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Talk about recycling! As a Zorro fanatic, I have watched a couple of the old serials that used to show in movie theaters. You had to come back every Saturday to see the next part of the story. The original 12-part serial, The New Adventures of Tarzan, was re-edited into two movies, this being one of them.

The most interesting thing about this movie is the star, Bruce Bennett, or as he was known then, Herman Brix. Brix was given this role after losing out on a previous film, Tarzan the Ape Man, which cast an unknown BVD underwear model, Johnny Weissmuller. A shoulder injury prevented Brix from getting this role. The rest is, as they say, history. Weissmuller went on to be the greatest Tarzan of all time, and Brix had to eventually drop out of acting, take acting lessons and change his name before returning.

This is the second of two feature-length films re-edited from the original 12-chapter serial titled "The New Adventures of Tarzan" (1935). Neither film is technically edited well, but they do tell individual stories. Muscularly handsome Herman Brix, later known professionally as Bruce Bennett, is an appropriately athletic Tarzan. Our hero is much more cultured than he appears in the MGM Johnny Weissmuller films; he has discovered his noble British identity, and occasionally returns to the jungle for new adventures.

This "sequel" begins with the group attending a costume party (dressed as gypsies) at Tarzan's estate.

Previously, "Tarzan" and his friends concluded their search for an ancient relic known as "The Green Goddess" (among other things). Herein, we learn how this relic was then stolen, by dastardly Don Castello (as Raglan). He had been interested in the relic from the previous feature - for nefarious reasons, of course; the statue came with a secret formula (worth millions). "Don Castello" is a pseudonym for the serial's producer, Ashton Dearholt. Lewis Sargent (as George) has the most notable supporting role.

*** Tarzan and the Green Goddess (2/27/38) Edward Kull ~ Bruce Bennett, Ula Holt, Ashton Dearholt, Lewis Sargent

I couldn't believe that rhinos, wildebeests, chimps and giraffes had invaded Guatemala. Couldn't they get South American stock footage! The other silly thing was Tarzan's yell...aaaaaahmazeeeee or something like that; it sounded more like Ma Kettle calling the kids to supper. I did like Herman Brix/Bruce Bennett as Tarzan but his loin cloth had belt loops and a belt. He was wearing pants in one scene so that may explain it. He definitely resurrected his career later with some really good roles like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", etc. The acting was equal to the Weissmuller films, meaning pretty good but I think it was the producer and director who were at fault here. Watch the battle scene where the natives (wearing pants & shirts) carry swords but don't use them. I guess for its time and for kids it was an OK film, but nobody can "hold a candle" to the Weissmuller Tarzan films!

"Tarzan and the Green Goddess" is a reasonable condensed version of a longer serial, providing watchable light entertainment. It has a number of rough edges as a result of this format, with a sometimes choppy pace, and other stretches where the action gets somewhat repetitive. But there is enough going on to hold your attention, and Herman Brix (as he was then billed) is solid enough in the lead role.

As Tarzan, Brix (whom a lot of us always think of as Bruce Bennett) cannot come up to Johnny Weismuller's performance in the role, but he does give the character some life. Both Brix's approach and the story also bring out the other side of the character's nature, beyond his rugged jungle life.

The story focuses on a Central American artifact and a secret code that goes with it, with the plot mostly a series of confrontations with the bad guys. As others have pointed out, there is some unintentional humor added through the footage of African animals in a story that is supposed to be set in Guatemala.

An interesting aspect of this feature is that here the heroine (played by Ula Holt) is presented as more of an equal to Tarzan than usual. Overall, things fit together well enough to make it work all right as light viewing.

This is a condensed version of the 1935 series that has not been so badly hacked in the edit as many similar "adaptations". Lord Greystoke recounts the tale of his exploits as our eponymous hero in Guatemala where he helped in the quest for the "Green Goddess" - an idol worshipped by the local tribes. Unbeknown to the locals, though, their statue contained a hidden formula for a powerful explosive and so, of course, their task isn't that simple. The evil Hiram Powers also wants the formula and his henchman "Raglan" steals it from "Tarzan" leaving us with a cracking (big) cat and mouse adventure... It is actually quite a decent formula for Bruce Bennett, and he carries the adventure - with the aide of some restless natives and lions well for this 70 minute abridgement. He hasn't quite the presence (or the yodel) of Weissmuller, but it's still quite a fun watch with some chemistry-set special effects.

I got this movie in a box of Weismuller movies and this movie did feel so awfully compared to the MGM movies of Weismuller. The story starts somewhere in the middle (the beginning being the New adventures of Tarzan)about a statue of a goddess, hence the title. It takes place in Central America, and some of the nature shots seem borrowed from other continents. Bruce Bennet looks very Tarzan, but his acting is terrible, Weismuller is oscarmaterial compared to this man. The action scenes in this movie looks bad, the big fight in the beginning of the movie looks so stupid and silly that it takes the need to watch any further away. But I like punishment and occasionally am surprised on the end. It did not happen. As a movie it is awful and I am not sure that the serial is that good either.

This movie has none of the fun a good Tarzan movie should have. It leaves his viewer bewildered which is not good. My advise ignore this "movie" unless you are a Tarzan fan, then you have to watch it I guess.

Nothing in this cheap Thirties flick makes much sense. Endless footage of jungle wildlife, leaping for dear life in the shadow of an intruding chopper, makes up about half of the running time, the plot is in threads, and characters are weakly written throughout. Allegedly Rice Burroughs chose Bruce Bennett for his first own Tarzan, quick-witted and astute rather than brawny and dumb. Certainly, this guy knows where Guatemala is situated, and he knows his French as well, Lord Greystoke indeed, and Bennett is not half bad. He is magnificent from the purely physical sense, he throws a great punch and he is genuinely playful with the chimps. Again, nothing makes much sense here, and the violence of this movie is staggering, really hardcore. It works rather well though, choreography is elaborate, and I was having a jolly good time with what is, admittedly, a rather poor B-flick.

I have seen a ton of Tarzan films recently--most of them the classic Johnny Weissmuller films. So, when I watched "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" the difference between this film and the rest was obvious. Not only was this a bad movie, but it was a pretty dumb one. Now I am not saying that the other Tarzan films were perfect...it's just that "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" is about as far from perfect as you can get!!! Below are a small number of the seriously screwed up things about this film:

1. Tarzan is in Guatemala. Freakin' Central American GUATEMALA!! 'Nuff said!

2. Despite being in Guatemala, you see stock footage of mountain lions and lots of African animals!

3. Despite being raised in the jungle by apes, this Tarzan is nearly as well-spoken, mannerly and polite as John Gielgud! Apparently this Tarzan went to charm school and was raised by English apes!

4. The story was original a 12-part serial. However, some geniuses decided to chop it apart and create an all-new movie from these parts. As a result, the story is often incomprehensible and dumb. Perhaps part of what they cut out were the 10 years or more Tarzan spent in charm school.

The bottom line is that this is a bargain basement Tarzan--and the writers seemed to have complete contempt for the material and the audience. See it at your own peril.

Oh, and at one point in the film they talk about the Mayan ruins at Quirigua. This is a real place and I have visited there myself--it's pretty cool. However, I saw no evidence of any Mayan explosive devices like they had in the film--and, by the way, it IS a Mayan ruin, not Aztec (which they called it in the movie).

UPDATE: Apparently this film and "The New Adventures of Tarzan" were pieced together using portions of the SAME movie serial. Both are pretty bad--but at least the picture quality and sound in "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" were a bit better. Also, for more on these films and how they relate to the MGM series, check out the Wikipedia page for the movies.

The ERB Estate Sanctioned the 1935 Serial to Showcase a More Literate and "True" to the Novels "Tarzan".

This is Mostly the Second-Half of the 12 Part and as is the Case with Most "Feature from Serial" Edits is a bit Choppy.

But the Excitement and Fun of these Things is Intact and a Good Time can be had by Youngsters and the Young at Heart.

Bruce Bennett Changed His Name from Herman Brix (like Weissmuller an Olympian) and had a Lackluster Career in Films.

Most Notably He did Good Work in "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" (1948).

This Lively Compilation is Worth a Watch and has some rather Impressive Scenes and Action.

Never Boring it is a Retro Treat for those with the Ability to Transgress to Simpler Cinematic Times.

The 70 Minute Running Time is Filled with some Fantastic Stuff.

Crazy to think that in the 1930s, 3 different production companies were all making TARZAN films at the same time! MGM (with loads of money & Johnny Weismuller), Sol Lesser (budget knock-off of same), and Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of the character. Burroughs' 12-chapter serial, "THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN" (presumably a follow-up to an earlier silent serial) featured by far the single MOST-AUTHENTIC Tarzan ever seen on film, until producer Sy Weintraub came along in the late 50s.

It also featured Herman Brix, who was, until Jock Mahoney and Ron Ely, the most authentic-LOOKING Tarzan ever seen on film. Brix had been cast for MGM's 1st film, but had to be replaced because of a broken shoulder. If not for that accident, there might NEVER have been an "illiterate" Tarzan plaguing movies for decades. Had Brix been in "TARZAN THE APE MAN" in 1932, I feel certain that film would have been EVEN BETTER than it was, since MGM felt compelled to "dumb down" the hero due to Weismuller's thick accent.

Many serials were recut to produce "feature" versions; this one's unusual in that the 1st film only covered chapters 1-2, while this sequel covers chapters 3-12!! That should "explain" why this "runaround" seems so choppy. I've seen the complete serial, it definitely holds together far better.

4 groups are after a mysterious stone known as "The Green Goddess", which contains hidden jewels, and, an ancient formula for a powerful explosive that could endanger the world if it fell into the wrong hands. We have the Maitland expedition, accompanied by our intelligent, cultured, and physically-imposing "ape man"; Raglan, the obligatory bad guy; Ula Holt, a very capable government agent; and the near-mindless savage brutal HORDES inhabiting the "lost city" who will stop at nothing to get their stolen idol back.

When I called this a "runaround", I wasn't kidding. It's my experience that stories like this almost always work better when watched ONE chapter at a time, spaced a day (or a week) apart.

Burroughs' film, shot ON LOCATION under horrific conditions in Guatemala, looks fabulous, but tragically, is missing the gloss and slickness and professionalism of MGM (the biggest studio in hollywood at the time), or even the mid-level quality of Sol Lesser's independant films (Lesser wound up taking over the "official" series when MGM bowed out after the first 6 Weismullers). As a result, this can be a chore to plow through... but, if you're a fan of the REAL Tarzan as I am, it's worth the extra effort.

I found numerous bits to laugh at for various reasons. These included Tarzan, tied up as a prisoner, using his voice to imitate various wild animals, causing the local bad guy henchmen to run off in terror. I also loved when Brix, looking more like the character in the Russ Manning newspaper strips than anyone else I've ever seen, would DIVE into action against a whole group of assailants; it would usually require at least 6 opponents to take him down! And then there's the scene where comic-relief "George" foolishly toys with a large turtle, only to be assaulted by about a DOZEN of them in retaliation. That'll learn 'im! (Well, in his case, maybe not... heh.)

Most absurd line in the film (maybe): "You will PRODUCE the Goddess, or you will DIE." I felt like somebody should have replied, "Well, that's going to be awful difficult if we're PRISONERS, wouldn't you say?"

Brix later took acting lessons and changed his name to "Bruce Bennett", and appeared in such fun flicks as "DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE". It's kind of a shame he didn't get to appear in a Tarzan film with FAR-better technical elements.

Although the Ron Ely TV series was a direct spin-off of the official film series (under the then-guidance of Sy Weintraub), I view THIS project as the REAL precursor to Ely's series. I hope to upgrade both to DVD eventually.

Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

In 1935 a serial called THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN was released in 12-chapters but then the producers got cheap and wanted to make some extra cash so they released a feature version of it. Then, three years later, the producers decided to re-edit some more footage and throw this thing out as the second feature taken from that serial. What we basically have here is the second portion of the serial as Tarzan (Herman Brix) travels to various locations trying to track down the Green Goddess and destroy the evil ones doing harm to get it. That's pretty much all the story you need to know or better said it's pretty much the only story I could come up with. It's always hard to judge these features that were trimmed down from serial simply because you're missing so much footage. You certainly can't judge the original serial from just these features. With that said, this here was pretty hard to get through for a number of reasons but the biggest is that it simply never makes any sense. It's clear that this production was trying to stay close to the source material as Tarzan is well spoken and is even able to dress nice. These touches are so fast that you really don't get to know this "other" Tarzan as it doesn't take long for him to be in the loin clothe and swinging around on vines. The performances are all rather bland and the added running time doesn't help. Fans of cheap "C" movies might get a kick out of this but it's probably best looking for the uncut serial.

Watching these two films culled from this location-shot epic back-to-back may be the best way to enjoy this serial. The editing of the individual chapters is better than in, say, the Flash Gordon serials, which are best seen in their original format. There is no Queen Kia-Kia here to foster laughs as in the first feature, but there is a batty high-priest character to carry the unintentional comedy load. In all, if you watch these two features together, you may find the experience to be enjoyable. These do not measure up to the MGM features, but they are an OK time-waster that do feature some fascinating location photography. There are also some hair-raising stunts in both features that look pretty authentically done.

I'll take this movie to comment on as my platform for the Tarzan yell. There is still none better than Weissmuller's to this day. I've only started to watch Tarzan the Tiger, with Frank Merrill, quite possibly the best physical Tarzan there was by the way, and his Tarzan yell was "YAAAA! YAAAA!!! YAAAA!!!!" It pales in comparison in imagination to Herman Brix' yell, but Herman Brix yell is none too pleasing. "AAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH MAAAAAAANNNNGGGAAAAAAANNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" While quite amusing, it's too long and therefore loses its significance. In the Weissmuller films, it's used to call man or beast, or signify that Tarzan may be in trouble. More accurately in Herman Brix' films, it's used as the victorious cry of the bull ape after a successful conquest, as it should be used. But it shouldn't be a pronounced cry, but rather a savage, eerie, unsettling cry that most would loath to associate with a human.