Tarzan Escapes (1936)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters)
Cyril Hume (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

It's New! It's amazing! 2 years to produce!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Tarzan | Cousin | Hunter | Jungle | Expedition

Cast

Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Parker
John Buckler	...	Captain Fry
Benita Hume	...	Rita
William Henry	...	Eric
Herbert Mundin	...	Rawlins
E.E. Clive	...	Masters
Darby Jones	...	Bomba

Also Known As:

The Capture of Tarzan (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:7 | USA:Approved (PCA #1563) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The original director was James C. McKay, who filmed many gruesome scenes. In July 1936, he was replaced by John Farrow who practically re-shot the entire film. There were also cast and crew changes: Granville Bates was dropped from the cast, while Herbert Mundin was added, playing a new character. Darby Jones replaced Everett Brown as "Bomba"; Elmer Sheeley replaced Cedric Gibbons as art director; A. Arnold Gillespie replaced James Basevi for special effects; Tom Tutwiler replaced 'Max Fabian' for photographic effects; and Charles Salerno Jr. replaced cameramen Virgil W. Vogel and Walter Strenge.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Rawlins climbs a rock after Jane, Capt. Fry is already on the rock in front of Eric. But when Rawlins approaches him, there is no one behind him any more.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tarzan: Silver Screen King of the Jungle (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Cannibal Carnival

Attempted kidnapping in the jungle

Tarzan Escapes was released on VHS in the UK by Warner Brothers as part of a box set which also includes Tarzan Finds a Son and Tarzan and His Mate. I enjoyed this one.

Janes cousins, Eric and Rita arrive in the jungle to look for Jane to tell her she has inherited a lot of money. They arrive with Captain Fry, who plans to kidnap Tarzan and have him as part of his freak show. He does manage to get him into a cage but with the help of some of his elephant friends and Cheetah, he escapes and towards the end, gets his revenge when he makes Fry go back into a cave they just went through where there are hungry lizards and Fry is killed.

As always, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan are excellent as Tarzan and Jane.

Tarzan Escapes is a must for any Tarzan fan. Great fun.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.