TARZAN'S REVENGE - 1938
Director D Ross Lederman
Producer Sol Lesser
Story Edgar Rice Burroughs
Screenplay Robert Lee Johnson &
Jay Vann
MAIN CAST
Tarzan Glen Morris
Eleanor Eleanor Holm
Roger, Eleanor's father George Barbier
Ben Alley Bey C Henry Gordon
Penny, Eleanor's mother Hedda Hopper
Olaf Joseph Sawyer
Nevin, Eleanor's fiance George Meeker
BACKGROUND
• Because of the difficulties faced by Burroughs Tarzan Enterprises during their production of The New Adventures of Tarzan it became apparent to Edgar Rice Burroughs that the project lacked adequate organisation and was unlikely to produce substantial returns.  Needing immediate cash he re-optioned MGM's contract which gave them a third Tarzan, with which they made Tarzan Escapes.  Burrough's also approved the sale of three of Sol Lesser's remaining four film rights to MGM.  Lesser sensed a weakness in the MGM series following the release of the disappointing Tarzan Escapes, and decided to exercise his remaining Tarzan film right.  He approached screenwriters Robert Lee Johnson and Jay Ann to develop a script.  Since the last three Tarzan's had been Olympic athletes Lesser began following sports closely and 1936 Olympic decathlon champion, Glenn Morris, soon came to his attention.    Lesser then contacted champion backstroke swimmer Eleanor Holm to play the female lead and Johnson and Ann rewrote their script to include Miss Holm's swimming ability.  Neither had any acting experience.  The low-budget film was shot on the back lots of Twentieth Century-Fox by Lesser's Principal Productions and Fox handled the distribution.  It is generally considered the worst failure of Sol Lesser's career making sixteen Tarzan films, largely because of Morris' goofy interpretation of the role.  He also only has two words of dialogue in the entire film - "Tarzan" and "good". (Essoe)
APE CRY
• To hear the ape cry used in this film click on the image at right
PLOT - Note: Spoiler warning
• Ben Aley Bey, a powerful sheik, is attracted to Eleanor, the daughter of the leader of a hunting party aboard a paddle boat, and decides to add her to his harem.  He recruits an unscrupulous guide named Olaf to lead the party towards his jungle palace to allow his local native tribe to capture the girl.  In the jungle Eleanor meets Tarzan, a primitive wild man, who abducts her and carries her into the trees.  Eleanor spends the night in the jungle with him and when she returns to her family she realises that she is strongly attracted to this strange man.  The sheik's natives ambush the party at a rope bridge, seize Eleanor and take her to Ben Aley Bey's jungle palace where he unsuccessfully attempts to entice her with the pleasures of his court.  Alerted to Eleanor's plight by his chimp friend, Tarzan storms the palace and carries off Eleanor, hotly pursued by the sheik's men.  At the rope bridge Tarzan cuts the supports (left) and the sheik, Olaf and their men plunge to their deaths.  Eleanor farewells her family and stays in the jungle with her new love.
 
MOVING PICTURES
Click on the image below to see a montage of scenes from this film:

SOURCES
• Tarzan of the Movies by Gabe Essoe, 1968, The Citadel Press
IMAGES
• Both photos are from the DVD case of the Alpha Video DVD of this film
• The video clip of the montage of scenes from this film was uploaded to Youtube by me specifically to embed in this web page
LYNX
• Read a review and rating of this film at At-A-glance Film Reviews
CAPTURE
• Bag yourself a copy of this film on DVD at Amazon.com or eBay

TARZAN® is the property of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., Tarzana CA.
This independent, fan-based analysis of the Tarzan material is copyright © 2002-2008 Paul Wickham
This page was updated May 2008