A fanatical cult that worships a "Leopard God" statue aren't happy at the growing encroachment of civilization in the jungle, and so begin murdering caravans while disguised as leopards. While on a shopping jaunt with Jane & Boy, Tarzan takes part in a friendly wrestling match, but then is recruited to track down the wild animals, who only HE insists are NOT animals. A native doctor who was educated by the foreign "intruders" stirs up the cult and its female leader, while her brother spies on Tarzan and his family. Eventually, all are captured and about to be sacrified by the murderous fanatics, until Cheetah cuts Tarzan free, and he does a literal "Samson" routine by bringing down the roof of the cave they use as their temple.
This is definitely NOT MGM's "Tarzan"! In fact, I was reminded a lot of the 1966 TARZAN TV series, except for it being in B&W and having a VERY different Tarzan and adopted son. I noted while watching the previous film, TARZAN AND THE AMAZONS, that despite the continuing presence of Johnny Weismuller and Johnny Sheffield, the Sol Lesser-produced RKO films had clearly slipped into an entirely-different continuity. They no longer live on "The Mutia Escarpment", "civilization" can now be easily reached by river raft (or a long hike), and Tarzan has become a known figure rather than a jungle legend. And then there's Jane. You'd think all those years living in the jungle she would have learned how to defend herself, but here, not only does she talk and act like a "typical American housewife", when danger arises, she seems incapable of anything more than running away and screaming!
At least, by comparison, Johnny Sheffield as "Boy", now aged 15, gets into his first genuine knock-down-drag-out fight, though the sneaky, devious, viscious little rat-bastard he gets into it with has him so out-matched it's up to Cheetah to knock the guy unconscious and save his pal from anything worse than getting his back terribly scratched up.
Dennis Hoey is the "District Commissioner" (did he even have a name in this?), who, while getting a bigger screen part than he did in any of the Rathbone HOLMES films, comes across just as stupid as Lestrade was, totally dismissing Tarzan's insistance that the murders were not committed by animals, and suggesting the ape man has gotten a little soft in the head-- something Jane, infuriatingly, seems to agree with! I'm sorry, but Brenda Joyce as "Jane" is just not agreeing with me here.
Acquanetta is "Lea", the obsessed leader of the cult. Edgar Barrier is "Dr. Ameer Lazar", whose fanatical speeches to stir up the cult members does seem rather Nazi-like. Tommy Cook is "Kimba", Lea's arrogant brother, bent on proving himself a "warrior", yet disliked by his own peers and his sister's lover. While spying on the Tarzan family, both ape man and adopted son instinctively distrust him from the start, yet Jane is so insistent they allow him to stay, it's like those 2 years back in England have completely drained her of any natural instincts she ever might have had. And Kimba keeps wavering between wanting to murder Jane to "prove" himself, and lusting after her. I suppose Norman Bates started out this way!
Anthony Caruso is "Mongo", the lead cult warrior. No matter what I see him in, I'll always remember him as gangster "Bela Oxmyxs" in the 2nd-season STAR TREK comedy episode, "A Piece Of The Action".
My favorite part was when Tarzan fought to rescue the 4 young lady school-teachers from the cultists. He swam underwater and cut up the ropes holding their raft together, then lured several of them to their deaths in a deep animal-trap pit, then dropped a heavy tree-branch on several more of them. He didn't win that fight, but by God, it took at least a dozen of them to overpower him! As several reviewers have noted, I can see that Weismuller had gotten himself into better shape in this film. Perhaps he felt he needed to "compete" with Sheffield, who was growing up very nicely by this time. I'm very much looking forward to getting my hands on both the BOMBA and the JUNGLE JIM series when I'm done with these.
It is a mystery that neither Tarzan, Jane OR Boy used anything resembling a "jungle yell" in this film. When all 3 were prisoners (along with the teachers), I was so hoping for an ELEPHANT stamped to flatten the baddies into the ground... as happened way back in 1932. Oh well! Fun stuff.
This is definitely NOT MGM's "Tarzan"! In fact, I was reminded a lot of the 1966 TARZAN TV series, except for it being in B&W and having a VERY different Tarzan and adopted son. I noted while watching the previous film, TARZAN AND THE AMAZONS, that despite the continuing presence of Johnny Weismuller and Johnny Sheffield, the Sol Lesser-produced RKO films had clearly slipped into an entirely-different continuity. They no longer live on "The Mutia Escarpment", "civilization" can now be easily reached by river raft (or a long hike), and Tarzan has become a known figure rather than a jungle legend. And then there's Jane. You'd think all those years living in the jungle she would have learned how to defend herself, but here, not only does she talk and act like a "typical American housewife", when danger arises, she seems incapable of anything more than running away and screaming!
At least, by comparison, Johnny Sheffield as "Boy", now aged 15, gets into his first genuine knock-down-drag-out fight, though the sneaky, devious, viscious little rat-bastard he gets into it with has him so out-matched it's up to Cheetah to knock the guy unconscious and save his pal from anything worse than getting his back terribly scratched up.
Dennis Hoey is the "District Commissioner" (did he even have a name in this?), who, while getting a bigger screen part than he did in any of the Rathbone HOLMES films, comes across just as stupid as Lestrade was, totally dismissing Tarzan's insistance that the murders were not committed by animals, and suggesting the ape man has gotten a little soft in the head-- something Jane, infuriatingly, seems to agree with! I'm sorry, but Brenda Joyce as "Jane" is just not agreeing with me here.
Acquanetta is "Lea", the obsessed leader of the cult. Edgar Barrier is "Dr. Ameer Lazar", whose fanatical speeches to stir up the cult members does seem rather Nazi-like. Tommy Cook is "Kimba", Lea's arrogant brother, bent on proving himself a "warrior", yet disliked by his own peers and his sister's lover. While spying on the Tarzan family, both ape man and adopted son instinctively distrust him from the start, yet Jane is so insistent they allow him to stay, it's like those 2 years back in England have completely drained her of any natural instincts she ever might have had. And Kimba keeps wavering between wanting to murder Jane to "prove" himself, and lusting after her. I suppose Norman Bates started out this way!
Anthony Caruso is "Mongo", the lead cult warrior. No matter what I see him in, I'll always remember him as gangster "Bela Oxmyxs" in the 2nd-season STAR TREK comedy episode, "A Piece Of The Action".
My favorite part was when Tarzan fought to rescue the 4 young lady school-teachers from the cultists. He swam underwater and cut up the ropes holding their raft together, then lured several of them to their deaths in a deep animal-trap pit, then dropped a heavy tree-branch on several more of them. He didn't win that fight, but by God, it took at least a dozen of them to overpower him! As several reviewers have noted, I can see that Weismuller had gotten himself into better shape in this film. Perhaps he felt he needed to "compete" with Sheffield, who was growing up very nicely by this time. I'm very much looking forward to getting my hands on both the BOMBA and the JUNGLE JIM series when I'm done with these.
It is a mystery that neither Tarzan, Jane OR Boy used anything resembling a "jungle yell" in this film. When all 3 were prisoners (along with the teachers), I was so hoping for an ELEPHANT stamped to flatten the baddies into the ground... as happened way back in 1932. Oh well! Fun stuff.