Tarzan aux Indes

After actor/stuntman Jock Mahoney played the villain to Gordon Scott's Tarzan in TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT, he was chosen to portray the swinging ape-man himself, a bit older, more sinewy than muscular and facially resembling former Tarzan (who Scott replaced) Lex Barker...

Here against several villains, beginning with formidable Leo Gordon as a foreman on a vast desert construction site (foreshadowing Tanis from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK)... An infamous elephant hunter, he threatens to kill any wildlife that could hinder the work -- unless Tarzan and his boy sidekick... with a trained pet elephant... saves the day...

The plot, also involving middleman local Feroz Khan and lovely princess Simi Garewal, gets a bit weary, and, halfway through Leo Gordon is surprisingly killed... and HOT CARS villain Mark Dana, an always effective square-jawed/deep-voiced heavy, steps up: and he's even more of a formidable corporate-menace...

Once we trudge past overlong scenes with Tarzan, the boy and the elephant bonding in the jungle, there's a final-act involving Mark Dana with explosives vs Tarzan riding on and charging with a herd of Elephants: all filmed in action-packed-widescreen glory by British filmmaker John Guillerman, who also directed Gordon Scott and Jock Mahoney's previous MAGNIFICENT and would one day take the primal reigns for the 1970's KING KONG remake.

Jock Mahoney's first outing as Burroughs' Tarzan makes for a nice, enjoyable movie. Though like many sixties adventures it is aimed at a younger crowd, accounting for a rather irritating kid sidekick, it is much truer in tone to Burroughs' work than most of what preceded it. Mahoney is a good Tarzan, portraying him as intelligent and articulate as the written version, although a bit to mellow. This is not the savage Tarzan of the books. The Indian scenery is wonderful, the story, while fairly simple, is well done, and most of the acting is good for it's genre and time. The elephant roundup is spectacular. All in all, one of the better Tarzan movies of those i've seen so far.

For the first time since Johnny Weissmuller took that plane with Jane to New York to rescue Boy in Tarzan's New York Adventure, the famed jungle man leaves the African continent. Tarzan Goes To India, but in this case the title does not say it all.

Tarzan who is now played by Jock Mahoney is summoned to India at the request of a local maharajah. A needed dam is being built to provide hydroelectric power for his area. But the maharajah is also a conservationist. The dam will flood a certain valley that has been an animal preserve and a rather large herd of elephants will drown.

Mahoney's mission is to save the animals and his biggest problem is a nasty and mean rogue elephant who is leading the herd. Assisting him is Jai the elephant boy, a Twentieth Century version of Sabu and his pet pachyderm. Tarzan's also got some human opposition in dam engineers Mark Dana and Leo Gordon, the latter with whom Tarzan has some history with.

Just the mention of Leo Gordon and you know who the real villain is. On his last job in Africa which brought him into contact with Tarzan he did a little ivory poaching on the side.

Jock Mahoney replaced Gordon Scott as Tarzan and at 43 he brings a more mature Tarzan to the picture. But Mahoney who was a college jock and a stuntman before becoming an actor and he's one fit and athletic Tarzan in the first of two films he did as Edgar Rice Burroughs's legendary primeval hero.

What I like about this film is not only is it shot in India, but brings Tarzan fully into the present era. This film could never have been done on the MGM back lot, let alone RKO's back lot later on.

It's a nice story and while Jock Mahoney replaced my favorite Tarzan Gordon Scott he certainly does credit to the part and to the film. Tarzan Goes To India holds up very well after almost 50 years. It's quite a bit more than just G rated family entertainment, the film is a nice statement about the other creatures with whom man shares domain of planet earth with.

Not the worst of the Tarzan films for sure, but maybe not at the scale of the still John Guillermin's TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE. But this one is very good, with of course the help of maybe not Jock Mahoney but Leo Gordon as the villain. Gordon was anyway the ideal, perfect villain for so many films. Mahoney is fine though, and the whole result is excellent for me, with splendid locations, animal scenes and a topic which announces nature, preservation of environment. The fight between natives and big, huge Western world companies. John Guillermin was the best Taran directors for me, better maybe than Robert Day and Bruce Humberstone. I won't compare however with the oldies, from the thirties and forties period. It is then a matter of taste. Directing and acting techniques were not the same....

With freshly shaved chest and golden tan, Jock Mahoney (as Tarzan) takes over for departing jungle king Gordon Scott. Sporting a more traditional muscular frame than his pumped-up predecessor, Mr. Mahoney had been the main villain in the previous "Tarzan" movie. He would stick around for one more film. Like the title says, "Tarzan Goes to India" where Mahoney must move an elephant herd because a newly constructed dam will flood their valley home. He receives help from an "elephant boy" named Jai (as Jai the Elephant Boy). Filling secondary roles are impressive prince Feroz Khan (as Raju), villainous Leo Gordon (as Bryce), and local princess Simi (as Kamara). The Indian scenery is nice.

**** Tarzan Goes to India (7/62) John Guillermin ~ Jock Mahoney, Jai, Feroz Khan, Leo Gordon