Tarzan and the Jungle Boy
Tarzan and the Jungle Boy is a 1968 adventure film starring Mike Henry in his third and final appearance as Tarzan. Rafer Johnson and Aliza Gur co-star. The film was produced by Sy Weintraub and Robert Day, written by Stephen Lord (based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs) and directed by Robert Gordon. It was released on May 1, 1968.[1]
| Tarzan and the Jungle Boy | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Robert Gordon |
| Written by | Stephen Lord |
| Based on | Characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| Produced by | Sy Weintraub Robert Day |
| Starring | Mike Henry Rafer Johnson Aliza Gur Steve Bond Ed Johnson Ron Gans |
| Cinematography | Ozen Sermet |
| Edited by | Milton Mann Reg Browne |
| Music by | William Loose |
Production company | Banner Productions |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
At home in Africa, Tarzan (Mike Henry) assists a photojournalist named Myrna (Aliza Gur) and her associate Ken (Ron Gans) in their search for Erik Brunik (Steve Bond), a thirteen-year-old boy lost in the jungle since he was seven years old. Tarzan is assisted by his friend Buhara (Ed Johnson) whose brother Nagambi (Rafer Johnson) does not wish the boy found, and attempts to kill him before Tarzan saves the day.
Cast
- Mike Henry as Tarzan
- Rafer Johnson as Nagambi, villain who hinders Tarzan's search for the Jungle Boy
- Aliza Gur as Myrna, photojournalist searching for Erik
- Steve Bond as Erik Brunik, the missing Jungle Boy
- Ron Gans as Ken, Myrna's associate
- Ed Johnson as Buhara, ally to Tarzan, brother of Nagambi
Production notes
Tarzan and the Jungle Boy was filmed in Brazil and along the Amazon River immediately after production of the previous film, Tarzan and the Great River.
All three of Mike Henry's Tarzan films were completed before the first (Tarzan and the Valley of Gold) was released in 1966.
The roles of opposing brothers Nagambi and Buhara were played by real life brothers Rafer and Ed Johnson.
Mike Henry was attacked and his jaw bitten by the chimpanzee playing Cheeta during filming (named Dinky in the previous production, Tarzan and the Great River) and sued Sy Weintraub's Banner Productions.[2] Citing exhaustion and unsafe work conditions in the suit, he bowed out of the Tarzan television series (for which he had been signed to play the lead). The case was settled for an undisclosed sum. Ron Ely replaced him as Tarzan in the TV series.
If one does not count two later theatrical releases of episodes from the Ron Ely TV series, this film was the final release in the "mainstream" Tarzan film franchise that had begun in 1918. The next official made-for-theatrical release production featuring the character would be Tarzan, the Ape Man, an attempted reboot of the concept, in 1981.
References
- "ERBzine 1963: Tarzan and the Jungle Boy".
- CHIMPANZEE BITES HENRY, GETS SUED, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 1966: b5.
- Essoe, Gabe. Tarzan of The Movies, 1968, published by The Citadel Press.