Spring
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Reged: 01/04/04
Posts: 104
Loc: Georgia
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Last night I watched Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) on television. I used to love the old Johnny Weissmuller films when I was a kid as they always seemed to be on television on Sunday afternoons. Having been to Africa and about to go back in a couple of weeks, my perspective on this film has changed a lot since the days of when I'd hop off of a bicycle to sit down and watch Tarzan swing through the trees. Some of the movie was a bit comical as wildebeest and zebras have to get almost pushed out of the way as the movie's characters wander through the jungle, but the scene where they are crossing a river thickly infested with hippos and crocs was certainly interesting as Jane's dad shoots to kill the onslaught of hippos determined to swallow the hunting party. He handily fired a double rifle over and over in this sequence, clearly showing the results of appropriate recoil, in an attempt to get across the broad river. I never realized that you could shoot more than twice with a double without reloading....  I don't know what kind of double he had, but it was a boxlock.
It's a great movie that will bring back many memories for most of us, and with our current appreciation for safaris and double guns, it's fun to watch again.
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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I've got all the Weissmuller/Gordon Scott movies on video. When I get a chance, I'll check that one out. My uncle played Tarzan for a number of years (Gordon Scott (Werschkul)) and as another kraut, was a great friend with JW. It was always a treat to watch one of his movies with him as I learned all the behind the scene events. My uncle was nearly killed by a python AND a chimpanzee. Then some of the behind the scene stuff was so funny you couldn't make any sounds you were laughing so hard.
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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40471
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Peter
So "Cheetah" the chimp is your cousin? 
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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No but since my uncle was rather handsome to go with his muscles, I have cousins all over the place. He spends rather little time in the states due to that. ;-)
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40471
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Peter
Came across this old post.
I too used to like the Tarzan movies as a kid, afterall which hunter among us probably didn't, Africa, native, lions and crocodiles.
Then one day I discovered I enjoyed hunting and some of the themes were at odds with my new "reality".
Still enjoy the better 'Tarzan' movies for escapism at the rare times they are shown nowadays.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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I've got some great Tarzan stories. Some of the best involve his lady co-stars. 
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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By the way, Jerry Koch will be at the dinner Friday if all works out right. He was a stand in for John Wayne in several of his movies. Jerry is also a very successful CAS shooter and still holds the record for Garands in the Marines at 247. The previous record of 241 set with a Springfield.
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A10ACN
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Reged: 30/01/05
Posts: 198
Loc: USA
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I've watched several of these great films and having watched and shot several feral cats, I believe they actually shot the lions during the charge scenes in the films. I can't see how they could get a lion to repeatedly flip head over tail like that with cables or snares. A cat shot in the head will do the exact thing; on a smaller basis, of course!
Thoughts from the more experienced??
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40471
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Some of the earlier African movies did involve actual shooting of elephants, rhino etc, before todays "PC" days.
Actually with the advent of cine film, PHs used to take tourists out to film actual charges where the beasts were shot at the end. I think this was recorded in Bull's "Safari" book, but I may have read it somewhere else.
Imagine Hollywood doing that today.
PS Some of those behind the scenes Tarzan stories would make good forum reading - hint hint .
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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The best ever Tarzan movie was Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. It starred Gordon Scott (Werschkul) and some more unknown types but good actors. It was a great movie because they finally got a world class director and higher budget.
The "good girl" was supposed to go through hell in the movie...and did. She would fall over roots and bruise herself all over. The Tze-Tse flies would dive bomb her, take out a chunk and go digest it to come back later. She did the movie without makeup. My uncle was not bothered by the flies. The baby oil used on his body to show off his muscles (one of the first movie body builders) kept the flies away.
The "bad girl" was a Sophia Loren stand in. She was Italian, and neither spoke nor understood English. She did the movie phonetically. There was a T-shirt trade between her and my uncle, but more of that at the dinner. ;-)
The bad guy's rather dumb sidekick signed up for the next Tarzan movie even though he took an arrow through the chest. However, Sean got a better offer that led to a series of movies of his own. 007
The main bad guy also signed up for the next Tarzan movie, but his next film "Bridge on the River Kwyee" took his future in a different direction. He was later knighted, Sir Richard Attenborough.
In an earlier movie with lower budget, there was a scene in an indoor London studio which copied a swamp. It was in Winter and bitterly cold. The actors were each given a 5th of whiskey to get them through. This time the bad guy had a great Shakespearian voice and the father of several actor sons. The scene called for him to spot a broken twig and point and say "They went this way." Unfortunately, pointing his arm out unbalanced the well-lubricated actor and he got out "They went..." before he fell into the waist deep "swamp water" and nearly drowned. Did I give you enough hints to his name? One son was often called "Grasshopper".
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375Brno
.333 member
Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Sounds like David Carradine in the movie "Tarzan the Magnificent".
As an aside there is an Australian connection here as Charles "Bud" Tingwell was also in this movie.
Regards
375Fetish
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375Brno
.333 member
Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Try again - John carradine.
375Fetish
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