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| BACKGROUND |
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• FBO was discouraged from
filming a sequel to Tarzan and the Golden
Lion because of the bad reception it got from critics.
Universal saw that there was an opening and, inspired
by fond memories of the success of their Elmo Lincoln serials,
approached ERB for a Tarzan property for a new serial. They
paid him an undisclosed sum for the rights to Jungle Tales
of Tarzan, a collection of short stories about Tarzan's
early life, and Ian McCloskey Heath wrote a shooting treatment
named after the book. That title was soon abandoned in
favour of Tarzan the Mighty and the similarities to ERB's
original work became more tenuous. To play the lead Universal
hired a handsome, muscular 35-year-old stunt man who was a veteran
of two Tarzan films - The Son of Tarzan
and The Adventures of Tarzan. Merrill
was a national gymnastics champion in 1916 and 1918 and was
a perfect choice for the role. His impressive vine work
helped the film's success considerably and he is credited with
devising the well-known vine swinging for which Tarzan is famous.
Opposite Merrill was an attractive 23-year-old named Natalie
Kingston, who played the love interest - Mary Trevor, not Jane.
The serial was a mammoth success and Merrill and Kingston
soon returned in a sequel - Tarzan the Tiger
(1929). (Essoe) |
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PLOT - Note:
Spoiler warning
• Tarzan befriends a woman named Mary and her younger brother,
Bobby, survivors of a shipwreck. They are harassed frequently
by a colony of thugs who are descended from pirates, led by
a brute named Black John who has strong desires for Mary. Mary
soon learns that Tarzan is heir to the Greystoke estate from
documents he has kept for years but does not understand. Coincidentally,
a ship arrives carrying a search party, headed by Lord Greystoke's
brother, searching for his long-lost nephew. Black John
attempts to pose as the missing Greystoke, shoots Tarzan and
then traps Bobby and Greystoke in a cave and assumes Greystoke's
identity. He plans to return to England as Lord Greystoke
with Mary as his new bride. Tarzan recovers from his wound
and rescues Bobby and Greystoke. Black John continues
his scheming and soon after Greystoke is stabbed by his disloyal
secretary. Tarzan and Bobby arrive in time to save Greystoke
and Black John is savaged by leopards as he escapes. Tarzan
refuses to return to civilisation with Greystoke and Mary decides
to stay on in the jungle with Tarzan. (Fury) |
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| CLIPS |
| See some brief footage
of Frank Merrill in the documetary on the Silent
Films Intro page |
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SOURCES
• Tarzan of the Movies by Gabe Essoe,
1968, The Citadel Press
• Kings
of the Jungle by David Fury, 1994, McFarland Classics
IMAGES
• Both photos are from Tarzan of the Movies by Gabe Essoe,
1968, The Citadel Press
LYNX
• A Frank Merrill
filmography from IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
• Essay: Five
Tarzans - The Silent Apemen by Gene Popa
•
Learn much more about this film at Bill Hillman's comprehensive Tarzan
the Mighty page
CAPTURE
• There are currently no surviving copies of this film |
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