TARZAN, THE APE MAN (1932) B/W 101m dir: W.S. Van Dyke II

w/Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith, Doris Lloyd, Forrester Harvey, Ivory Williams, Cheta the Chimp

From The Movie Guide: "The original swinger, with the original call of the wild. A legend was born when MGM cast Johnny Weissmuller, a 28-year-old Olympic swimming champion, as Tarzan in this film. The Edgar Rice Burroughs character had been popular in silent films, but this was the first sound version. Jane Parker (Maureen O'Sullivan), her father (C. Aubrey Smith), and her boyfriend (Neil Hamilton) venture into the African wilds in search of the ivory-laden Elephant's Graveyard and experience great danger in the process. Fears are heightened when Tarzan's jungle yell is heard, and before long, Jane is screaming and kicking as Tarzan carries her into the treetops. Her father and suitor threaten to shoot Tarzan, but after she is released, Jane defends the ape-man with whom she is falling in love. She is soon swinging through the trees under his arm, clowning around with the captivating chimp, Cheta, and taking swims with Tarzan. Their happiness is threatened, however, when they are captured by pygmies and lowered into a pit with a giant ape.

"The first of six Weissmuller-O'Sullivan 'Tarzan' adventures, TARZAN, THE APE MAN suffers in technological comparison with today's Steven Spielbergian jungle adventures, but still has enough thrills to put most modern films to shame. The near-nonstop excitement holds up wonderfully, making this one of Hollywood's most memorable adventure films. And the two leads, through countless casting calls, have never been beaten. Okay, Bo Derek, you can clean the cage now."