Tarzan the Mighty
Tarzan the Mighty | |
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Universal Pictures | |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 episodes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Tarzan the Mighty is a 1928 American
Cast
- 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 (1921).[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 Pictures 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]
Merrill, 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
Production began on April 12 and finished on October 28, 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 (1929), to be put into production with many of the cast returning (in slightly different roles in some cases).[2][3]
Chapter titles
- The Terror of Tarzan
- The Love Cry
- The Call of the Jungle
- The Lion's Leap
- Flames of Hate
- The Fiery Pit
- The Leopard's Lair
- The Jungle Traitor
- Lost in the Jungle
- Jaws of Death
- A Thief in the Night
- The Enemy of Tarzan
- Perilous Paths
- Facing Death
- The Reckoning
Novel
Series | |
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Preceded by | The Dark Heart of Time (1999) |
Followed by | The Adventures of Tarzan (2006) |
Originally written as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1926, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback (
Chapters
- Jungle King
- Queen of His Kind
- Black John Plots
- A Pawn of Passion
- Tantor Trumpets
- Giant Emotions
- Flaming Hate
- Mock Marriage
- Black John's Revenge
- The Imposter
- The Stolen Heritage
- Treachery Higher Up
- A Thief in the Night
- Momentary Triumph
- The Day of Reckoning
See also
- List of film serials
- List of film serials by studio
- Tarzan in film and other non-print media
- List of lost films
References
- ^ a b "Progressive Silent Film List: Tarzan the Mighty". silentera.com. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8065-0295-3.
External links
- Tarzan the Mighty at IMDb
- Stills and lobby cards at erbzine.com