Jane Porter (Tarzan)

Last updated
Jane Porter
Jane Porter.jpg
Early depiction by J. Allen St. John from
The Beasts of Tarzan (1st edition, 1916)
First appearance Tarzan of the Apes
Last appearance Tarzan the Magnificent
Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
In-universe information
AliasJane Clayton
Species Human
GenderFemale
TitleLady Greystoke, Chieftess of the Waziri
Spouse Tarzan (husband)
Children Korak (son)
RelativesProf. Archimedes Q. Porter (father)
Mrs. Porter (mother; first name unknown)
Meriem (daughter-in-law)
Jackie (grandson)
Nationality American/British

Jane Porter (later Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke) is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film. Jane, an American from Baltimore, Maryland, is the daughter of professor Archimedes Q. Porter. She becomes the love interest, later the wife of Tarzan and subsequently the mother of their son, Korak. She develops over the course of the series from a conventional damsel in distress, who must be rescued from various perils, to an educated, competent and capable adventuress in her own right, fully capable of defending herself and surviving on her own in the jungles of Africa.

Contents

In the novels

Jane first appeared in the initial Tarzan novel Tarzan of the Apes (1912) then later reappeared in:

Jane also appeared in a minor role in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover (1925), the events of which take place chronologically between The Return of Tarzan and The Beasts of Tarzan .

Jane is described in Tarzan of the Apes as a beautiful, young woman, with long, blonde hair. She is between 18 and 20 years old in the novel.

In addition, Porter is the narrator-protagonist in Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell, a 2011 novel authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. to commemorate the centennial celebration of Tarzan. Maxwell's novel is a free adaptation of the original story, contradicting it on numerous points of the story.

In other media

Film

Early Tarzan films portrayed Jane Porter and (occasionally) her father faithfully to the portrayal in the novels. The 1932 sound film Tarzan the Ape Man and its sequels changed the character's name to Jane Parker, portraying her as English rather than American and making her and Tarzan the adoptive parents of an orphan they named "Boy". In addition, the name of Jane's father in the first film is James Parker. Remakes of the 1932 film, ( Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959) and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)) reprised this portrayal as well as that of her father. Maureen O'Sullivan, who portrayed Jane Parker with Johnny Weissmuller in the 1932 film and its first few sequels, was the most famous screen Jane.

O'Sullivan and Weissmuller in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man.jpg
O'Sullivan and Weissmuller in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)

In recent Tarzan films, starting with Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), the character is again Jane Porter, and her father Archimedes Q. Porter, and both once again Americans (with the exception of Disney's 1999 animated Tarzan , which again represents both as English). Jane Porter was once a member for the Disney Princess franchise. [1]

Actresses who portrayed Jane on film include:

The Jane character is absent in:

Jane in all but name

Three Tarzan films presented female leads who became the partner of Tarzan, but who were not named Jane, for one reason or another.

Television

The Jane character has appeared sporadically in the seven (to date) television series featuring Tarzan, occasionally in offbeat portrayals when she does appear.

She was entirely omitted in television series Tarzan (1966–68).

In the Filmation animated series Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976–80), she appeared once in the episode "Tarzan and Jane," in which she and her father were part of an archaeological expedition looking for the lost city of Cowloon; she was voiced by Linda Gary in this episode.

In the TV movie Tarzan in Manhattan (1989) the character was reimagined as a New York cab driver, played by Kim Crosby, and in the French-Canadian-Mexican series Tarzán (1991–94) as a French ecologist, played by Lydie Denier.

Jane was absent from Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996–1997), and Lydie Denier returned in the role of Olga de Coude; Jane was slated to appear in the unproduced second season, with Julie St. Claire cast in the role.

Olivia d'Abo took the role in the Disney animated series The Legend of Tarzan (2000–2003), a follow-up to Disney's animated Tarzan film and its direct-to-video sequel Tarzan & Jane (2002).

The 2003 series Tarzan , set like Tarzan in Manhattan in New York City, casts Sarah Wayne Callies as detective Jane Porter.

In the CGI 2017 series Tarzan and Jane , Jane Porter is a teenage, big-city girl who becomes friends with a teenage Tarzan.

Actresses who portrayed Jane on television include:

Radio

Stage

Audio cassette

Video games

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheeta</span> Fictional character

Cheeta is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tarzan. Cheeta has usually been characterized as male, but sometimes as female, and has been portrayed by chimpanzees of both sexes.

<i>Tarzan of the Apes</i> 1912 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan of the Apes is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first printed in the pulp magazine The All-Story in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 1914.

<i>The Legend of Tarzan</i> (TV series) 2001-2003 animated TV series

The Legend of Tarzan is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, based on Tarzan from the novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the character's original creator who appears in one episode of the series. The series is also based on Disney's 1999 animated feature film Tarzan by Walt Disney Pictures and aired initially on the Disney's One Too block on UPN. However, reruns were broadcast shortly after on Toon Disney.

<i>Tarzan</i> (1999 film) Animated film directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck

Tarzan is a 1999 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1912 story Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, being the first animated major motion picture version of the story. The film was directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck and produced by Bonnie Arnold, from a screenplay by Tab Murphy and the writing team of Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. It stars the voices of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Rosie O'Donnell, Brian Blessed, Lance Henriksen, Wayne Knight, and Nigel Hawthorne.

<i>Tarzan the Ape Man</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Tarzan the Ape Man is a 1932 pre-Code American action adventure film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith and Maureen O'Sullivan. It was Weissmuller's first of 12 Tarzan films. O'Sullivan played Jane in six features between 1932 and 1942. The film is loosely based on Burroughs' 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, with the dialogue written by Ivor Novello. The film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released two remakes of Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1959 and in 1981, but each was a different adaptation of Rice Burroughs' novel. It is also the first appearance of Tarzan's famous yell.

The Tarzan yell or Tarzan's jungle call is the distinctive, ululating yell of the character Tarzan as portrayed by actor Johnny Weissmuller in the films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs starting with Tarzan the Ape Man (1932). The yell was a creation of the movies based on what Burroughs described in his books as simply "the victory cry of the bull ape."

<i>Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle</i> Animated television series

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La (Tarzan)</span> Fictional character

La is a character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, the queen and high priestess of Opar, a lost city in the jungles of Africa. Opar is portrayed as a surviving colony of ancient Atlantis in which incredible riches have been stockpiled down through the ages. The city's population exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism caused by a combination of excessive inbreeding, cross-breeding with apes, and selective culling of offspring. Consequently, female Oparians are physically perfect, while male Oparians are hideous bestial creatures.

Tarzan is a character created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in movies and other media based on it. She is the ape mother of Tarzan who raises him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarzan in film, television and other non-print media</span>

Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-four sequels by Burroughs and numerous more by other authors. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, first and most notably to comics and film.

<i>Tarzans Magic Fountain</i> 1949 film by Lee Sholem

Tarzan's Magic Fountain is a 1949 Tarzan film directed by Lee Sholem and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Brenda Joyce as his companion Jane. The thirteenth film of the Tarzan film series that began with 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man, the film also features Albert Dekker and Evelyn Ankers. It was co-written by Curt Siodmak.

<i>Tarzans Savage Fury</i> 1952 film by Cy Endfield

Tarzan's Savage Fury is a 1952 film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan, Dorothy Hart as Jane, and Patric Knowles, serving as the sixteenth film of the Tarzan film series that began with 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man. While most Tarzan films of this series in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s presented Tarzan as a very different character from the one in Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels, this movie does make some allusions to the novels. It was shot in Chatsworth, California's Iverson Movie Ranch. The film was the last to be directed by Cyril "Cy" Endfield in the US. Finding himself one of Hollywood's film-makers blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee he moved to Britain. The film was co-written by Cyril Hume, who'd contributed substantially to the "Tarzan" series back in its bigger budget MGM days. At 81 minutes, this is the longest Tarzan film since Tarzan's Secret Treasure in 1941. The film was followed by Tarzan and the She-Devil in 1953.

<i>Tarzan and the She-Devil</i> 1953 film by Kurt Neumann

Tarzan and the She-Devil is a 1953 American film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Joyce MacKenzie as Jane. The seventeenth film of the Tarzan film series that began with 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man, it also features Raymond Burr, Tom Conway and Monique van Vooren, who plays the "She-Devil."

<i>Tarzans Hidden Jungle</i> 1955 film by Harold D. Schuster

Tarzan's Hidden Jungle is a 1955 black-and-white film from RKO Pictures directed by Harold D. Schuster and starring Gordon Scott in his first film as Tarzan, taking over the role from Lex Barker, who had in turn followed Johnny Weissmuller in the series. The film about Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape-man also features Vera Miles and Jack Elam. The last of twelve Tarzan pictures released by RKO before the rights returned to MGM and the eighteenth overall film of the Tarzan film series that began with 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man, it was followed by Tarzan and the Lost Safari in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nkima</span> Fictional character

Nkima is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics. His name comes from either the word N'kima, or, after the Meru language nickname for Ugali, a dish popular in Kenya and Tanzania made from maize flour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarzan</span> Fictional character from Edgar Rice Burroughss Tarzan of the Apes

Tarzan is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.

Harry Holt is a recurring character who has appeared in four Tarzan films.

Tublat is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes and one of its sequels, Jungle Tales of Tarzan, as well as animated films, television series and other media based on them.

William Cecil Clayton is a recurring fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics.

References

  1. Long, Evelyn (2023-05-24). "List of Official Disney Princesses – And the Ones That Got Left Out". WDW Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-14.

Sources