While on an African expedition with her father, Jane Parker meets Tarzan, and the two become fascinated by each other.
Director:
John Derek
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Title: Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Bo Derek | ... | Jane Parker | |
| Richard Harris | ... | James Parker | |
| John Phillip Law | ... | Harry Holt | |
| Miles O'Keeffe | ... | Tarzan | |
 |
Akushula Selayah | ... | Africa |
|
|
Steve Strong | ... | Ivory King |
|
|
Maxime Philoe | ... | Riano |
|
|
Leonard Bailey | ... | Feathers |
| Wilfrid Hyde-White | ... | Club Member (voice) | |
| Laurie Main | ... | Club Member (voice) | |
| Harold Ayer | ... | Club Member (voice) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
The Tarzan story from Jane's point of view. Jane Parker visits her father in Africa where she joins him on an expedition. A couple of brief encounters with Tarzan establish a (sexual) bond between her and Tarzan. When the expedition is captured by savages, Tarzan comes to the rescue. Written by Anonymous
Plot Keywords:
female full frontal nudity | cleavage | topless female nudity | breasts | bare breasts |Taglines:
See why PLAYBOY calls Bo Derek the sexiest Jane in TARZAN history See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 July 1981 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Tarzan, the Ape Man - Me Jane See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$6,500,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$36,565,280Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Parker: I told you. I believe it's Tarzan.
Jane: But, I don't know what Tarzan is?
Harry Holt: It's a great white ape. It's supposedly ten feet tall.
Parker: A great white man, supposedly one hundred feet tall!
Harry Holt: Well, it's a story. It's half man, half ape. Gigantic. White.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Reportedly, Treat Williams was once touted by the MGM studio to play Tarzan in this picture. See more »Goofs
There are no wild Orangutans in Africa. They are native to Borneo and Sumatra. See more »Quotes
Jane: What was it?Parker: I told you. I believe it's Tarzan.
Jane: But, I don't know what Tarzan is?
Harry Holt: It's a great white ape. It's supposedly ten feet tall.
Parker: A great white man, supposedly one hundred feet tall!
Harry Holt: Well, it's a story. It's half man, half ape. Gigantic. White.
See more »
Crazy Credits
On the MGM logo the MGM lion's roar is replaced with Tarzan's yell. See more »Alternate Versions
CBS edited 17 minutes from this film for its 1983 network television premiere. See more »Connections
Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Michael Landon/Bo Derek (1981) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Edgar Rice Burroughs is reduced to softcore porn. Instead of this being a story about a man who was raised by apes, it's a story about the sexual awakening of Jane, and it's a ludicrously awful awakening. "Tarzan the Ape Man" is so awful that it does achieve Ed Wood/Showgirls levels of so-bad-it's-good, which makes this film essential viewing for fans of bad cinema. Pretty, but talentless Bo Derek plays Jane. High points of camp include Tarzan pawing at Jane in a very odd early courtship scene. Aother scene has Tarzan rescuing Jane from a tribe of natives who roughly wash her and then cover her in mud, which I'm assuming director John Derek (Bo's husband) meant to be erotic. Oh, and over the end credits, Bo is pawed by a real ape, an orangutan, which I'm hoping was some sort of nod to the 70s/80s ape cycle of comedies (i.e "Every Which Way But Loose," "Going Ape," "BJ and the Bear," etc.). These scenes were all likely intended to be titillating, but similarly to "Showgirl," they are anything but. Overall, "Tarzan the Ape Man" is about as bad a film as can be made (I hope Richard Harris was paid handsomely for appearing), but it's sooooooooo bad, that it's absolutely worth watching, which is why I suppose Turner Classic Movies chose to air this unintentional laugh riot. FUN FACT! United Artists was sued by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate over the film.