Jane (now played by Brenda Joyce of Little Giant) returns to Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller), Boy (Johnny Sheffield), Cheeta, and Africa in this entertaining installment of the highly popular series. Tarzan rescues a young lady, Athena (Shirley O'Hara), and takes her back to her people, a race of Amazons in a handsome city nestled in a valley. Jane importunes archaeologist Sir Guy Henderson (Henry Stephenson) to lead his group to this hidden city for the sake of science, but Ballister (Barton MacLane of The Mummy's Ghost) and his cohorts have no such noble motives, being primarily interested in looting the city's treasure. The Amazon queen (Maria Ouspenskaya of Dance, Girl, Dance) refuses to let the men leave, and even tries to sacrifice Boy, who foolishly leads the group to the city even after Tarzan has forbidden it. Tarzan and the Amazons is entertaining and well-done, its one flaw being a much too abrupt climax.
Verdict: Tarzan Always Knows Better! ***.
I love the original series with Maureen O'Sullivan...they were both staggeringly attractive and those pre-Code nude swimming scenes were so sexy! But then Johnny's loincloth started covering more and more of his handsome flanks...and Maureen went on to bigger and better things...
ReplyDeleteBut this is definitely worth recording on my DVR to take a gander...I need to give Brenda Joyce a second chance!
-Chris
Joyce is not bad as Jane. I guess Johnny did get a little plumper as he got older and turned into "Jungle Jim."
ReplyDeleteI just got the collector's set of the first six Tarzan movies and am looking forward to watching them again. Also borrowed some massive tomes from the library on Burroughs, the movies, Tarzan, the books and so on. Lots of reading ahead.