In
“Tarzan, the Hated,” the Mangani accuse Tarzan of destroying their food
supplies.
Tarzan
claims innocence. When he investigates, he learns that the Bolgani are actually
responsible, and are seeking to re-locate their civilization to the
geologically unstable region of Opar, which stands above lava pits.
The
Bolmangi capture a human female archaeologist, and now Tarzan must rescue her
as well as prevent the relocation to the dangerous land.
The
final episode of the first season Filmation series, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
(1976) is another pleasant enough time waster, with Tarzan battling intelligent
apes. The episode, like “Tarzan’s Trial”
incorporates stock footage into it, and the menace of the Emperor Ape is
undercut some by the fact he appears to be wearing a pink gown. It's a strange fashion choice for an ape hoping to intimidate.
Although
the last few episodes of the season are not as good as some of the earlier installments,
and show signs of being produced in a terrible rush, I still feel that Tarzan
is a high-quality show of its era. The formula is repetitive and familiar by
this episode, and yet some episodes in the canon offer genuine surprise, adding science
fiction concepts to the adventure in stories like “Tarzan’s Rival” or “Tarzan
and the Strange Visitors.”
The
stories are still entertaining at this point, even if no new ground is being
broken. We’ve had a season of lost worlds and high adventure, and for Saturday mornings in the 1970s, it must have felt like a dream come true. At a minimum, Tarzan and his world are treated with respect and dignity here.
For that reason,
I would rank this show near other Filmation efforts that I like very much,
including Star Trek (1973-1975) and Flash Gordon (1979-1981). I
certainly appreciate the attempt on the part of Filmation to tell stories that
are faithful to Burroughs’ vision, though there have been some missed
opportunities too (see: “Tarzan at the Earth’s Core.”)
Next
week, I’m going to leave Filmation behind, and visit the weird and wild world
of Sid and Marty Krofft’s Liddsville (1970).
A fine wrap-up to another Filmation series from the 70's. Viewing these series 40 years later, always creates mixed reactions. As a child, I always thought of Tarzan as a serious and intelligent show. It didn't descend to the silliness of "The Funky Phantom' and some of the Hanna Barbera shows. The rotoscoped scenes of Tarzan swinging on vines were and are still great fun. The show's setting may have been in keeping with Burrough's vision, but a civilization-of-the-week series set in a relatively area is a stretch. Seen from 2017, one wonders why more black African societies weren't featured. Did the the network play a part in this?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for a nice episode guide for the first season of Tarzan. Andy Mangels didn't have room for episode guides in his book "Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Gerneration". Looking forward to your views on the wonderfully weird "Lidsville".
John, nice review of the last Filmation Tarzan episode. I agree that the Filmation animation best are Star Trek (1973-1975), Flash Gordon (1979-1981), Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and I would add Journey To The Center Of The Earth(1967-1968) animated series too.
ReplyDeleteSGB