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Tarzan Escapes (1936)

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13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Misleading Title To Entertaining Film, 2 March 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Let me say two things right off the "bat:"

1 - This is one of the better Tarzan films; 2 - The title is a misnomer. Tarzan doesn't get trapped anywhere to escape from until the last 20 minuets and he isn't in a cage long enough to warrant that title.

This film also is noted for it being chopped down a bit at the last minute. Apparently, a scene or two was a little too scary for preview audiences (giant bats in a swamp, for instance) so they edited it out at the last minute. They didn't re-shoot the material to make the transition smooth, so there are a few holes in the story's last 15 minutes. But it's nothing major and doesn't detract from the interesting adventure.

Slowly browsing through the recently-released "Tarzan Collection" DVD pack has made me appreciate these films all over again. They were really great entertainment. There were very few, if any, boring lulls in these films and some of the African wildlife footage is still amazing to this day!

Tarzan Escapes is considered one of the best in the series, even if some parts were cut. It's very entertaining with the typical mix of adventure, humor, good guys vs. bad guys, romance and the like. In this film, elephants are the heroes, coming to the defense of Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller).; the humor is provided by a member of the safari team ; Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) doesn't appear the first half hour and the action ends with some great film-noir like photography in a swamp (minus the bats). Along the way are an assortment of wild animals and birds, always interesting to view. It's a fast-moving 89 minutes.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
The one that got away, 12 March 2001
Author: Sarah from Glasgow, UK

Tarzan Escapes is OK, though not a patch on its predecessors, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) and Tarzan and His Mate (1934). Most interestingly, it was originally shot as Tarzan Returns in 1935, but this film was completely remade, largely because it 'lacked a central plot menace'. Paradoxically, what was cut from Tarzan Returns was its biggest 'plot menace' - a Giant Vampire Bat sequence, set in a swamp, which would have been great! Tarzan Escapes retains the swamp sequence but with giant lizards only and no bats. I've seen stills and production drawings of the prop bats and they were wonderful creations (as ridiculously large as the crocs were in these movies), with flashing red eyes... What a shame that we'll never get to see this version!

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Attempted kidnapping in the jungle, 3 August 2005

Author: Chris Gaskin from Derby, England

Tarzan Escapes was released on VHS in the UK by Warner Brothers as part of a box set which also includes Tarzan Finds a Son and Tarzan and His Mate. I enjoyed this one.

Janes cousins, Eric and Rita arrive in the jungle to look for Jane to tell her she has inherited a lot of money. They arrive with Captain Fry, who plans to kidnap Tarzan and have him as part of his freak show. He does manage to get him into a cage but with the help of some of his elephant friends and Cheetah, he escapes and towards the end, gets his revenge when he makes Fry go back into a cave they just went through where there are hungry lizards and Fry is killed.

As always, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan are excellent as Tarzan and Jane.

Tarzan Escapes is a must for any Tarzan fan. Great fun.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Tarzan's Claim to Jane, 11 June 2005
Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida

TARZAN ESCAPES (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936), directed by Richard Thorpe, based on the characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, reunites Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan in their third outing as Tarzan and Jane. While this ranks as one of the finer films in the series, it's best known today mostly for an intense scene that doesn't exist in the finished product. Following the controversial TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1934) with such notables as Jane's skimpy two-piece outfit along with her long shot skinny dipping alongside Tarzan, TARZAN ESCAPES does have its moments of controversy such as some graphic violence, with much of it trimmed, hence the Production Code that had recently gone into effect.

The story starts off with plot development and character introduction involving Rita and Eric (Benita Hume and William Henry) who hire Captain Fry (John Buckler, whose physical appearance resembles that of Basil Rathbone) to lead them to the Mulia Escarpment and locate their cousin, Jane Parker, living somewhere in the jungles of Africa. During their expedition, which consists of Herbert Henry Rawlins, better known as Jiggs (Herbert Mundin), and Bomba, (Darby Jones), Fry's native boy, the Parkers do find Jane (O'Sullivan), taking residence in a tree house with Tarzan (Weissmuller), her mate. After a happy reunion, Rita informs Jane of a large inheritance and must return to England in order to claim it. Learning that they have financed the expedition with their last savings, and being torn between her loyalty to her family and Tarzan, Jane agrees to go on the condition that she's spend an entire day with Tarzan before departing, with the indication that Tarzan understands that she will be return after signing the documents to have the couple rightfully claim the money. In the meantime, Fry, who reveals himself as a conniving villain, convinces Tarzan that Jane is never coming back and succeeds into tricking Tarzan into a specialty built metal cage where he attempts to take the jungle man back to civilization where Fry attempts to make money by showcasing him as a circus attraction.

TARZAN ESCAPES has Tarzan doing just as the title indicates. After he is caged, and desperate in reclaiming Jane, he manages to break out with the help of his elephant friends, and avenge himself on the evil Fry. As mentioned earlier, the most celebrated scene missing from the final print is the one where Tarzan fights off devil bats and hostile pygmies in a haze-shrouded swamp. According to one of the "Tarzan" documentaries featuring O'Sullivan reminiscing about how the terrifying devil bat scene took nearly a week to complete, only to be deleted following a preview by which audiences found too intense. Although much of the movie had been toned down through edits and revisions, which explains why it was in production for nearly two years, the finished product of TARZAN ESCAPES can still be considered graphic for its time anyway, especially in what results with certain characters, especially Captain Fry, making this possibly the last "adult oriented" Tarzan adventure. Herbert Mundin as Jiggs, along with Tarzan's pet chimp, Cheetah, set the tone in breaking away from the seriousness in obtaining moments of amusement, such as Jiggs attempting to swing from tree to tree on Tarzan's vine with not much success. This became the last in the series to provide Jane with her operatic distress call as well as her leaping from the tree into the arms of Tarzan like a professional acrobat.

As much as Johnny Weissmuller can be criticized for his bad acting at times, and doing nothing more than being Tarzan of the movies, belting out his jungle yells for example, he's more articulate than in the previous two films, with his speech consisting of mono syllables that would remain through the duration of the Tarzan/Weissmuller series, he convincingly shows the emotional impact and tender side to his character, especially the thought of losing Jane. In a rare instance used in the series, Tarzan's fight in him is gone and at this point doesn't care what happens to him as he lets himself get captured by hunters. He shows his true love for Jane in allowing her return to England, especially through those sentimental moments as the couple spend their last day together at their own private Garden of Eden swimming and resting themselves alongside the lake. This tender scene usually got the ax whenever this 90 minute movie played on a 90 minute time shot on commercial television, which could be shown that way without spoiling the continuity so to have longer ad time. Regardless of difficulties in getting this movie completed, this third MGM installment is certainly no disappointment.

TARZAN ESCAPES, along with other Tarzan adventures produced by MGM, were distributed on video cassette in the early 1990s, and presented, with the exception of TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932), to have a successful run on American Movie Classics from 1997 to 2000, before premiering on Turner Classic Movies in June 2004 along with its distribution on DVD about the same time.(***) Next chapter: TARZAN FINDS A SON (1939).

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Tarzan Escapes/Tarzan Finds A Son!, 10 October 2004
Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@onvol.net) from Naxxar, Malta

My second Tarzan double-feature slot and the cracks are beginning to show! That said, TARZAN ESCAPES (1936; ***) is much better than online reviews would have you believe: true, there is ample stock footage on display here but it also boasts a strong plot line and cast (featuring Benita Hume, future wife of Ronald Colman and later George Sanders, as well as MGM staple Herbert Mundin and James Whale favorite E.E. Clive, not to mention the villainous John Buckler who comes to a particularly sticky end in this one) to even things out. By now, Weissmuller and O' Sullivan have grown considerably in their respective parts but the influence of the Hays' Office (established while the film was in production, resulting in extensive re-shoots before it could be classified for exhibition!) is also very much in evidence: Tarzan and Jane's behavior (to say nothing of the latter's 'wardrobe') is rather chaste this time around, and even the violence is there mainly by virtue of recycled scenes from the two previous entries in the series!!

TARZAN FINDS A SON! (1939; **1/2), though certainly briskly-paced and fairly enjoyable in itself, is where things really start to degenerate and a sense of deja'-vu hangs over the proceedings like a cloud; not that this factor is an isolated case in franchises of this period – consider, for instance, the noticeable leap in quality from the ornate SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) to a strictly programmer-level THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942)… To make matters worse (though, I guess, this can be pinned down to personal opinion), we have here the addition of another jungle 'initiate' in the figure of Boy who emulates Tarzan in his every move, down to that grating yodel! Besides, his getting into endless predictable scrapes throughout, forcing Tarzan's nick-of-time intervention and queuing in further stock footage from the earlier films (now looking pretty rough-hewn alongside the lavish budgets MGM could afford by the end of the decade!), does the picture no favors at all in the story department!! Logic, too, is casually thrown out the window: the film opens with a plane crash-landing (i.e. before reaching its intended destination), yet when a search party is set in motion (5 years after the fact, conveniently allowing Boy to grow up and become attached to the Tarzans!), its members (invariably harboring an agenda of their own) go directly to the supposedly forbidden/secret part of the jungle where the Lord Of The Apes has set up residence…sheesh!! Once again, the familiar cast-list adds to the fun, though it has to be said that Ian Hunter (usually playing the reliable type) makes for an unconvincing villain in this one.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Strong Third Chapter Of Fun Series, 3 March 2008

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

"Tarzan Escapes" is a great follow up to both "Tarzan The Ape Man" and "Tarzan and His Mate." By the third film, MGM had firmly cemented the formula. Gone is the crude violence and the sexual innuendo of the early productions. It is the first film made after the Production Code was instated so that may account for some of the changes. But the film has a fast paced narrative that makes this third chapter one of the most entertaining films of the series. Also, the relationship between Tarzan and Jane are explored in more depth than in the previous two movies. Even though the film is seen by most viewers as a great adventure movie (I don't necessarily disagree with that assessment), I feel the best scenes in the movie are the quiet moments between Tarzan and Jane. The Hays Office did manage to miss the provocative sexual tension between the two lovers. They also missed the moral implications regarding Captain Fry's death. Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan reprise their famous roles and they seem to be getting better with each new installment in the franchise. Cheeta provides the comic relief that will become a vital ingredient of the formula. It is terrific escapism.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the better Tarzan adventures., 3 May 2000

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

Jane's cousins come to the jungle to help her claim her share of an inheritance. The cousins played by Benita Hume and William Henry, hire Captain Fry, an evil white trapper, to guide them to Tarzan and Jane. His motive is to capture Tarzan and take him back to civilization as a caged exhibit.

Johnny Weissmuller, the most popular Tarzan, manages to escape and come to the rescue of the others that are being held captive. Equally popular as Jane is Maureen O'Sullivan. There is some romantic quality provided by Weismuller and O'Sullivan that makes them the best team of jungle mates. The bad Captain Fry is played by John Buckler and his bumbling side kick is played by Herbert Mundin.

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Could have been excellent, 19 April 2007

Author: petick

This could have been an excellent film, but due to the numerous directions, refilmings, and cuts, what we get is a watered down entry. The vampire bat scene was cut because it was deemed to be too scary, yet the crocodile scene which thrilled audiences in Tarzan and His Mate was re-used. I doubt the bat scene could have driven audiences away but such was the environment back in the day.

Likewise, the wardrobes of Tarzan and Jane were changed to comply with the Hays Code. Male audiences were disappointed to see Jane in a lengthened one-piece dress, though the hem would rise in future installments to display Jane's cheesecake. Tarzan's loincloth is also broadened, particularly in the rear to cover his backside.

Nevertheless, the love affair between Tarzan and Jane is still quite prominent in this movie. Johnny Weissmuller once again excels as the buxom king of the jungle, and Maureen O'Sullivan pleases as a lovely Jane in spite of her increased wardrobe coverage.

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the very good ones, 15 June 2004

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Third film in the Johnny Weissmuller--Maureen O'Sullivan Tarzan series. Two of Jane's cousins come to the jungle to persuade her to return to civilization. With them is safari hunter Captain Fry (John Buckler) who secretly has plans to capture Tarzan and bring him back to civilization as a sideshow attraction. And then there is the vicious native tribe near by...

Not as good as the first two (which were great) but still very enjoyable. This film was a disaster--it took 2 years to make and went through multiple rewrites, reshoots, cutting, editing and was overhauled completely when a test audience hated it. The film is pretty violent (for 1936) but the original was even more so with a vampire bat sequence that got completely cut out! The sex has been toned down too--Jane is dressed VERY modestly this time around and she's fully clothed during the underwater swimming sequence (she was totally nude in "Tarzan and his Mate". Still, this film isn't really for kids. The violence IS pretty strong. Also Tarzan and Jane's tree house is quite elaborate this time around. And there are shots of Cheetah laughing that are hysterical.

The acting varies--Weissmuller is very good as Tarzan--his emotions show clearly through his face (but he does look a little old in a few sequences); O'Hara is still bad as Jane and everybody else is TERRIBLE--especially Buckler and Herbert Munder (stuck with the thankless "comic" relief role).

Still this is fast-moving with plenty of action. Worth catching.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Slightly Disappointing, could have been better, 19 April 2003

Author: Space_Mafune from Newfoundland, Canada

That's not to say this is not quite good. No Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan certainly shine as the romantic leads Tarzan and Jane. In fact, this may be the most romantic of all the Weissmuller films so if that's what attracts you, you'll likely love this. However if jungle adventure and fun is more up your alley, you may be slightly disappointed. Oh there are some surprisingly graphic attacks from enemy native tribes and Tarzan has an intense battle with a crocodile yet it doesn't seem quite enough somehow and doesn't make up for the story feeling slightly disconnected at times. There's a gaping plot hole here involving Captain Fry, after Tarzan is in his cage, later losing him. Also the lizards at the end are more likely to produce laughter than terror.

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