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Tarzan's Greatest Adventure

October 21, 2023

Tarzan's Greatest Adventure is a 1959 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by John Guillermin, produced by Sy Weintraub and Harvey Hayutin, and written by Les Crutchfield, based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. With a strong supporting cast that included Anthony Quayle and Sean Connery, and a focus on action and suspense, the film won critical praise as a Tarzan film that appealed to adults as well as children.

Tarzan's Greatest Adventure
Directed byJohn Guillermin
Written byBernie Giler
John Guillermin
Story byLes Crutchfield
Based onCharacters created
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Produced bySy Weintraub
Harvey Hayutin
StarringGordon Scott
Anthony Quayle
Sara Shane
Niall MacGinnis
Sean Connery
Scilla Gabel
CinematographyTed Scaife
Edited byBert Rule
Music byDouglas Gamley
Production
company
Solar Films
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • July 8, 1959 (1959-07-08) (New York City)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$750,000[1]
Box office$1 million (est. US/Canada rentals)[2]

The film features a literate Tarzan portrayed by Gordon Scott. The character of Jane, Tarzan's wife, does not appear and is not mentioned. At one point, Tarzan briefly romances a female character, suggesting that he is a loner, not a family man. Cheeta, Tarzan's chimp companion in many films, appears only a few times near the start of the film, and the kind of comic relief that Cheeta represents is generally absent from the film.[3]

Plot Edit

At night, the African village of Mantu is raided for its supply of dynamite. The village doctor and radio operator interrupt the robbery and are fatally shot. Before dying, the operator gasps, "Slade" over the shortwave radio. The next morning, Tarzan is awakened by drums, alerting him to something wrong. He departs his treehouse and arrives at Mantu, where a funeral is being held for the fallen villagers. A police inspector informs Tarzan of the raid. Tarzan then embarks by canoe to catch an old nemesis named Slade and his gang of raiders. Along the way, a small plane taunts Tarzan with low flyovers. However, the aircraft's engine stalls, and it crashes, depositing an American ex-fashion model, Angie, into the river. Unwilling to leave her stranded, Tarzan brings Angie to the hunt.

Meanwhile, Slade and his quartet of thieves are just miles in front, travelling by riverboat. Their destination is a secret diamond mine, where they will use the stolen dynamite for excavating the gems. When their riverboat malfunctions, the thieves begin to quarrel among themselves. Eventually, one of them leaves the boat and is later stuck in quicksand and drowns; another dies when Tarzan, who has now caught up with the raiders, nails him with bow and arrow. However, Tarzan is injured, requiring Angie to tend to his wounds. She attempts to steal medical supplies from Slade's boat but is captured. Slade uses her to lure Tarzan into a trap, but the plot fails, costing the life of another Slade accomplice. This leaves only Slade and his one surviving ally, an ex-Nazi named Kreiger.

There is no honor among these thieves, as Kreiger demonstrates when he tries to kill Slade after they reach the mine. Slade retaliates against Kreiger, who offers him all the diamonds he has collected if he lets him go. Unmoved, Slade kills Kreiger. Back on the river, Tarzan is nursed back to health by Angie. He continues his quest to capture Slade, much to her displeasure. Tarzan thanks Angie for her help, and swings away for a final confrontation with Slade. High atop a river bluff, Slade fires rifle shots at Tarzan, who reaches him despite this. At first Slade gets the upper hand by lassoing Tarzan with a wire noose. However, Tarzan's strength and endurance win out, and he pushes Slade over the cliff onto the rocks below. He then travels back upriver to Mantu and his treehouse.

Cast Edit

Production notes Edit

The Tarzan films had been produced by Sol Lesser since Tarzan Triumphs (1943). In April 1958 Lesser sold his company, including the rights to the Tarzan films, to Sy Weintraub for a reported $3.5 million.[4][5]

Gordon Scott had played Tarzan for the four previous films in the series under Lesser: Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955), Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957), Tarzan and the Trappers (1958), and Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958). In July 1958 he announced he would not return as Tarzan, refusing to sign an exclusive contract. Weintraub said he would find a new Tarzan.[6]

In September 1958 Weintraub announced he had signed a two picture deal with Paramount Pictures to make two Tarzan films. The films would be shot on location and the first one would be called Tarzan's World Adventure.[7] They were still looking for an actor to replace Scott.[8] In October the producers announced Theodore B. Sillis had signed to direct.[9] In November Hedda Hopper reported that Weintraub, unable to find a new Tarzan, has signed a seven year deal with Scott to play the role.[10][11]

The producer decided to make a different style of film. Tarzan's Greatest Adventure would present a grittier, more realistic Tarzan. A loner who could be as savage as his opponents, but could also speak eloquently and politely to allies. Tarzan would also be made vulnerable and not as invincible as previous incarnations.[12]

"Tarzan has grown up," said Scott in 1959. "I speak clearly understandable, everyday English."[13] He also said "Lesser saw Tarzan as part of a family unit, but if you read Burroughs' books, the bastard [Greystoke] really knew what to do. I always wanted to play it with some scars on me; he used to battle the bull apes, you know, and get a couple of lumps. I wanted to pursue that, but they wouldn't buy it. It may seem like a minor thing, but those minor things really add up."[14]

This vision of Tarzan heralded a new direction for the character and the series. He became more like the original Edgar Rice Burroughs creation (that is, articulate and intuitive) and even occasionally traveled abroad to make other wilderness regions safe—as in Tarzan Goes to India (1962) and Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966).

Filming started 9 February 1959.[15] The film was shot on location in Kenya and at Shepperton Studios in London. Stock safari footage was used to portray wildlife, especially animal attacks.[12] Paramount did a deal with Sol Lesser Productions with a guarantee of $600,000 in turn for the releasing rights; the deal also gave Paramount 50% of the ownership of the negative. The film cost $750,000. Paramount agreed to pay for prints and advertising.[1]

John Guillermin later said "For a short schedule, fairly low-budget picture, the whole affair really got me quite excited."[16]

Scott said "Connery was marvelous... He and I had some good giggles, when we got back to Shepperton. They wanted to use him in the next Tarzan, even though he gets killed in this one because he was very good. He said OK. but he had to do this thing for [producers Albert] Broccoli and [Harry] Saltzman — and that was Dr. No. We couldn't touch him after that."[14]

While the film was being made, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made their own Tarzan film, Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959). They were able to do this because they retained remake rights for the 1932 film of the same name.[17]

Reception Edit

According to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.[18]

FilmInk called it "a masterpiece in the series, the best Tarzan film since Tarzan and His Mate (1934), and perhaps the most remarkable “turnaround of a franchise” in Hollywood history... the leap in quality after what had been over a decade of steady decline is remarkable." [19]

Gordon Scott stayed for one more Tarzan film, Tarzan the Magnificent (1960), before being replaced by Jock Mahoney in Tarzan Goes to India (1962) which was also directed by Guillermin.

References Edit

  1. ^ a b "Lesser Firm Guarantee On 'Tarzan' $600,000; Made in Kenya at 750G's". Variety. 3 June 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 16 June 2019 – via Archive.org.
  2. ^ "1959: Probable Domestic Take", Variety, 6 January 1960 p 34
  3. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:..Tarzan's Greatest Adventure Retrieved March 13, 2016
  4. ^ SOL LESSER SELLS FILM STOCK TO TV: Production Control Passes to Weintraub for $3,500,000 -- Child Actress Cast By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times.3 Apr 1958: 24.
  5. ^ Sol Lesser Productions Sold to New York Man Los Angeles Times 3 Apr 1958: 2.
  6. ^ FILMLAND EVENTS: Gordon Scott Steps Out of Tarzan Role Los Angeles Times 9 July 1958: 17.
  7. ^ Skelton Will Star in Musical Revue: David Rose Also Set for Show at Ritz; Tarzan Goes Big-Time Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 23 Sep 1958: 23.
  8. ^ STUDIO SEARCHING FOR NEW TARZAN: Lesser Needs Replacement for Gordon Scott -- Skouras Returns to Fox Lot By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times. 23 Sep 1958: 37.
  9. ^ FILM EVENTS: Cobb Plans 'Idiot' for Broadway Los Angeles Times 17 Oct 1958: B8.
  10. ^ Looking at Hollywood: Seeks Joanne Woodward for 'The Dud Avocado' Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 26 Nov 1958: a2.
  11. ^ ACTORS WILL VOTE ON A SINGLE UNION: Screen Guild Gets Proposal to Merge All Performers Into an Over-All Group By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times]26 Nov 1958: 26.
  12. ^ a b "Tarzan Gets Haircut: 'Adult' Jungle Films". Variety. 27 May 1950. p. 1.
  13. ^ 11TH OF THE LINE SAYS, 'I, TARZAN': Gordon Scott, Newest King of the Apes, Is Genteel and Grammatical By MURRAY SCHUMACHSpecial to The New York Times. 23 Apr 1959: 27.
  14. ^ a b Warren, Bill (February 1993). "Tarzan the Magnificent". Starlog. p. 30.
  15. ^ SPIEGEL NEARING A PACT ON MOVIE: Producer Seeks Mankiewicz to Direct Williams Work -- O'Hara Novel Wanted By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times. 2 Feb 1959: 22.
  16. ^ Goldman, Lowell (November 1990). "Lord of Disaster". Starlog. p. 59.
  17. ^ HOLLYWOOD DOSSIER: Cukor's Western Style -- 'Tarzan' Entries By THOMAS McDONALDHOLLYWOOD. New York Times 29 Mar 1959: X7.
  18. ^ Billings, Josh (17 December 1959). "Other better-than-average offerings". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
  19. ^ Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020). "John Guillermin: Action Man". FilmInk.

Notes Edit

  • Essoe, Gabe, Tarzan of the Movies, 1968, The Citadel Press
  • Fury, David, Kings of the jungle : an illustrated reference to "Tarzan" on screen and television, 1994, McFarland & Co.

External links Edit

October 21, 2023
tarzan, greatest, adventure, 1959, american, eastmancolor, adventure, film, directed, john, guillermin, produced, weintraub, harvey, hayutin, written, crutchfield, based, character, created, edgar, rice, burroughs, with, strong, supporting, cast, that, include. Tarzan s Greatest Adventure is a 1959 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by John Guillermin produced by Sy Weintraub and Harvey Hayutin and written by Les Crutchfield based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs With a strong supporting cast that included Anthony Quayle and Sean Connery and a focus on action and suspense the film won critical praise as a Tarzan film that appealed to adults as well as children Tarzan s Greatest AdventureDirected byJohn GuillerminWritten byBernie GilerJohn GuillerminStory byLes CrutchfieldBased onCharacters createdby Edgar Rice BurroughsProduced bySy WeintraubHarvey HayutinStarringGordon ScottAnthony QuayleSara ShaneNiall MacGinnisSean ConneryScilla GabelCinematographyTed ScaifeEdited byBert RuleMusic byDouglas GamleyProductioncompanySolar FilmsDistributed byParamount PicturesRelease dateJuly 8 1959 1959 07 08 New York City Running time88 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 750 000 1 Box office 1 million est US Canada rentals 2 The film features a literate Tarzan portrayed by Gordon Scott The character of Jane Tarzan s wife does not appear and is not mentioned At one point Tarzan briefly romances a female character suggesting that he is a loner not a family man Cheeta Tarzan s chimp companion in many films appears only a few times near the start of the film and the kind of comic relief that Cheeta represents is generally absent from the film 3 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production notes 4 Reception 5 References 6 Notes 7 External linksPlot EditAt night the African village of Mantu is raided for its supply of dynamite The village doctor and radio operator interrupt the robbery and are fatally shot Before dying the operator gasps Slade over the shortwave radio The next morning Tarzan is awakened by drums alerting him to something wrong He departs his treehouse and arrives at Mantu where a funeral is being held for the fallen villagers A police inspector informs Tarzan of the raid Tarzan then embarks by canoe to catch an old nemesis named Slade and his gang of raiders Along the way a small plane taunts Tarzan with low flyovers However the aircraft s engine stalls and it crashes depositing an American ex fashion model Angie into the river Unwilling to leave her stranded Tarzan brings Angie to the hunt Meanwhile Slade and his quartet of thieves are just miles in front travelling by riverboat Their destination is a secret diamond mine where they will use the stolen dynamite for excavating the gems When their riverboat malfunctions the thieves begin to quarrel among themselves Eventually one of them leaves the boat and is later stuck in quicksand and drowns another dies when Tarzan who has now caught up with the raiders nails him with bow and arrow However Tarzan is injured requiring Angie to tend to his wounds She attempts to steal medical supplies from Slade s boat but is captured Slade uses her to lure Tarzan into a trap but the plot fails costing the life of another Slade accomplice This leaves only Slade and his one surviving ally an ex Nazi named Kreiger There is no honor among these thieves as Kreiger demonstrates when he tries to kill Slade after they reach the mine Slade retaliates against Kreiger who offers him all the diamonds he has collected if he lets him go Unmoved Slade kills Kreiger Back on the river Tarzan is nursed back to health by Angie He continues his quest to capture Slade much to her displeasure Tarzan thanks Angie for her help and swings away for a final confrontation with Slade High atop a river bluff Slade fires rifle shots at Tarzan who reaches him despite this At first Slade gets the upper hand by lassoing Tarzan with a wire noose However Tarzan s strength and endurance win out and he pushes Slade over the cliff onto the rocks below He then travels back upriver to Mantu and his treehouse Cast EditGordon Scott as Tarzan Anthony Quayle as Slade Sara Shane as Angie Loring Sean Connery as O Bannion Niall MacGinnis as Kreiger Al Mulock as Dino Scilla Gabel as ToniProduction notes EditThe Tarzan films had been produced by Sol Lesser since Tarzan Triumphs 1943 In April 1958 Lesser sold his company including the rights to the Tarzan films to Sy Weintraub for a reported 3 5 million 4 5 Gordon Scott had played Tarzan for the four previous films in the series under Lesser Tarzan s Hidden Jungle 1955 Tarzan and the Lost Safari 1957 Tarzan and the Trappers 1958 and Tarzan s Fight for Life 1958 In July 1958 he announced he would not return as Tarzan refusing to sign an exclusive contract Weintraub said he would find a new Tarzan 6 In September 1958 Weintraub announced he had signed a two picture deal with Paramount Pictures to make two Tarzan films The films would be shot on location and the first one would be called Tarzan s World Adventure 7 They were still looking for an actor to replace Scott 8 In October the producers announced Theodore B Sillis had signed to direct 9 In November Hedda Hopper reported that Weintraub unable to find a new Tarzan has signed a seven year deal with Scott to play the role 10 11 The producer decided to make a different style of film Tarzan s Greatest Adventure would present a grittier more realistic Tarzan A loner who could be as savage as his opponents but could also speak eloquently and politely to allies Tarzan would also be made vulnerable and not as invincible as previous incarnations 12 Tarzan has grown up said Scott in 1959 I speak clearly understandable everyday English 13 He also said Lesser saw Tarzan as part of a family unit but if you read Burroughs books the bastard Greystoke really knew what to do I always wanted to play it with some scars on me he used to battle the bull apes you know and get a couple of lumps I wanted to pursue that but they wouldn t buy it It may seem like a minor thing but those minor things really add up 14 This vision of Tarzan heralded a new direction for the character and the series He became more like the original Edgar Rice Burroughs creation that is articulate and intuitive and even occasionally traveled abroad to make other wilderness regions safe as in Tarzan Goes to India 1962 and Tarzan and the Valley of Gold 1966 Filming started 9 February 1959 15 The film was shot on location in Kenya and at Shepperton Studios in London Stock safari footage was used to portray wildlife especially animal attacks 12 Paramount did a deal with Sol Lesser Productions with a guarantee of 600 000 in turn for the releasing rights the deal also gave Paramount 50 of the ownership of the negative The film cost 750 000 Paramount agreed to pay for prints and advertising 1 John Guillermin later said For a short schedule fairly low budget picture the whole affair really got me quite excited 16 Scott said Connery was marvelous He and I had some good giggles when we got back to Shepperton They wanted to use him in the next Tarzan even though he gets killed in this one because he was very good He said OK but he had to do this thing for producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and that was Dr No We couldn t touch him after that 14 While the film was being made Metro Goldwyn Mayer made their own Tarzan film Tarzan the Ape Man 1959 They were able to do this because they retained remake rights for the 1932 film of the same name 17 Reception EditAccording to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed better than average at the British box office in 1959 18 FilmInk called it a masterpiece in the series the best Tarzan film since Tarzan and His Mate 1934 and perhaps the most remarkable turnaround of a franchise in Hollywood history the leap in quality after what had been over a decade of steady decline is remarkable 19 Gordon Scott stayed for one more Tarzan film Tarzan the Magnificent 1960 before being replaced by Jock Mahoney in Tarzan Goes to India 1962 which was also directed by Guillermin References Edit a b Lesser Firm Guarantee On Tarzan 600 000 Made in Kenya at 750G s Variety 3 June 1959 p 3 Retrieved 16 June 2019 via Archive org 1959 Probable Domestic Take Variety 6 January 1960 p 34 The AFI Catalog of Feature Films Tarzan s Greatest Adventure Retrieved March 13 2016 SOL LESSER SELLS FILM STOCK TO TV Production Control Passes to Weintraub for 3 500 000 Child Actress Cast By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New York Times 3 Apr 1958 24 Sol Lesser Productions Sold to New York Man Los Angeles Times 3 Apr 1958 2 FILMLAND EVENTS Gordon Scott Steps Out of Tarzan Role Los Angeles Times 9 July 1958 17 Skelton Will Star in Musical Revue David Rose Also Set for Show at Ritz Tarzan Goes Big Time Scott John L Los Angeles Times 23 Sep 1958 23 STUDIO SEARCHING FOR NEW TARZAN Lesser Needs Replacement for Gordon Scott Skouras Returns to Fox Lot By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New York Times 23 Sep 1958 37 FILM EVENTS Cobb Plans Idiot for Broadway Los Angeles Times 17 Oct 1958 B8 Looking at Hollywood Seeks Joanne Woodward for The Dud Avocado Hopper Hedda Chicago Daily Tribune 26 Nov 1958 a2 ACTORS WILL VOTE ON A SINGLE UNION Screen Guild Gets Proposal to Merge All Performers Into an Over All Group By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New York Times 26 Nov 1958 26 a b Tarzan Gets Haircut Adult Jungle Films Variety 27 May 1950 p 1 11TH OF THE LINE SAYS I TARZAN Gordon Scott Newest King of the Apes Is Genteel and Grammatical By MURRAY SCHUMACHSpecial to The New York Times 23 Apr 1959 27 a b Warren Bill February 1993 Tarzan the Magnificent Starlog p 30 SPIEGEL NEARING A PACT ON MOVIE Producer Seeks Mankiewicz to Direct Williams Work O Hara Novel Wanted By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New York Times 2 Feb 1959 22 Goldman Lowell November 1990 Lord of Disaster Starlog p 59 HOLLYWOOD DOSSIER Cukor s Western Style Tarzan Entries By THOMAS McDONALDHOLLYWOOD New York Times 29 Mar 1959 X7 Billings Josh 17 December 1959 Other better than average offerings Kinematograph Weekly p 7 Vagg Stephen 17 November 2020 John Guillermin Action Man FilmInk Notes EditEssoe Gabe Tarzan of the Movies 1968 The Citadel Press Fury David Kings of the jungle an illustrated reference to Tarzan on screen and television 1994 McFarland amp Co External links EditTarzan s Greatest Adventure at IMDb Tarzan s Greatest Adventure at AllMovie Tarzan s Greatest Adventure at the TCM Movie Database Tazan s Greatest Adventure at Letterbox DVD Tarzan s Greatest Adventure at BFI Tarzan s Greatest Adventure at the American Film Institute Catalog Tarzan s Greatest Adventure at Rotten Tomatoes Al Mulock Aveleyman ERBzine Silver Screen Tarzan s Greatest Adventure Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tarzan 27s Greatest Adventure amp oldid 1180153050, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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