The Adventures of Tarzan

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The Adventures of Tarzan
Adventures of Tarzan - Elmo Lincoln.jpg
Directed by Robert F. Hill
Scott Sidney
Written by Robert F. Hill
Lillian Valentine
based on novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Produced by Louis Weiss
Starring Elmo Lincoln
Louise Lorraine
Scott Pembroke
Frank Whitson
Lillian Worth
Production
company
Distributed by Numa Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • December 1, 1921 (1921-12-01)(first chapter)
Running time
15 chapters
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English Intertitles

The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) is a 15 chapter movie serial which features the third and final appearance of Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan. The serial was produced by Louis Weiss, written by Robert F. Hill and Lillian Valentine (partially based on the novels The Return of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs), and directed by Robert F. Hill and Scott Sidney. The first chapter was released on December 1, 1921. [1]

Contents

Plot

Tarzan holding a leopard's corpse over his head in The Adventures of Tarzan The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) - 2.jpg
Tarzan holding a leopard's corpse over his head in The Adventures of Tarzan

The serial's prologue features Edgar Rice Burroughs himself. [2]

Tarzan rescues Jane from Arab slave traders after they become marooned in Africa. They return to the cabin where his parents lived before their deaths. Jane is captured by Queen La of Opar, taken to that hidden city, and is to be made a sacrifice. Tarzan rescues her and they escape. Nikolas Rokoff and William Cecil Clayton, the usurper to Tarzan's title of Lord Greystoke, learn that Jane has a map to the city (which contains fabulous riches in exotic jewels), tattooed onto her back. They kidnap her and attempt to loot the city. Tarzan braves many perils, finally rescues Jane, defeats the villains and escapes La's amorous clutches.

Cast

Production

The success of the serial The Son of Tarzan inspired Great Western Producing Company to approach Tarzan's creator Edgar Rice Burroughs about making another Tarzan serial. However, the rights for another Tarzan film were still retained by the Weiss brothers' Numa Pictures Corporation, the makers of the feature film The Revenge of Tarzan . When Numa discovered that Great Western had Elmo Lincoln, the first screen Tarzan, signed to play the lead, they agreed to a deal in which Great Western would produce the film, while Numa would handle distribution. [3] The story was based partially on two of the Tarzan novels, The Return of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar , with the addition of some new material. [3] [2] The desert scenes were filmed in Arizona.

Casting

This serial marked Elmo Lincoln's return to the part of Tarzan, whom he was the first to play, but it was also Lincoln's last time as the character. [3] The serial was advertised as "Censor-proof." [2] Nevertheless, censorship forced the previously bare-chested Lincoln to cover up and wear an over-the-shoulder-styled costume for this production. [3] Louise Lorraine celebrated her sixteenth birthday during production. [3] As advertised, "Joe Martin, famous screen ape, plays a leading part." [2]

Production started January 1 and finished August 13, 1921. [3]

Stunts

Frank Merrill began doubling Lincoln about halfway through the serial. Lincoln was insured for $150,000, and the insurers were not happy with him doing his own stunts. Seven years later, Merrill was cast as the apeman in Tarzan the Mighty . [3] [2] [4]

Release

For marketing purposes, The Adventures of Tarzan Serial Sales Corporation was formed in New York. The serial sold in half of all available markets without the use of a road man. Within three months of the completion date, it had sold out in most countries world wide. [3] Despite rumours circulated that the serial was not new material, but just a rehash of footage from previous Tarzan films, The Adventures of Tarzan was a successful film and one of the top four attractions of the year. [3] The film was reedited and released with sound effects twice—first in 1928, and a second time in 1935.

Critical reception

The Exhibitors Herald wrote, "Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan is too well known to theater-goers to need further introduction. His red-blooded fights, staged in each episode, will evoke applause from the serial audience." Film Fun Magazine wrote, "There are enough wild animals introduced in each episode to keep the younger generation, which has shown a predilection for the serial form of entertainment, whooping her up." [3]

Influence

The success of the serial inspired a Broadway show, Tarzan of the Apes, but critics attacked it as fit only for film and unsuitable for the stage. [3]

Survival status

The complete fifteen-chapter version has not survived.[ citation needed ] The version available on DVD is the 1928 ten-chapter rerelease.[ citation needed ] The ten-chapter version can also be viewed at the Internet Archive. [5] The first thirteen chapters survive in 16mm film at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Archive.[ citation needed ] The UCLA Film and Television Archive has restored chapter 11: "The Hidden Foe". [6] Silent Era claims that the archive also has prints of the film and 1928 rerelease. [7]

The Library of Congress possesses a window card for the film. [8]

Original book chapter titles

  1. Jungle Romance
  2. The City of Gold
  3. The Sun Death
  4. Stalking Death
  5. Flames of Hate
  6. The Ivory Tomb
  7. The Jungle Trap
  8. The Tornado
  9. Fangs of the Lion
  10. The Simoon
  11. The Hidden Foe
  12. Dynamite Trail
  13. The Jungle's Fury
  14. Flaming Arrows
  15. The Last Adventure

1937 film chapter titles

  1. Tarzan the Boy
  2. Tarzan's Revenge
  3. Tarzan to the Rescue
  4. Tarzan the Fearless
  5. Tarzan's Hide-Out
  6. Tarzan's Enemies
  7. Tarzan Vanishes
  8. Tarzan Conquers
  9. Tarzan Faces Death
  10. Fighting Tarzan
  11. Cyclone Tarzan
  12. Fangs vs. Tarzan
  13. Message from Tarzan

Novel

The Adventures of Tarzan
AuthorMaude Robinson Toombs
Series Tarzan (book series)
PublisherERBville Press
Publication date
2006 (trade paper)
2008 (hardcover)
Pages158
ISBN 978-1-4357-4973-3
Preceded by Tarzan the Mighty (2005) 
Followed by The Greystoke Legacy (2011) 

Originally written as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1921, it was collected and published as a released as a trade paperback ( ISBN   978-1-4357-4973-3) by ERBville Press in January 2006. The book became available as a hardcover via Lulu.com in 2008.

Chapters

  1. Jungle Romance
  2. The City of Gold
  3. The Sun Death
  4. Stalking Death
  5. Flames of Hate
  6. The Ivory Tomb
  7. The Jungle Trap
  8. The Tornado
  9. Fangs of the Lion
  10. The Simoon
  11. The Slave Market
  12. Dynamite Trail
  13. The Jungle's Prey
  14. The Flaming Arrow
  15. The Last Adventure

Related Research Articles

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<i>The New Adventures of Tarzan</i> 1935 American film

The New Adventures of Tarzan is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Herman Brix. The serial presents a more authentic version of the character than most other film adaptations, with Tarzan as the cultured and well-educated gentleman in the original Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. It was filmed during the same period as the Johnny Weissmuller/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Tarzan films. Film exhibitors had the choice of booking the serial in 12 episodes, the feature film, or the feature film followed by 11 episodes of the serial.

Opar is a fictional lost city in the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and later the Khokarsa novels of Philip José Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey, as well as various derivative works in other media.

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<i>Tarzan of the Apes</i> (1918 film) 1918 film directed by Scott Sidney

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<i>Tarzan the Untamed</i>

Tarzan the Untamed is a book by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines; "Tarzan the Untamed" in Redbook from March to August, 1919, and "Tarzan and the Valley of Luna" in All-Story Weekly from March to April 1920. The two stories were combined under the title of the first in the first book edition, published in 1920 by A. C. McClurg. In order of writing, the book follows Jungle Tales of Tarzan, a collection of short stories about the ape-man's youth. Chronologically, it follows Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.

<i>The Return of Tarzan</i> 1913 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Return of Tarzan is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine New Story Magazine in the issues for June through December 1913; the first book edition was published in 1915 by A. C. McClurg.

<i>The Beasts of Tarzan</i> 1914 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Beasts of Tarzan is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in All-Story Cavalier magazine in 1914, the novel was first published in book form by A. C. McClurg in 1916.

<i>Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar</i> 1916 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

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<i>Tarzan the Tiger</i> 1929 film

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

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<i>The Son of Tarzan</i> (film) 1920 film

The Son of Tarzan is a 1920 15-chapter American film serial which focuses on the coming of age of Jack Clayton, also known as Korak, the son of Tarzan and Jane. The serial was produced by David P. Howells, written by Roy Somerville, and directed by Arthur J. Flaven and Harry Revier. The film was released starting in the summer of 1920, with the final chapter released in January 1921.

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References

  1. Erbzine
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "6. Jungle "Look Out The Elephants Are Coming!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 123 and 125. ISBN   978-0-7130-0097-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Essoe, Gabe (1972). Tarzan of the Movies . Citadel Press. pp.  37–44. ISBN   978-0-8065-0295-3.
  4. Stedman, Raymond William (1971). "3. At This Theater Next Week" . Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. pp.  56. ISBN   978-0-8061-0927-5.
  5. "The Adventures Of Tarzan (1921 [sic] USA) (edición Americana). 3gp". Internet Archive.
  6. "Silent Fragments". UCLA Film and Television Archive. March 22, 2015.
  7. "The Adventures of Tarzan". silentera.com.
  8. "'Adventures of Tarzan' / Ritchey Litho. Corp". Library of Congress.


Preceded by Tarzan series
The Adventures of Tarzan
Succeeded by