really not sure how much blame should go towards the actor since he apparently got dysentery and dengue fever while filming this movie. You can actually see that his body weight is different in various scenes in the film and there are times that he appears so white you'll be thinking he's playing a ghost. I'm really not sure of the full story so I don't know if the actor got sick early on and this impacted everything going forward or not but there are many scenes where it's obvious the actor isn't in the best shape. Strode is pretty fun as the bad guy but the screenplay really doesn't leave him too much to do except be mean and act tough. The rest of the supporting cast fit their roles nicely even if no one really sticks out. The title refers to three challenges that Tarzan must go through and these here are certainly the highlights. One of the best moments happens during the strength challenge when Tarzan's arms are attached to two bull pulling in the opposite direction. Another very good scene happens at the end when Tarzan and the brother must battle to see who will get the throne. Having a kid as a side kick was certainly due to this film being aimed at children but I didn't mind this too much. I only wish the screenplay had added a tad bit more of a story or at least thrown in a few more interesting characters. This isn't a totally worthless film but I don't see anyone except Tarzan junkies eating this thing up.