Tarzan the Ape Man - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Tarzan the Ape Man or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Tarzan the Ape Man

[darrell]

Apparently, the chimpanzees were supposed to be the baby apes and actors in ape costumes were the adults, a practice that was dropped after this film (one of the men who played the apes was Ray Corrigan).

[willard]

This film was made by MGM Studios. Tony Goldwyn, who was the voice of Tarzan in the 1999 Disney adaptation Tarzan (1999), is the grandson of Samuel Goldwyn, one of the namesakes of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

[russell]

Joel McCrea, Bruce Cabot, Preston Foster, Randolph Scott and Buster Crabbe all were tested for the role of Tarzan.

[amber]

Originally, MGM executives planned to feature Tarzan in a sequel to their popular 1931 adventure Trader Horn, the first sound film to feature extensive location footage shot in Africa. In fact, the studio had so much location footage left over after making Trader Horn that they were looking for another story that would let them use it. Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs' general manager suggested teaming the heroic Trader Horn with Tarzan, so MGM picked up the rights. Then they decided to focus on Tarzan alone.

[ronnie]

This film used considerable stock footage from Trader Horn (1931) also directed by W.S. Van Dyke, resulting in some very obvious back-projection effects, particularly toward the beginning of the picture.

[chad]

The restored print shown on TCM on March 10,2018 , has a Betty Boop cartoon introducing "Popeye the Sailorman" (1932). Which was also shown in the theater 86 years ago.

[ken]

Near the beginning of the movie, Jane sees several tribes in the village, one of which is the Wakanda. As this is a fictional tribe, this could be the inspiration for Marvel comics Wakanda (as in Black Panther).

[sandra]

Clark Gable was considered for the role of Tarzan, but was deemed too much of an unknown to play the ape man.

[bryan]

The titular Character of "Tarzan" does not appear until 33 minutes into the feature.

[steve]

There is a bit of Swahili spoken in this film, but it is not always correct. For example, when the bearers are asked to bring Jane's trunks into the hut, they are told "Kuja hapa" (come here) instead of "Waleta ndani" (bring them in). At another time an African is heard saying "jambo" (hello) and the response is the same, whereas the proper response is "hujambo" (hello to you).

[dustin]

At no point in this movie is the line "Me Tarzan, you Jane" spoken. When Jane and Tarzan meet, it is she who initiates the verbal exchange, repeatedly indicating herself and giving her name until he repeats it. She then points to him, indicating that she wants to know if there's a word for who he is as "Jane" is the word for who she is, until eventually he understands and says, "Tarzan."

[chris]

The elephants used in the early Weissmuller films were not African but Asian elephants with African sized ears strapped on. This practice is still common because the Asian species is much more docile than the African. In later films the fake ears were abandoned altogether figuring no one would know the difference.

[ronnie]

Tarzan's distinctive call was either created by sound recordist Douglas Shearer from various sounds, or it was indeed Johnny Weissmuller doing the yell himself. Co-star Maureen O'Sullivan insisted throughout her life that it was Weissmuller doing the yell without any technical assistance.

[ruby]

In a television interview, Johnny Weissmuller said that he initially tested for the Tarzan role as a way of seeing friend Clark Gable. After running, jumping and swinging on a vine he was offered the part, but he refused to change his name when a studio exec suggested it. He had never heard of Weissmuller. A second exec told him Johnny was an Olympic swimming champion, so he suggested they could "put some swimming in it". Thus, one of Tarzan's primary traits was added as an afterthought by a studio head who didn't know he had the world's greatest swimmer as his star.

[bernice]

Some of the monkeys used in this film got away, and they are still breeding in the wilderness of Tampa Bay, Florida.

[jessica]

When Johnny Weissmuller was approached to play Tarzan, he was under contract with BVD to advertise its underwear and swimming trunks. BVD strenuously objected to its spokesman appearing in just a loincloth - the company only wanted him to appear wearing its product. In return for letting Weismuller play Tarzan, MGM allowed BVD to run ads featuring the studio's contract players in BVD swimsuits (including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and Marie Dressler). (source: "Tarzan of the Movies" by Gabe Esso)

[eli]

The leopard that Tarzan slays when first meeting Jane was actually a jaguar. Probably used because they would be much cheaper to import from Mexico than real leopards from Africa.

[steve]

Contrary to what is stated on another item on this page, none of the African tribes are called "Wakanda", but rather Wakumba, as heard at the 8:20 min mark.

[ruby]

In Burroughs' original novel Jane was an American.