Tarzan Escapes

Third film in the Johnny Weissmuller--Maureen O'Sullivan Tarzan series. Two of Jane's cousins come to the jungle to persuade her to return to civilization. With them is safari hunter Captain Fry (John Buckler) who secretly has plans to capture Tarzan and bring him back to civilization as a sideshow attraction. And then there is the vicious native tribe near by...

Not as good as the first two (which were great) but still very enjoyable. This film was a disaster--it took 2 years to make and went through multiple rewrites, reshoots, cutting, editing and was overhauled completely when a test audience hated it. The film is pretty violent (for 1936) but the original was even more so with a vampire bat sequence that got completely cut out! The sex has been toned down too--Jane is dressed VERY modestly this time around and she's fully clothed during the underwater swimming sequence (she was totally nude in "Tarzan and his Mate". Still, this film isn't really for kids. The violence IS pretty strong. Also Tarzan and Jane's tree house is quite elaborate this time around. And there are shots of Cheetah laughing that are hysterical.

The acting varies--Weissmuller is very good as Tarzan--his emotions show clearly through his face (but he does look a little old in a few sequences); O'Hara is still bad as Jane and everybody else is TERRIBLE--especially Buckler and Herbert Munder (stuck with the thankless "comic" relief role).

Still this is fast-moving with plenty of action. Worth catching.

The Hays Code brought the Tarzan Series down from Adult Adventure to Teen Adventure (this one) to the Kiddie Adventures to come after.

"Tarzan Escapes" was made prior to the Hays Code but was released after it took effect and therein is the Problem with the Third in the Series. It Suffers from Extended Reshoots and Editing the "Good Stuff".

Although the Movie does Retain a bit of the Jungle Violence, the Nasty Natives of Previous Entries, and a Few Scenes of Terror, it Loses the Pre-Code Edge and is Replaced with some Clunky Scenes (Tarzan walking zombie like with depression and extended Cheetah shenanigans).

Overall, the Story of Tarzan being Caged and put on Exhibition is a Nervous Anxiety and some Safari Scenes Impress, the much Talked About Ju-Ju is Only Talked About.

After this, when the Hays Code and "Boy" showed up, the Series fell into a "Flintstones" Frolic that can at times be Witnessed in this one. The Beginning of the End for Tarzan as an Adult Adventure.

Tarzan Escapes was released on VHS in the UK by Warner Brothers as part of a box set which also includes Tarzan Finds a Son and Tarzan and His Mate. I enjoyed this one.

Janes cousins, Eric and Rita arrive in the jungle to look for Jane to tell her she has inherited a lot of money. They arrive with Captain Fry, who plans to kidnap Tarzan and have him as part of his freak show. He does manage to get him into a cage but with the help of some of his elephant friends and Cheetah, he escapes and towards the end, gets his revenge when he makes Fry go back into a cave they just went through where there are hungry lizards and Fry is killed.

As always, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan are excellent as Tarzan and Jane.

Tarzan Escapes is a must for any Tarzan fan. Great fun.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

If I was to summarize my feelings about "Tarzan Escapes" in one sentence, this is what I would write: I *loved* the first two Tarzan films, and I *like* the third film.

"Tarzan Escapes" isn't a bad film, but it's clear that the writers had used up a lot of their imagination on the first two installments. The basic premise is that Jane's cousins Rita and Eric go into the jungle to find Jane. Once again, they head to the Mutia Escarpment (the elephant graveyard), and they commission Captain Fry, along with his comedic friend Rawlins, to lead them there.

The first half of this film is basically kiddie fare. The Rawlins character attempts (but never quite succeeds) at providing comic relief, and the animal scenes are less perilous and more comedic. However, about halfway through the movie, a sudden twist occurs, and the story takes on a much more serious tone. It's not too strong for kids, so they should still enjoy it all. And adults, if they can overlook the bad comedy in the first half, should find the overall film very satisfying.

Tarzan has broadened his vocabulary a bit since the first two films, and his and and Jane's relationship is still sparkling. Cheeta has more of a role in this movie, and they've spiffed up their jungle décor considerably. (Only the castaways on Gilligan's Island have a more deluxe setup without electricity.)

Several of the animal scenes are lifted from "Tarzan and His Mate", so some of the excitement and freshness are lost. But there is still plenty to get excited about. I did notice that the sound quality is much improved. (I had to watch parts of the first two films with subtitles just to understand what they were saying. The sound is much clearer in the third movie.)

Overall, it's a rousing adventure film. It's nice to say hi to our jungle friends once again, and there are enough new elements to be more than just a rehash of the previous stories.

As a kid I LOVED all Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan flicks, including this one. But one incident has been bothering me all these years; Benita Hume finds two adorable lion cubs in a tree trunk, and as she picks them up in her arms and starts cuddling them, their mother appears rushing menacingly towards Benita. Capt Fry shoots the lioness dead just in the nick of time. What bothers me is that nothing more is said or shown of the two cubs, who, we are to assume, must have perished without their mother's protection and nourishment. My anxiety about the fate of the cubs was rekindled recently when I viewed the DVD version of the film. Another incident which disturbs me is when one of the native bearers tumbles screaming to his death from the precipitous rocky mountain passage; however, before falling he had dropped the large crate of supplies he was carrying, prompting Fry's comment: "That was a close call" (or something to that effect). Never mind that a human being has just perished horribly