Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters)
Myles Connolly (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

In All The World No Thrill Like This!

Plot:

Tarzan and Jane go to New York to rescue Boy after he is kidnapped into a circus.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | Elephant | Animal Trainer | Jungle | Brooklyn Bridge

Cast

Johnny Weissmuller	...	Tarzan
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Parker
Johnny Sheffield	...	Boy
Virginia Grey	...	Connie Beach
Charles Bickford	...	Buck Rand
Paul Kelly	...	Jimmie Shields, Pilot
Chill Wills	...	Manchester Montford
Cy Kendall	...	Col. Ralph Sergeant
Russell Hicks	...	Judge Abbotson
Howard C. Hickman	...	Blake Norton, Tarzan's Lawyer (as Howard Hickman)
Charles Lane	...	Gould Beaton, Sargent's Lawyer
Miles Mander	...	Portmaster
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matthew Boulton	...	Portmaster (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Tarzan Against the World (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:6 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #5040) | Norway:7

Filming Locations:

Wakulla Springs, Florida, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Cameo: [Elmo Lincoln]the first movie Tarzan, as a circus roustabout.

Goofs:

Continuity: Tarzan gives the spear to Boy handle up and blade down. When Boy takes it, next shot, it is reversed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Boy: Cheetah! What is it?
Jane: Cheetah must be seeing things. What is it, Tarzan? What is it?
Tarzan: Uguna. Strange sound in sky. Big. Far off.
Jane: I don't hear anything.
Tarzan: Tarzan hear. Cheetah hear. Elephant hear.
Boy: Now I hear it. Like a great wind coming.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Tarzan Triumphs (1943)

Soundtrack:

Dance of the Hours

Will New York Ever Be the Same after Tarzan?

This is the last of the six great "Tarzan classics" with Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. And I frankly didn't think I would like it: who, after all, wants to see Tarzan anywhere but in the jungle?

But this turned out to be a delightful tale after all. We are given enough of Tarzan, Jane, Boy, and the animals in the jungle to set the stage; and then are whisked to New York for a story full of situational humor, social commentary, and adventure.

Cheetah perhaps plays a bigger role in this movie than in any of the others. Cheetah provides us with great scenes of fun and good humor, opening the movie at the beginning and closing it at the end in the jungle. In both scenes, Cheetah opens with the elephants with delightful playfulness. In between, we have Cheetah going to New York with Tarzan and Jane for a series of easy-going, hilarious romps that help to really provide this movie with a special humor to offset what is I'll admit I really didn't like Boy's "tricks" with the baby elephants at the beginning of the movie. This all seemed very unnatural, and that really undermines the movies depiction of Boy in the Jungle.

However, the perhaps predictable but mordant social commentary contrasting "civilization" and Tarzan's jungle was to me a very good fit for a movie that really more than usual emphasizes environmental contrasts. The adventure/action scenes of Tarzan high above the streets of New York, and far above the Brooklyn Bridge, were wonderful.

The cinematography was excellent, crisply precise. The pace occasionally lagged, but in general, was good. All in all, this is a very worthwhile addition to the great Tarzan canon, and I would recommend it to anyone.