Tarzan

1966

Tarzan

7.1 | NR | en | Drama

Tarzan is a series that aired on NBC from 1966 – 1968. The series portrayed Tarzan as a well-educated character, one who, tired of civilization, had returned to the jungle where he had been raised. The show retained many of the trappings of the classic movie series, including Cheeta, while excluding other elements, such as Jane, as part of the "new look" for the fabled apeman that producer Sy Weintraub had introduced in previous motion pictures starring Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, and Mike Henry. CBS aired repeat episodes the program during the summer of 1969.

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Seasons & Episodes

EP1 Tiger, Tiger

Sep. 15,1967

A deadly tiger is loose in the jungle but, despite a warning from Tarzan, an engineer insists on continuing work on a project although he lacks the experience to cope with the animal.

EP2 Voice of the Elephant

Sep. 22,1967

Jai's pet baby elephant is charged with killing a white man. Under tribal law the elephant is entitled to a trial. Jai goes on the search for evidence and someone to present it.

EP3 Thief Catcher

Sep. 29,1967

Two convicts escape while being transfered to another prison. Their actions spark a wave of crime around local villages. Tarzan must track and capture the two men before more people are put in danger.

EP4 The Blue Stone of Heaven (1)

Oct. 06,1967

After a guide for an archaeological expedition is killed, Tarzan decides to accompany the group in their quest to enter the forbidden "City Of Death", not only to protect them, but also to find out why a plant specialist and an ambitious colonel are also so interested in the place.

EP5 The Blue Stone of Heaven (2)

Oct. 13,1967

After uncovering the mythical Blue Stone of Baskar, Colonel Tatakombi takes advantage of the legend associated with it to declare himself the leader/god of the surrounding tribes, in the hope of later taking control of the country. Tarzan is determined to expose and stop him.

EP6 Curse of the Mugumba Tree

Oct. 20,1967

A local white woman becomes the subject of an spiritual attack by the local witch doctor after a sacred tree is chopped down. Tarzan must find out who really destroyed the tree and try to help his friend fight of the effects of the bad voodoo.

EP7 The Fanatics

Oct. 27,1967

Tarzan encounters a female journalist who has arrived in the area for local tribal elections. The journalist has concerns over the conduct of a local white sponsor for one of the candidates.

EP8 Last of the Supermen

Nov. 03,1967

Four men are found murdered and Tarzan goes up country to try and establish what happens. What he discoverers shocks everyone and reveals a secret that dates back to WW2.

EP9 Hotel Hurricane

Nov. 10,1967

A huge storm is bearing down on the area causing a plane with a very valuable cargo to crash. Tarzan helps locate the wreck and try and recover the cargo.

EP10 The Pride of a Lioness

Nov. 17,1967

Tarzan intervenes on behalf of a very sick girl. He insists rather than allow the girl to be treated by tribal medicine she should be treated by real doctor. The tribe reacts poorly to his actions and other lives are put at risk.

EP11 Mountains of the Moon (1)

Nov. 24,1967

Tarzan comes across a party of religious pilgrims who are being led by Rosanna McCloud to their "Promised Land". To not shatter their dreams, Mrs. McCloud does not inform her followers that her husband, whom they regard as their Prophet, has just been killed, and she is unaware that the government trader who sold the group the land from a reclusive tribe had his own motives for doing so and never intended for the group to reach it. When Rosanna finally tells her group about the death of their leader, she and Tarzan also find that their money has been stolen.

EP12 Mountains of the Moon (2)

Dec. 01,1967

Rosanna McCloud and her pilgrims are determined to continue in their trek toward their Promised Land, even after one of their people is killed. Now they are armed and determined to fight off the tribe that lives in the land. Tarzan, meanwhile, learns that the chief of the tribe was tricked into selling the land by the trader Whitehead, whom he hopes to expose before more blood is shed.

EP13 Jai's Amnesia

Dec. 15,1967

Jai loses his memory and a group of criminals decide to exploit the situation to plan a series of robberies. Tarzan must track down the men and attempt to save Jai before he gets into serious trouble.

EP14 Creeping Giants

Dec. 29,1967

Tarzan becomes concerned when news reaches him of plans to build a dam in a geologically unsound area. He needs to prove the weakness in the plan and why none of the government surveys in the area have not uncovered the same issues.

EP15 The Professional

Jan. 05,1968

Tarzan encounters a group of soldiers looking for a local tribe. He is unsure of their motives or if he can trust them, but decides to lead them to the tribe so he can keep an eye on the man.

EP16 The Convert

Jan. 12,1968

A nun returns to her village to bring medicine an treat the sick. She is torn between her tribal heritage and those who oppose her new life.

EP17 King of the Dwasari

Jan. 26,1968

Tarzan is checking on the Dwsari tribe when he discovers that somehow a white man, Arthur Brown, has become their king.

EP18 A Gun for Jai

Feb. 02,1968

Against Tarzan's wishes, Jai is given a rifle by one of the local hunters. However circumstances change and Tarzan discovers the value of allowing the boy a firearm.

EP19 Trek to Terror

Feb. 09,1968

A doctor trying to control an outbreak of disease among the tribes is wanted for murder. Tarzan intervenes to allow the doctor to complete his work before being taken into custody. Tarzan is concerned however that the charges against the man may not be all they seem to be.

EP20 End of a Challenge

Feb. 16,1968

Jai comes across an old man wounded in the jungle. He stops to help the man while sending word to Tarzan for help.

EP21 Jungle Ransom

Feb. 23,1968

Tarzan takes a boat to escort a convicted killer, Velasquez, to the authorities. Also on the boat is the wife of a man the killer's band is holding for ransom. She forces Tarzan at gunpoint to escort her with Velasquez to his camp where her husband is being held. She has left the ransom money hidden behind, but Jai and Cheetah find it.

EP22 Four O'Clock Army (1)

Mar. 01,1968

General Basil Bertram and missionary Charity Jones return in this two-part story, and this time must ally with Tarzan against a band of slavers who have been taking people and destroying villages.

EP23 Four O'Clock Army (2)

Mar. 08,1968

After the village is burned and Tarzan, Jai, the chief, and numerous villagers are captured by the slavers, General Bertram and Charity must work together despite their differences. Tarzan escapes his captors and comes to their aid. He decides to follow behind the slavers to discover who is leading them.

EP24 Rendezvous for Revenge

Mar. 15,1968

After poacher and arsonist Dan Burton escapes from custody, Tarzan tracks him and his adoring girlfriend to an oceanside cliff, and a fateful encounter. But Burton's girlfriend and two henchmen later track Tarzan down and force him to lead them back to the scene.

EP25 Alex the Great

Mar. 22,1968

The task of protecting a village from man-eating "cats" is complicated by the arrival of a man determined to prove to himself greater than Tarzan.

EP26 Trina

Apr. 05,1968

Trina MacKenzie, one of seven girls on an expedition, is also trying to find her uncle, who she believes to be doing humanitarian work. She finds that he has become the leader of a large tribe, and has helped them develop more peaceful ways. But Tarzan comes to believe that his latest crusade, involving a statue he claims to be obtaining but which locals insist does not exist, may involve less than noble intentions.

7.1 | NR | en | Drama , Action & Adventure | More Info

Released: 1966-09-08 | Released Producted By: Banner Productions , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

info

Genre

Drama , Action & Adventure

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Tarzan (1966) is currently not available on any services.

Cast

Ron Ely , Manuel Padilla Jr. , Rockne Tarkington

Director

Sy Weintraub

Producted By

Banner Productions ,

Tarzan Videos and Images

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Top Credited Cast
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Crew

Ron Ely

as Tarzan

Tarzan Revisited Tarzan: Lord of the Movies Expecting Amish In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross Sea Hunt Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Cry of the Black Wolves Alleluja & Sartana Are Sons... Sons of God Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones Tarzan's Deadly Silence

Manuel Padilla Jr.

as Jai

More American Graffiti Cotton Candy American Graffiti Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones A Man Called Horse The Great White Hope Tarzan's Deadly Silence Cutter's Trail Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion The Mountains of the Moon

Rockne Tarkington

as Rao

The Desperate Trail Fists Of Steel Under the Gun Death Before Dishonor Uphill All the Way The Ice Pirates Quell and Co. The Intruder Within The Baltimore Bullet Disaster on the Coastliner

Sy Weintraub

Producer

Tarzan Audience Reviews

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Sandy Loam In this episode (A Pride of ASS-ASSins) Jai asks stupid and annoying questions and makes you want to drown him. A gunman shoots at Tarzan with his full auto weapon from a helicopter with the stock under his armpit. An expert drunken knife dude throws his blade, nearly fatally, into Tarzan's armpit. Tarzan turns a hardened sociopath woman (Jill Donahue, known for her performance in, "Stacy Keach's Ex Wife), into a saint, then using his favorite 'Tarzan-pull-the-guy-on-top-of-you-then- flip-him-back-over-your-head' move, tosses her bad guy partner (Victor French, AKA Isaiah Edwards from Little Outhouse on the Prarie Dog) who's trying to kill her, off a cliff!! But not before turning him into a stiff dummy that bounces off the ground. Everyone but Tarzan, even though they are all sweating balls, is wearing heavy jackets. This is the dark continent, and I don't think they're anywhere near the snows of Kilmanjaro. Lose the jackets, morons.

tangojazz Seen today, incredibly inept and stupid portrayal of Africa. Lots of racism. Totally unbelievable. At the time of this T.V. series, the late 1960s (1966 -68) the Angolan Civil War was happening, a proxy war that was fought in Africa between the United States and South Africa vs. the Soviet Union. So Tarzan, a white guy in his underwear with a hunting knife, is going to take on T-62 Soviet Tanks, 155 millimeter howitzers, machine guns, jet fighters, mortars, etc.? Just watching it now, it's obvious that everything was either shot on a Hollywood back lot or in the forests around the Los Angeles area. I wonder how the Black Panthers or the NAACP felt about this series. Something like this could not exist on television or the Internet today (Thank God). An ancient and outdated tale (published in 1912) that belongs in that time period and should stay there. Yes, I know there is a new Tarzan movie coming out this year. I wonder why. Yes, Tarzan, another ridiculous cartoon character that fights crime without a gun (like Batman).

cascade-1 This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. It was exciting and suspenseful and had some of the most evil villains on TV every week.However, when I saw reruns of "Tarzan" in the early 1980s, either I caught a batch of bad episodes or I had evolved because I found 6 episodes in a row to be very poorly written and even boring, so I stopped watching. Recently, a friend loaned me four episodes and all four were exceptional. So, I saw an additional four episodes and three were quite good. Aside from obviously being an uneven series (although I have read that the show had script problems during the first year), I agree with previous posters that just the fantastic on-location photography puts all of the other Tarzan TV series to shame. Ron Ely was perfectly cast, an honorable and articulate "lawman" who respected the native tribes around him. There's one episode, "Last of the Superman" (which must have been written by an Ayn Rand admirer) where Tarzan philosophically reflects on how humans owe it to themselves to be the best they can be.The other distinguishing thing was that there was no holds barred when it came to violence - guest star William Smithers frantically firing a revolver as piranha fish devour him, and Bo Hopkins as a no-gooder who is lazing around a lake shore when he's pulled into the lake and killed by a crocodile (one of the goriest TV scenes ever filmed). When bad guy Pat Conway is shot to death as he tries to escape by swimming across a raging river, Tarzan angrily admonishes the shooter with, "He had a right to choose how to die!" The show was attacked by critics in the 1960s, and yet dig the guest star roster - Helen Hayes, Jimmy MacArthur, James Earl Jones, Michael Dunn, Maurice Evans, Julie Harris, James Whitmore, George Kennedy, Sally Kellerman, Diana Ross, the great (if late) Gia Scala, Leslie Parrish, the late Michael Witney, Nichelle Nichols, etc. People like that don't appear on a show if it's bad.TV Guide reported in June 1968 that the series still had a 31 share and finished in the top 40 during 1967-68, but NBC felt its demographics (too many older women and too many kids) made it unappealing and it was cancelled. Popular demand brought it back for summer reruns in 1969.A good series.

raysond After the huge success of Tarzan on the big screen, Producer Sy Weintraub took the ape man from the silver screen to television. Tarzan made its debut on the NBC network for the fall schedule of 1966. Producer Sy Weintraub(who took over the "Tarzan" franchise in the mid- 1950's from Sol L. Lesser) wanted Mike Henry(who played Tarzan in the movies),but instead got Ron Ely to portrayed the ape man on television. Ron Ely was 28-years old when he got the part of a life portraying the 14th Tarzan based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' most famous character..this time on television. Ron Ely had a strong resume of work on both films and television to his credit including the films "South Pacific", "The Fiend That Walked The West", "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker", "The Night of the Grizzly",and his television work for the series "How To Marry A Millionaire"(1957-1959);,and "The Aquanauts"(1960-1961) to name a few. The television version based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' character retained many of the elements and trappings of the classic movie series that included Cheeta The Chimp,and a boy sidekick named Jai (played by Manuel Padilla,Jr. who starred in the Tarzan films with Mike Henry) was Tarzan's companion helping him out in any way possible(only in this one there was NO Jane here),and lets not forget that this was a series that was indeed action packed with non-stop thrills,excitement and high adventure each week. Ron Ely did his own stunts here for this series. Under the production of Sy Weintraub,who also served as executive producer of this series under his production Banner Productions, the television series "Tarzan" made its debut on September 9,1966 and it was filmed on location in Central America and Mexico with spectacular photography and to what NBC presented as "The Following Program Is Brought To You In Living Color"...A total of 57 episodes were produced in which Season 1 produced 32 episodes in color. The second and final season produced 25 episodes in color. "Tarzan" aired in prime-time on NBC's Friday night schedule where it faced strong competition in its first season opposite "The Green Hornet", "The Time Tunnel" and the hugely popular "The Wild,Wild West". The second and final season on Friday nights faced competition opposite "Off The See The Wizard", "Hondo",and it's rival in the ratings opposite "The Wild,Wild West". A total of 57 episodes aired in prime-time from September 9,1966 until April 5,1968. After NBC canceled the series in the Spring of 1968(due to show's violent content), "Tarzan" enjoy a resurgence in summer repeats for CBS airing from May 22,1969 until August 30,1969(as the summer replacement for "The Jackie Gleason Show").Interesting note about this show...several episodes of the "Tarzan" television series were two part episodes that were strung together and actually shown in theaters as full length features that were released under Banner Productions and National General Pictures...among them were "Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion"(1966);"Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones"(1967);"Tarzan and the Four O'Clock Army"(1968);and "Tarzan's Deadly Silence"(1970). Actors that had recurring appearances in this series were Maurice Evans, Julie Harris, Chips Rafferty, Rockne Tarkington, and Woody Strode appeared in numerous episodes of the series. Check out the guest star roster for this series that consisted of Ethel Merman, James Earl Jones, Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Don Marshall, Neville Brand, Carlos Riva, Roscoe Lee Browne, Pat Conway, Ted Cassidy, Simon Oakland, Rafer Johnson, Fernando Lamas, Rosie Grier, Diana Sands, Beah Richards, Ralph Meeker, James Whitmore, Jock Mahoney, to Russ Tamblyn, Yaphet Kotto, George Kennedy, Barbara Luna, James MacArthur, Nichelle Nichols, Don Marshall and many more.The best episodes from this action-packed series were "The Pearls of Tanga", "Faces of Death", "The Last of the Supermen", "Alex The Great","Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion", "The Deadly Silence", "The Ultimate Duel", "The Four O'Clock Army", "Mountains of the Moon", "The Blue Stone of Heaven", "The Convert", "Hotel Hurricane", "Jungle Dragnet",and "Jungle Ransom" to name a few. When NBC canceled this series in the Spring of 1968 after two seasons and 57 episodes it was immediately replaced on its Friday night schedule by the Western adventure series "The High Chapparal"....Revised on July 15, 2016 to commemorate on the show's 50th anniversary...originally written on July 12, 2000 but this has been revised and edited.