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| BACKGROUND |
| • The enormous
box office success of the Tarzan the Mighty
serial prompted Universal to produce a sequel. Henry MacRae,
the studio's top serial director was assigned and both principals
from the earlier serial - Frank Merrill and Natalie Kingston
(now playing Jane) - were resigned. Ian McClosky Heath
returned again as writer, developing an adaptation of Tarzan
and the Jewels of Opar. Al Ferguson, the villain
from Tarzan the Mighty, played the principal antagonist,
Albert Werper. Tarzan the Tiger was released as
a 15-chapter serial between October 1929 and February 1930.
It enjoyed the same popular success as it's predecessor
- audiences were pleased to see the familiar faces again; the
fast-paced adventure was repeated; Frank Merrill's athletic
vine climbing and vine swinging stunts were again featured;
and the serial had a definite "adult" quality to it.
The shapely Miss Kingston appeared naked in one scene,
and an exotic actress name Kithnou played Queen La of Opar,
often dressed in skimpy harem outfits, as were the high priestesses
of Opar and the women of the slave market scenes. This
film also shares the titles of "last Tarzan silent"
and "first Tarzan talkie" as two versions were released.
Sound films were developed during production and Universal
hurriedly produced a version with primitive sound - a crude
orchestral score, some sound effects, a few lines of dialogue,
and most importantly, the first ever Tarzan ape-call. (Essoe
& Fury) |
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APE
CRY
• To hear the ape cry used in this film click on the image
at right |
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| PLOT - Note: Spoiler
warning |
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• Tarzan visits the treasure
vaults of Opar in an attempt to salvage the English Greystoke
estate that is in serious financial trouble but looses his memory
when he is struck on the head during a cave-in. In his
childlike state he removes a pouch of jewels believing them
to be "pretty pebbles". Meanwhile, a deceitful
house guest, Werper, has conspired with an Arab, Akmet Zek,
to kidnap Jane and sell her at the slave auction. Tarzan
rescues Jane but he does not recognise her as his mate. Werper
steals Tarzan's "pretty pebbles, and Jane persuades Tarzan
to return to his parent's cabin, hoping to trigger some old
memories. Werper kills Achment Zek in an argument and
Tarzan reclaims his pouch of jewels from Werper. Annersley,
Tarzan's cousin, arrives in Africa to prove Tarzan is dead so
that he can claim the Greystoke title. Tarzan and Werper
fight in the treasure vaults of Opar, Tarzan is knocked unconscious
and Werper steals the jewels again. When Tarzan recovers
his memory is restored but he is forced to save Jane who is
being sacrificed by Queen La, keen to eliminate her rival for
Tarzan's love. Werper and Annersley are killed by wild
animals and Tarzan and Jane are again peacefully reunited. The
jewels will save the Greystoke estates in England. |
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| SERIAL CHAPTER TITLES |
| Chapter 1 - Call of the Jungle |
Chapter 2 - The Road to Opar |
Chapter 3- The Altar of the Flaming God |
| Chapter 4 - The Vengeance of La |
Chapter 5 - Condemned to Death |
Chapter 6 - Tantor, the Terrible |
| Chapter 7 - In Deadly Peril |
Chapter 8 - The Loop of Death |
Chapter 9 - Flight of Werper |
| Chapter 10 - Prisoner of the Apes |
Chapter 11 - The Jaws of Death |
Chapter 12 - The Jewels of Opar |
| Chapter 13 - A Human Sacrifice |
Chapter 14 - Tarzan's Rage |
Chapter 15 - Tarzan's Triumph |
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| MOVING PICTURES |
| Click on the image below
to see a short montage of scenes from this 15 Chapter serial: |
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| LOBBY CARDS |
| Click on the image below
to view a partial set of lobby cards for this film: |
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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
• The Tarzan the Tiger poster was pilfered
from a German eBay auction item
• Photo of Clive Morgan, Frank Merrill and
Natalie Kingston is from my private collection
• Video capture of Natalie Kingston, Frank Merrill and Kithnou is
from a DVD-R if this film in my private collection
• 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 Natalie
Kingston filmography at IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
• Read an impressive Al
Ferguson filmography at IMDB (Internet Movie Database)
•
Learn much more about this film at Bill Hillman's comprehensive Tarzan
the Tiger page
CAPTURE
• Bag yourself
a copy of this film on DVD at eBay
- it appears there regularly
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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 March 2008
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