TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1934)
This is the 1934 equivalent of
ALIENS. A 2nd film that treads on much familiar ground, is TEN TIMES BIGGER, and seems to "finish" the story. The level of danger, excitement, action, violence, brutality and death is MIND-BOGGLING. I've seen it at least 6 times over the years, yet there were several moments in the film where I found myself yelling at the tv... "
HOLY S***!!"
The first of these had to be when the safari (MUCH larger than the one in the 1st film) approaches the base of the Mutia Escarpment and have to "
make a run for it" as they're attacked by a superstitious tribe who hold the "mountain range" (more like a vertical cliff with ledges to climb) sacred, and KILL anyone who approaches it... including one of their own, who gets too close trying to stop the safari, and on retracing his steps, is STABBED in the back by his own chief.
Then there's when they reach the top, and Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton) says, "
We're past the worst of it." ONE SECOND later, one of their bearers is KNOCKED off the cliff by a huge boulder-- hurled by a GORILLA! What follows is the film's 2nd massacre, as a whole TRIBE of the un-named "Tarmangani" ("The Great Apes" who are Tarzan's FRIENDS!) are responsible for at least a dozen men being KNOCKED to their deaths, and at least one of the apes goes down with them! It's only when Tarzan's yell is heard in the distance that they finally back off, and you can tell when he arrives there's a nasty difference of opinion between Tarzan and the leader of the apes.
Things level off a bit for a while after this. The next morning is the infamous 2-minute SWIM where Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) is doubled by a stunt woman who while underwater is COMPLETELY NAKED. As the safari slowly makes its way thru the jungle, Cheeta (Jiggs, who appeared in Tarzan films opposite Johnny Weismuller, Buster Crabbe, AND Herman Brix!) is KILLED by a raging rhinocerous, and killed brutally in turn by Tarzan. There's also fights with leopards, lions, and a giant MECHANICAL crocodile (shades of
JAWS-- heh).
The plot twist I think I find the most insane is when, after an elephant has helped clear a path for them, Martin Arlington (Paul Cavanaugh) gets the idea to have MORE elephants carry the ivory back with them. Suddenly, Tarzan objects. "
Mangani SLEEP!" In the entire year between stories, Jane never thought to TELL Tarzan WHY Harry Holt wanted to return to the elephants' graveyard, and now, he REFUSES to lead them any further! "
If I can't have one guide, I'll have another", says Martin, who SHOOTS the elephant, and is almost killed by Tarzan until Jane stops him. Tarzan & Jane depart, the safari finds the graveyard, load up ivory, but as they're about to leave, are suddenly confronted by AN ENTIRE HERD of elephants, led by Tarzan, who WILL NOT allow them to take the ivory back with them.
"
Perhaps he's right..." says Martin, which shocks Harry, as BOTH their entire last remaining finances are completely tied up in this venture. The next morning, while Tarzan's getting breakfast for his wife, Martin SHOOTS him in the head from a distance! He claims a crocodile got Tarzan, and a devastated Jane decides to go back with the safari. But a hippo rescues Tarzan from the water, one of the great apes takes him back to their nest, and he slowly recovers.
And then the FINAL act arrives, when the safari is attacked by ANOTHER savage, murderous tribe, known in the area as "
the men who eat lions". They use large horns to replicate lion roars, then kill them when they arrive-- but in this case, they intend to call the lions to kill THE SAFARI. Jane, Harry, Martin and 2 of the bearers manage to make it to some rocks to hold off the savages, but THE ENTIRE rest of the safari are victims, before Cheetah's baby runs off to find Tarzan. Nearly killed by spears, arrows, crocodiles, and another rhino, baby Cheetah finds the unconscious Tarzan, and, surrounded by both the great apes and a large number of chimps (all of whom seem to be terrific actors), Tarzan revives and sets out to rescue Jane, with BOTH the entire tribe of apes AND a herd of elephants in tow!
When the apes arrive and begin KNOCKING the savages out of their trees, I found myself yelling at my tv, "
PAY BACK TIME, M***** F*****s!!" Several of the apes die in the assault, and when the elephants arrive, the bloodthirtsy lions actually attack THEM, in a jaw-dropping scene of brutality. Tragically, by the end, Tarzan, Jane & baby Cheetah are the ONLY members of the HUGE safari to make it out of the picture alive, and the great apes were never seen in the film series again. GEEZ.
I've read (as usual) conflicting reports about the MGM films. Earlier, I'd heard Edgar Rice Burroughs originally had a 2-picture deal with MGM, meaning this was designed as the "final" part of their deal, which would go a long way toward explaining their killing off EVERYONE in the cast except the 2 title characters. But Wikipedia (which often has variable information depending on which "company line" some corporation wants to push) currently says they only had a deal for ONE picture, and that Burroughs negotiated a 2nd film with options for more, perhaps on a "yearly" basis (WHICH NEVER happened when MGM was doing these). This totally contradicts the other story I've read, that Burroughs took the money from the first 2 movies to finance his own (the 12-chapter serial with Herman Brix), which MGM then sabotaged the distribution of, as they didn't want competition. If you read up on that at Wikipedia now, it says, "
There is no hard evidence to support that claim." It really sounds to me as if the Wikipedia editors are RE-WRITING history on an ongoing basis as they see fit. The earlier story I'd heard was that his independantly-financed serial put Burroughs in such desperate need of money, that THAT was why he signed with MGM for 4 further pictures.
A sad thought that only recently crossed my mind... is that, if Herman Brix (MGM's original casting choice in 1932) hadn't broken his shoulder, audiences might not have been subjected to 35 YEARS of "illiterate" Tarzans, instead of the EDUCATED, well-spoken Tarzan of the books, comics, radio shows, and in the movies, Herman Brix, the later Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, Mike Henry & Ron Ely (still my personal favorite).
Many to this day insist Johnny Weismuller (the 1930s answer to Arnold Schwartzeneggar) is their "favorite" or "the best" Tarzan, but part of me wishes they'd have changed the name, as the character he plays just ISN'T the authentic article. (And "thanks" to Sol Lesser, Buster Crabbe, Glenn Morris, Lex Barker & Gordon Scott all did their own imitations of the Weismuller version.) He starred in 12 Tarzan films before being fired by Sol Lesser for asking for a raise, but then did a whole series of
JUNGLE JIM films. Maureen O'Sullivan quit the series after the 6 MGMs, went on to a varied career, married a producer and had 7 children (including Mia Farrow!). Neil Hamilton had some hard times over the years, but achieved immortality when he was cast as "Commissioner Gordon" on the Adam West
BATMAN. Paul Cavanaugh's career continued, and in the 1940s he appeared in 3 different Basil Rathbone
SHERLOCK HOLMES films.
Watching the movie again today, I was torn in my opinion of Martin. Sure, he was a cad, sleeping around with other men's wives and such, but in the case of this safari, he was led into it on what proved faulty information. I'm not saying what he did was right, but he had his back against the wall. The irony, of course, is that if he HADN'T tried to kill Tarzan, he and most of the remaining safari MIGHT have made it out of there alive.
Somebody here CROPPED the video horribly to make it look "widescreen", which IT AIN'T.
www.tcm.com/video/501085/tarzan-and-his-mate-1934-hows-jane
