Tarzan the Mighty is a 1928 American actionfilm serial directed by Jack Nelson and Ray Taylor. It was nominally based on the collection Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film is now considered to be lost.[1]
Frank Merrill as Tarzan. Joe Bonomo was cast as Tarzan but, while filming Perils of the Wild, fractured his left leg and severely injured his sacroiliac joint while performing a stunt.[1][2][3] Director Jack Nelson remembered Frank Merill from working with him on an earlier production, either Perils of the Jungle (1927)[2] or The Adventures of Tarzan.[3] Whichever production it was, he felt that Merrill was a natural replacement and the new lead actor started filming the next morning.[2][3]
Al Ferguson as Black John, village ruler of Pirates' descendants
Natalie Kingston as Mary Trevor. There was no Jane in this production. Kingston was cast as the castaway and love interest Mary Trevor.[2][3]
Bobby Nelson as Bobby Trevor, Mary's younger brother
Lorimer Johnston as Lord Greystoke, Tarzan's uncle
Production[]
After the failure of Tarzan and the Golden Lion, starring "Big Jim" Pierce, FBO did not make a sequel. Universal paid Burroughs an undisclosed sum to make a new Tarzan serial based on Jungle Tales of Tarzan. This serial was later re-titled Tarzan the Mighty.[3]
Merill, who was the National Gymnastics champion from 1916 to 1918, came up with the vine swinging technique. Merrill actually swung on a "vine" (a rope) with Kingston in one arm. The footage was later studied by MGM for Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) and the subsequent series of Tarzan films with Johnny Weissmuller.[2][3]
Production began on 12 April and finished on 28 October 1928[3] The serial was originally intended to be 12 chapters long but it was so successful that it was extended to 15 chapters in length.[3]Tarzan the Mighty was successful enough for a sequel, Tarzan the Tiger, to be put into production with many of the cast returning (in slightly different roles in some cases).[2][3]
↑ 2.02.12.22.32.42.5Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "6. Jungle "Look Out The Elephants Are Coming!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 125–126. ISBN978-0-7130-0097-9.
Tarzan of the Apes (1912) • The Return of Tarzan (1913) • The Beasts of Tarzan (1914) • The Son of Tarzan (1915) • Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916) • Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1919) • Tarzan the Untamed (1920) • Tarzan the Terrible (1921) • Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922/23) • Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924) • Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927/28) • Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928/29) • Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929/30) • Tarzan the Invincible (1930/31) • Tarzan Triumphant (1931/32) • Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932) • Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933/34) • Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1932/33) • Tarzan's Quest (1935/36) • Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938) • Tarzan the Magnificent (1939) • Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947) • Tarzan and the Madman (1964) • Tarzan and the Castaways (1965)
Other official works
Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins by ERB (1963) • Tarzan and the Valley of Gold by Fritz Leiber (1966) • Hadon of Ancient Opar by Philip José Farmer (1974) • Flight to Opar by Farmer (1976) • Tarzan: the Lost Adventure by ERB & Joe R. Lansdale (1995) • Tarzan: The Epic Adventures by R. A. Salvatore (1996) • the Dark Heart of Time by Philip José Farmer (1999) • The Adventures of Tarzan by Maude Robinson Toombs (1921/2006) • Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy by Andy Briggs (2011)
Unauthorized works
Barton Werper: Tarzan and the Silver Globe (1964) • Tarzan and the Cave City (1964) • Tarzan and the Snake People (1964) • Tarzan and the Abominable Snowmen (1965) • Tarzan and the Winged Invaders (1965) Philip José Farmer:Tarzan Alive (1972) • Time's Last Gift (1972) • The Adventures of the Peerless Peer (1974) Others:Tarzan Presley by Nigel Cox (2004)
Films
Silent films (8)
Tarzan of the Apes (1918) • The Romance of Tarzan (1918) • The Revenge of Tarzan (1920) • The Son of Tarzan (1920) • The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) • Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927) • Tarzan the Mighty (1928) • Tarzan the Tiger (1929)
Johnny Weissmuller (12)
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) • Tarzan and His Mate (1934) • Tarzan Escapes (1936) • Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) • Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) • Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) • Tarzan Triumphs (1943) • Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943) • Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) • Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946) • Tarzan and the Huntress (1947) • Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)
Lex Barker (5)
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949) • Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950) • Tarzan's Peril (1951) • Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952) • Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)
Gordon Scott (6)
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955) • Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) • Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) • Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958) • Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) • Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)
Jock Mahoney (2)
Tarzan Goes to India (1962) • Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963)
Mike Henry (3)
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966) • Tarzan and the Great River (1967) • Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968)
Miscellaneous films
Tarzan the Fearless (1933) • The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) • Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938) • Tarzan’s Revenge (1938) • Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959) • Tarzan's Deadly Silence (1970) • Tarzan and the Brown Prince (1972) • Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) • Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984) • Tarzan and the Lost City (1998) • Tarzan of the Apes (1999)
Television
Tarzan (1966/68) • Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976/80) • Tarzan in Manhattan (1989) • Io Jane, tu Tarzan (1989) • Tarzán (1991/94) • Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996/97) • Tarzan (2003)
Characters
Cheeta • Jad-bal-ja • Kala • Kerchak • Korak • La • Mangani • Meriem • Muviro • Nkima • Jane Porter • Harry Holt • Sabor • Tantor • Tarzan • Waziri
Disney version
Films
Tarzan (1999) • Tarzan & Jane (2002) • Tarzan II (2005)
Adaptations
The Legend of Tarzan (episodes) • Musical • Tarzan's Treehouse
Music
Music soundtrack • "You'll Be in My Heart" • "Strangers Like Me" • "Son of Man" • "Two Worlds"
Other articles
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. • Kreegah bundolo • Tarzan yell • Comics • Tarzanesque