Tarzan and the Jungle Boy ** (1968, Mike Henry, Aliza Gur, Ron Gans, Steve Bond, Rafer Johnson, Ed Johnson) – Classic Movie Review 8078

One-time American athlete Mike Henry plays the hero Tarzan for the third and final time, setting off into the jungle to look for a missing boy, in Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968).

This lively enough, if merely average jungle adventure is the last of five Tarzan movies from Robert Day, who this time produces while Robert Gordon directs, and it is also the last official made-for-cinema Ape Man adventure until the 1981 Bo Derek revival with Tarzan, the Ape Man -though there are two theatrical releases of episodes from the Ron Ely spin-off TV series: Tarzan’s Deadly Silence (1970) and Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones (1971).

Tarzan helps photo-journalist Myrna (Aliza Gur) and her fiance Ken (Ron Gans) to search for Erik Brunik (Steve Bond), the 13-year-old boy lost in the jungle since he was seven. 

Buhara (Ed Johnson) helps Tarzan but his brother Nagambi (Rafer Johnson) will stop at nothing to stop the boy being found. The opposing brothers Nagambi and Buhara are played by real-life siblings Rafer Johnson and Ed Johnson. Rafer Johnson was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon.

Tarzan and the Jungle Boy was filmed on location in Brazil and along the Amazon River immediately after shooting finished on the previous episode, Tarzan and the Great River. It was released in May 1968.

Tarzan and the Jungle Boy is directed by Robert Gordon, runs 99 minutes, is made by Banner Productions and Paramount Pictures, is released by Paramount, is written by Stephen Lord, is shot in Eastmancolor by Ozen Sermet, is produced by Sy Weintraub and Robert Day, and is scored by William Loose.

Mike Henry’s three Tarzan films were shot before his debut Ape Man film Tarzan and the Valley of Gold was released in 1966. Sadly, during filming of Tarzan and the Great River, Henry was attacked and had his jaw bitten by Dinky the chimpanzee playing Cheeta, and he sued Sy Weintraub’s Banner Productions for alleged unsafe work conditions, settling out of court for an undisclosed amount. He quit the Tarzan TV series and was replaced by Ron Ely.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8078

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