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Johnny Weissmuller: Lord of the Jungle Films
By John
Gibbon
Hollywood has seen its share of memorable actors and characters come and go,
such as Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy and Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.
However most folks will probably tell you the character they remember most
is the one with the distinctive yell like a “noise being blown on a comb
covered with paper”. The character is Tarzan, The Ape Man. The actor- Johnny
Weissmuller.
Peter Jonas (John) Weissmuller was born June 2nd, 1904, in
Freidorf, Hungary although he would later claim Windber, PA as his official
birthplace. Johnny Weissmuller took up swimming at a very young age, and
shortly after arriving in Chicago he was making regular visits to Fullerton
Beach. In 1916, Weissmuller made the YMCA swim team after lying about his
age. Following World War I he received the chance to audition for William
Bachrach, the legendary swimming coach of the Illinois Athletic Club, a club
famed for its swimming teams. Weissmuller tried convincing Bachrach he was a
skilled swimmer and after a month, Bachrach agreed to train him. His
training began in late 1920, and he learned to better his skill from the
great legends of the sport such as Norman Ross and Hawaii swimming and surf
legend Duke Kahanamoku.
Weissmuller proved to be an exceptional swimmer throughout the early 1920’s.
During the 1924 Olympic Games is Les Tourelles, France, he set a world
record in the 400-meter, and won three Gold Medals, impressing the president
of the French Republic so much that Weissmuller was given a special medal in
recognition of his performance. In addition to his 1924 Olympic
achievements, he won two more gold medals in the 1928 Olympic Games.
Weissmuller officially retired from competitive swimming in 1929, but later
that year appeared in a short film called Crystal Champions.
Not too long after, Weissmuller secured a contract with BVD swimwear at $500
per week for five years, touring the country giving swimming exhibitions and
promoting the product. During an assignment in New York he met John
Harkrider, a designer responsible for creating the finale to Paramount’s
Glorifying The American Girl (1929), starring Mary Eaton. Harkrider
suggested that Weissmuller appear in the film as Adam, to Eaton’s Eve,
however he later was cast as Adonis, wearing only a fig leaf. The associates
at BVD were not pleased, and forced Paramount to cut the scene.
Love found Weissmuller in 1931, as he fell quickly for Ted Lewis band
singer, Bobbe Arnst. Their short marriage was a whirlwind of disaster and
the two were divorced in June of 1932 in Los Angeles. Despite Weissmuller’s
romantic hardships, he was invited to lunch at MGM by screenwriter Cyril
Hume. Hume had aspirations of bringing Edgar Rice Burroughs’ loin-clothed
hero, Tarzan, to the screen. MGM had already tried and failed to fit
Charles Bickford and Clark Gable in the role, and needed someone fast.
Weissmuller, of course, had made a name for himself as a world-class
athlete, so the name on the screen would not seem strange to audiences. With
a little convincing and contract negotiating, Weissmuller was signed to MGM.
It’s noted that MGM forced BVD to break their contract after suggesting that
all its female stars pose in BVD swimwear.
Tarzan had been brought to the silver screen once before, in 1918, but
without many accolades. MGM was looking to have a blockbuster film.
Tarzan, the Ape Man was released in 1932, an extravagant big money
production that was a marvelous success, based primarily on the story by
Burroughs. The movie even met Burroughs’ approval and MGM knew they had
something big on their hands. As a result, they launched a series of films.
1934’s Tarzan and His Mate caused quite a stir, as Weissmuller’s cast
mate, Maureen O’Sullivan, appeared “naked” in an underwater skinny-dipping
scene. The film, geared more towards an adult audience, embraced the more
erotic element of the couple’s relationship. The film of course was released
before the pre-Code days, and so MGM took certain liberties in creating an
authentic Tarzan and Jane. However, as the industry’s production Code came
into effect in 1936, Tarzan and Jane were made to be more wholesome and
“married” in Tarzan Escapes! The couple finds and raises a son, Boy
(Johnny Sheffield) in the next film, Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) thus
moving the film series into the genre of family entertainment. Sheffield
would become a fixture in the series until 1947.
While the Tarzan series was beginning its meteoric rise, Weissmuller
was courting Lupe Velez, the Mexican goddess, and the two secretly were
married in October 1933. Various sources report that MGM had a role in
arranging the wedding, even paying for Weissmuller’s divorce to Arnst. But,
just as his marriage to Arnst was a disaster, so to was his marriage to
Velez. The two constantly fought, in and out of home, and Velez filed for
divorce numerous times, only to make the marriage work again. However in
1938 the honeymoon was officially over and six years later Velez committed
suicide.
By 1941, MGM was losing interest in the series. The great producer, Irving
Thalberg, had championed the films while he was alive, but passed away in
1936. MGM was undergoing many changes and believed Tarzan just wasn’t a sure
thing. In 1941, Tarzan’s Secret Treasure was released and was
followed by 1942’s Tarzan’s New York Adventure. Both films were
panned by critics, the Burroughs’s family was becoming more disappointed and
O’Sullivan was through playing Jane. MGM agreed to give over the rights to
Sol Lesser, a director who was trying to get the franchise from MGM since
the mid-thirties.
RKO Studios released Tarzan Triumphs in 1943 without O’Sullivan, and
it fared well on the big screen. The movie came at a time when emotions over
Nazi atrocities ran high, and audiences cheered when Tarzan grunted “Now
Tarzan make war!” RKO tried to capitalize on the success of the film and its
war theme and released another film, Tarzan’s Desert Mystery, the
same year but it was a commercial flop. Later, in 1945 Tarzan and the
Amazons was released, showcasing Brenda Joyce as Jane, and a new
“Cheetah”, Tarzan’s monkey friend. Weissmuller also starred in 1946’s
Tarzan and the Leopard Woman and 1947’s Tarzan and the Huntress
for Lesser. Weissmuller was searching for more financial stability,
something Lesser couldn’t give him, so after 1948’s Tarzan and the
Mermaids was filmed in Acapulco, Mexico, the two parted ways and
Weissmuller’s career as Tarzan came to an end.
Sam Katzman of Columbia Pictures heard about Weissmuller’s departure and
asked him to play the part of Jungle Jim, one of the comic strip properties
Katzman owned. Weissmuller agreed, but there was a minor hitch in the deal,
the first picture had to be a success. Jungle Jim was released in
1948 and did well, and Weissmuller did 16 Jungle Jim adventures from 1948
through 1955. In 1950, before the release of Captive Girl, also
starring famed swimmer Buster Crabbe, a media event helped Weissmuller get
back some of his notoriety as the sporting world voted him as the best
swimmer in the first half-century. Weissmuller starred in other Jungle Jim
films like
Mark of
the Gorilla
(1950),
Fury of the Congo
(1951), Voodoo Tiger (1952), Valley of the Headhunters (1953),
Cannibal Attack (1954) and Jungle Moon Men (1955). After seven
years, the series faded off screen with the release of 1955’s Devil
Goddess.
Weissmuller’s film career was unofficially over but he starred in the
failed TV series for Jungle Jim.
In the 20 plus years he appeared on film, he appeared in two non-jungle
flicks- Stage Door Canteen (1943, as himself) and Swamp Fire
(1946), which starred Buster Crabbe. The films never garnered Weissmuller
any fame or compensation.
In 1969, Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan reunited for a brief cameo in
The Phynx, but the film was shelved and never saw light of day. And
Weissmuller would have one more cameo in the Paramount film spoof, Won
Ton Ton, the Dog That Saved Hollywood (1976), before leaving the screen
forever.
Weissmuller died a poor, sick man on January 20, 1984, from a pulmonary
edema, but he left a legacy behind him. His swimming accomplishments are
still recognized, having won every free style race he entered from 1921 to
1929, and he is still revered as an actor for his defining role as Tarzan.
The man, who was an original endorser of Wheaties, “The Breakfast of
Champions”, and whose face appeared on the sleeve of The Beatles "Sgt
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”, will always be remembered. Once asked to
comment on his career, Weissmuller replied, "How can a guy climb trees, say
"Me, Tarzan, you, Jane," and make a million? The public forgives my acting
because they know I was an athlete. They know I wasn't make-believe."
Indeed, he was not.
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