Tarzan l'intrépide

This is a feature version of a 12-chapter serial, although some don't seem to know that the serial exists. As was a semi-common practice of the time, some serials were produced as both a feature and also as a serial. The reason was that some theatres would not book serials but had no qualms about booking a feature edited from a serial, and this practice allowed the serial producer to get a booking in a theatre for his condensed feature that they would not have gotten as a 12-episode serial.

This "feature version" consists of the first four chapters of the 12-chapter SERIAL that was titled "Tarzan the Fearless," , which a great many collectors have in its 12-chapter form (that some don't seem to know exists) and, some of the luckier ones, even have all of the different original one-sheets posters issued with each chapter title, and the full eight-card set of different lobby cards issued with each chapter following the showing of the feature version at theatres that did book serials; and most of those theatres that did book serials didn't bother showing this feature version, opting instead to show one chapter a week for 12 weeks.

The chapter titles for the 12 episodes of this serial (from which the "Tarzan the Fearless" feature version was chopped out of) were: 1. The Dive of Death; 2. The Storm God Strikes; 3. Thundering Death; 4. The Pit of Peril; 5. Blood Money; 6. Voodoo Vengeance; 7. Caught by Cannibals; 8. The Creeping Terror; 9. Eyes of Evil; 10. The Death Plunge; 11. Harvest of Hate and 12. Jungle Justice.

Producer Sol Lesser's plan was to make both a feature version and a serial...and he did both.

...this time from the Principal Distributing company and director Robert F. Hill. Buster Crabbe stars as the title character, a white man raised by apes in a remote part of Africa who has become an almost legendary figure among the natives. When a group of Americans and Europeans arrive in the jungle to look for a missing compatriot, Tarzan meets the lovely Mary Brooks (Jaqueline Wells), whom he continuously has to rescue from savage beasts, wild tribesmen, and crooked jewel thieves. Also featuring Eddie Woods, Philo McCullough, E. Alyn Warren, Matthew Betz, Frank Lackteen, Darby Jones, Carlotta Monti, and Mischa Auer.

There's the usual parade of jungle antics: lion attacks (in the jungle again), crocodile attacks (you gotta have an excuse to get Olympic swimmer Crabbe in the water), elephant rides, natives and their "jungle drums". This movie also has the bizarre added bonus of Arab guides who are secretly part of an Ancient Egyptian cult. Crabbe makes for an energetic Lord of the Jungle, and he even appears to be in better shape than Weissmuller was at the time. Wells, who later changed her name to Julie Bishop, is fetching. My favorite moment was when a record player gets cranked up and all of the jungle animals start to dance.

Buster Crabbe plays Tarzan in this short movie that was the first 4 episodes of a serial. He's GOT to be the first blonde Tarzan ever! I heard this was just awful. I admit the plot jumps around and the print I saw was in terrible condition--but I liked it. Mostly it was because of Crabbe--he had a beautiful, muscular body and was much better-looking than Johnny Weismuller. He also acted better--Weismuller always had a blank look on his face--Crabbe changes expression often. Also he wore the skimpiest lion cloth I've ever seen. His acting wasn't bad either--I was pretty surprised! He hated making this though--he said the "damned" monkey who played Cheetah was always biting him! I realize it's a matter of taste but I think Crabbe was easily the best-looking and sexist Tarzan ever.

Worth taking a look at.

Run-of-the-mill Tarzan movie dubiously faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs , shot in short budget and financed by regular producer , Sol Lesser . The world-wide popularity of the Tarzan stories has prompted the author to tell, now for the first time , a new story of the Ape Man's strangest and most romantic adventures . Here Tarzan , Lord of the Jungle : barrel-chested Buster Crabbe , saves the damsel in distress , the blond Mary Brooks : Jacqueline Welles or Julie Bishop and helps the young girl to find her missing father . The latter falls into the hands of " the people of Zar , God of the Emerald Fingers" . Swing into hot action from the opening shot and thunders on its blazing way .. from daring action to nerve-tingling thrill... from gripping suspense to starting climax ¡.-

Adventurous and routine Tarzan movie with usual ingredients , such as : serial acrobatics , the vine swinging , angry natives taking prisoners and a lot of footage about wildlife . Of course , Tarzan fights enemies and animals , gives the famous cry of the bull ape and vine-swing . Backlot non-sense with good-looking , handsome Buster Crabbe as Lord of the Jungle and Jacqueline Welles as his beautiful partenaire and hammy supporting actors with plenty of opportunity to chew on scenario such as : Edward Woods , Philo McCullough and the usual comical player Mischa Auer . Stars Buster Crabbe , he is much better fared in the now campy Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials than in this average Tarzan film . Co-stars Jacqueline Welles who as Julie Bishop had a decent cinematic career , she plays the kidnapped damsel who seduces the dumb beast , and it is all great fun but really mediocre . Hollywood at its peak but no relation to Edgar Rice Burroughs's hero.

The picture was financed by producer Sol Lesser in short budget and to go on producing several Tarzan movies . As he financed the last films played by the best Tarzan , Johnny Weissmuller , such as : Tarzan's Triumph , Tarzan's desert Mystery , Tarzan and the Amazons, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman, Tarzan and the Huntress, , Tarzan and the Mermaids . Subsequently , Sol Lesser hired Lex Barker as Tarzan producing him the following ones : Tarzan's magic Fountain, Tarzan and the salvage girl, Tarzan's peril, Tarzan and the She- Devil , Tarzan's savage fury . After that, Lesser hired the muscle man Gordon Scott who acted in : Tarzan fights for his life by Bruce H. Humberstone , Tarzan's greatest adventure by John Guillermin, Tarzan and the Last Safari, Tarzan the Magnificent , and Tarzan and the Trappers directed by Sandy Howard and Charles Haas . This Tarzan the Fearless produced by Sol Lesser was regularly directed by Robert Hill. Rating 4.5/10 . Only for Tarzan movies completists and hardcore lovers of the classic personage written by Edgar Rice Burroughs .

The Tarzan of the movies was a sissy, compared with the blood thirsty apeman of the early Burroughs novels. The real Tarzan ate raw meat and the blood ran off his chin. Moviegoers might not have been up to this kind of realism. That aside, this is a worthwhile, albeit early, Tarzan film. Buster Crabbe was a better athlete than other actors who played the role; like Weismuller, Crabbe had an Olympic gold medal and was more muscular. He also had a skimpier costume in the pre-Hayes Office days.

The plot skips all over the place, probably because it was edited down from an episodic serial. The chimp is there, playing cute, as he did in almost all Tarzan films. The trapeze or vine swinging work is considerably better here. If Buster Crabbe didn't actually do it, he appeared to be quite high and hanging on precariously. Unfortunately the Tarzan yell, a trademark of these films, is a mild bleat compared with those that came later. I miss that in this version.

All in all, I'd give this a fair to good grade.