Tarzan Week: An Introduction

All this week on the blog, we'll be going back to the Great Escarpment to revisit the literary, cinematic, and TV history of Tarzan.

On Friday, The Legend of Tarzan (2016) opens, nationwide, in theaters. I must admit, I have my doubts that the material will translate successfully to today's audiences, since we are so far from the original literary work's context (1912).

Still, I am hopeful the film will play well, in part because of my own love for the character and his world.

Certainly, Edgar Rice Burroughs' hero sure resonated with previous generations.

Accordingly, this week on the blog, I'll be devoting space to vintage Tarzan merchandise and toys, and film reviews of my favorite incarnation of the hero in the 1930s. I am excited about a post coming up later this morning, from guest writer Cassie Phillips, about the literary Tarzan.

Also, I am a huge fan of the MGM Tarzan films starring Johnny Weismuller (1904-1984) and Maureen O'Sullivan (1911-1998), and will be writing about all six of those classic movies this week.

I will also devote space to Filmation's 1970s Tarzan cartoon at the end of the week, and the attempts in the 1980s to revive the character for modern audiences.

I hope you'll be a frequent visitor this week as we journey from literary Tarzan to big screen Tarzan, to cartoon Tarzan.

To the Great Escarpment...