Tarzan Movies
For me, these Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films are more than movies — they’re memories of Saturday afternoons lost in a world of wild adventures.
Ten of the twelve Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan use ☰ to select / change movie
Little-known facts about the Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller:
1. Johnny Weissmuller couldn't actually yell the famous "Tarzan yell" alone.
The iconic yell was enhanced in post-production by blending Weissmuller’s voice with other sounds, including a hyena howl played backward and even a violin string being plucked.
2. Weissmuller had no prior acting experience.
Before playing Tarzan, he was a five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer. His athleticism got him the part — not acting chops.
3. The early films had strict censorship.
In Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane) had a brief nude underwater scene. It caused a scandal and was heavily edited or cut in later releases
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4. The movies reused the same jungle footage.
To save money, studios reused shots of animals, rivers, and jungle scenes across multiple films.
5. Tarzan didn’t speak broken English until the movies.
In Edgar Rice Burroughs' books, Tarzan spoke perfect English. The "Me Tarzan, you Jane" style was invented for the movies to emphasize his wild nature.
6. Weissmuller couldn't swim freely during filming.
In many scenes, he was tied to hidden safety wires underwater, especially when filmed with live alligators or crocodiles to prevent accidents.
7. The African jungle wasn't in Africa.
The early Tarzan movies were mostly shot in California — places like Baldwin Park and Silver Springs, Florida, stood in for the "jungle."
8. Johnny Weissmuller suffered several injuries.He had close calls with animals on set, including a chimpanzee bite from "Cheetah," and a nasty fall while swinging on vines.
9. "Cheetah" was played by several different chimpanzees.
The character "Cheetah" wasn’t a single animal; multiple chimps (and sometimes even monkeys) played the role across different movies.
10. Weissmuller remained deeply associated with Tarzan for life.
Later in life, he would answer the phone by giving the Tarzan yell instead of saying hello, and he even requested the yell be played at his funeral (which it was, in 1984).
MGM Films (Big-budget, classic ones with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane):
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Tarzan Escapes (1936)
Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)
Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
(After this, MGM dropped the series and Weissmuller moved to RKO Studios.)
RKO Films (Lower budget but still popular):
Tarzan Triumphs (1943)
Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943)
Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)
Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)
Tarzan and the Huntress (1947)
Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)
By Tarzan and the Mermaids, Weissmuller was in his mid-40s, heavier, and struggling to do the physical stunts that the role demanded.
When Weissmuller retired from the Tarzan role (in 1948), he didn't stop acting right away — he played a jungle hero called "Jungle Jim" in a whole new series of movies and even a TV show!