Third Tarzan film starring Lex Barker is still good, directed by Byron Haskin, who had made "I Walk Alone" and "Treasure Island" and who would go on to make the science-fiction classic "The War of the Worlds" and the adventure films "The Naked Jungle" and "Captain Sindbad". Labeled as the first Tarzan film made in Africa, the material mostly consists of establishment shots and good sequences of dances and tribe life, aptly directed by Philip Brandon and photographed by cinematographer Jack Whitehead. It matches only moderately well with the studio shooting, but still gives add some distinction to the product. As it happened before with Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto and Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan is affected by the United States foreign policy, so he is part of a Cold War intrigue. Thankfully it is not openly exposed, but suggested: the villain (George Macready) is called Radijek, he probably comes from Poland or any other country behind the Iron Curtain, and he is providing guns to the Africans, although not under the Soviet aegis: he is a ruthless, egotistical, murderous dealer, who wants to sell his weapons and collect . His first opponent is a retiring British commissioner (Alan Napier), who defends the colonialist regime of the Crown, and wants to leave the natives under control and evangelized by Protestant missionaries, a work that took him 30 years. But things get violent soon in this entry, quickly increasing the body count and including women abuse, as Queen Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge) is subject to the whims of the feisty but mean ruler of another tribe, King Bulam (Frederick O'Neal). As usual Cheetah keeps stealing things and getting scared even by rubber snakes.
15 Reviews
A Nice Classic Tarzan Film
lemon_magic8 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Oh, sure, this movie has flaws, but I liked it a lot.
Lex Barker was a very handsome, muscular Tarzan, and he moved very well.However, the grunts and broken English phrases that worked so well with Weismuller's stoic, wooden presence seem quite odd and out of place coming from an actor with Barker's chiseled features and classic good looks. On the other hand, as my friend Dave Sindelar pointed out, it's a lot easier to believe that Barker's Tarzan is the son of an English Lord. In any case he was a pleasure to watch in action.
There were some minor missteps: The chief of the "bad guy" tribe (who wanted to buy guns to conquer the peaceful Ashuba ruled by Dorothy Dandridge) looked utterly ridiculous in his head-dress, which circled his entire head and made it look as if he were peering out of a fur-lined toilet seat for the duration of the movie. The actor deserved a better costume design than this. Also there was also a completely weird and gratuitous and badly staged fight scene with what appeared to be some carnivorous jungle plants that had nothing to do with anything else in the movie. And the other miscue that stuck in my mind was the odd decision to inter-cut Tarzan's final fight at the end of the movie with the villainous gun runner Radijek with scenes of Cheeta swallowing a gold watch and burping. That effectively neutralized any suspense and excitement they may have been trying to generate.
The big problem with "Tarzan's Peril" is that the movie lacked a sense of urgency or real forward momentum. Not a lot happens, to be honest. But the production values are good (the producers made pretty good use of the live footage shot in Africa) and the two big fight scenes are well done, and the actors do a pretty good job inhabiting their characters.
If you have to watch a Tarzan movie for some reason, this would be a pretty good one to pick.
Lex Barker was a very handsome, muscular Tarzan, and he moved very well.However, the grunts and broken English phrases that worked so well with Weismuller's stoic, wooden presence seem quite odd and out of place coming from an actor with Barker's chiseled features and classic good looks. On the other hand, as my friend Dave Sindelar pointed out, it's a lot easier to believe that Barker's Tarzan is the son of an English Lord. In any case he was a pleasure to watch in action.
There were some minor missteps: The chief of the "bad guy" tribe (who wanted to buy guns to conquer the peaceful Ashuba ruled by Dorothy Dandridge) looked utterly ridiculous in his head-dress, which circled his entire head and made it look as if he were peering out of a fur-lined toilet seat for the duration of the movie. The actor deserved a better costume design than this. Also there was also a completely weird and gratuitous and badly staged fight scene with what appeared to be some carnivorous jungle plants that had nothing to do with anything else in the movie. And the other miscue that stuck in my mind was the odd decision to inter-cut Tarzan's final fight at the end of the movie with the villainous gun runner Radijek with scenes of Cheeta swallowing a gold watch and burping. That effectively neutralized any suspense and excitement they may have been trying to generate.
The big problem with "Tarzan's Peril" is that the movie lacked a sense of urgency or real forward momentum. Not a lot happens, to be honest. But the production values are good (the producers made pretty good use of the live footage shot in Africa) and the two big fight scenes are well done, and the actors do a pretty good job inhabiting their characters.
If you have to watch a Tarzan movie for some reason, this would be a pretty good one to pick.
Tarzan Really Goes To Africa
bkoganbing16 July 2011
RKO no doubt felt the acclaim that King Solomon's Mines and The African Queen received from the movie-going public and decided to splurge for some real African location shooting for Tarzan's Peril. As we learn here from IMDb, Tarzan's Peril was also supposed to be in color, but that footage was scrapped. But it was nice for once to see actual Africans and black American actors playing speaking roles. From the last of the Weissmuller films through the first two Barker Tarzans, the jungle hero was constantly discovering these lost white tribes in Africa and it was getting ridiculous.
Sad to say though the story was borrowed from any number of westerns and transferred to Africa. White men George MacReady, Douglas Fowley, and Glenn Anders are selling guns to the natives. The tribe under Queen Dorothy Dandridge refuses, but the tribe under King Frederick O'Neal doesn't and the latter subjugates the former until Tarzan straightens things out.
MacReady even in far worse pictures than Tarzan's Peril brings his own brand of serpentine villainy for us to savor. His character and Lex Barker have some history so a chance to even things up with Tarzan is too good to pass up. MacReady though is bad news for both Fowley and Anders as well.
Seeing Dorothy Dandridge is also a treat, she is one regal beauty as the queen of her tribe. Dandridge was two years away from her Oscar nominated Carmen Jones, the high point of her sad career.
Tarzan's Perils was definitely better than the first two Lex Barker Tarzans, but a pedestrian western plot bogs this film down.
Sad to say though the story was borrowed from any number of westerns and transferred to Africa. White men George MacReady, Douglas Fowley, and Glenn Anders are selling guns to the natives. The tribe under Queen Dorothy Dandridge refuses, but the tribe under King Frederick O'Neal doesn't and the latter subjugates the former until Tarzan straightens things out.
MacReady even in far worse pictures than Tarzan's Peril brings his own brand of serpentine villainy for us to savor. His character and Lex Barker have some history so a chance to even things up with Tarzan is too good to pass up. MacReady though is bad news for both Fowley and Anders as well.
Seeing Dorothy Dandridge is also a treat, she is one regal beauty as the queen of her tribe. Dandridge was two years away from her Oscar nominated Carmen Jones, the high point of her sad career.
Tarzan's Perils was definitely better than the first two Lex Barker Tarzans, but a pedestrian western plot bogs this film down.
Exciting Knife Fight in Tarzan's Peril
Ozirah544 July 2005
If one is interested in the action/adventure component of Tarzan movies, Tarzan's Peril does have something to offer.
While the plot may be simple, this first Tarzan movie ever filmed in Africa does have its moments, mostly revolving around one of the sub-villains, King Bulam, played by noted African-American actor Frederick O'Neal, founder of the American Negro Theater in New York which launched the careers of such notables as Sidney Poitier.
Gun runners have broken out of jail and have come to King Bulam's village to trade guns for jewels. Bulam, who has tangled with Tarzan before, intends to use the guns to make war on the peaceful Ashuba people, led by Queen Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge).
Tarzan (Lex Barker) is unsuccessful in stopping Bulam and his Yurongan warriors and is even thrown over a waterfall and presumably drowned. King Bulam conquers the village and, after being rejected by Melmendi, he withdraws and his warriors get drunk. Tarzan returns and organizes an uprising after having freed the Ashuban men.
When Bulam arrives to check on the situation, Tarzan gives his famous yell and the Yurongans are caught off guard. Bulam sees that Tarzan is very much alive and flees in confusion and fear.
Tarzan catches up with the husky, proud, ambitious, and greedy African war chief and a knife fight, one against one, ensues. While a much trimmer stunt double is sometimes visible, this is still an exciting screen fight. Bulam manages to knock Tarzan's head against a tree trunk and then pulls out a rather hefty, oversize knife that we have seen dangling at his waist for much of the film. The knife is almost in Tarzan's neck when Tarzan grabs Bulam's wrist and causes Bulam to fling the knife away. It lands in some ferns, blade side up. Using his legs as scissors, Tarzan manages to spin Bulam away, and the chief rolls over several times.
Here is the part I savor. Bulam rolls over onto the clump of ferns where his knife is projecting skyward. As his ample belly passes over the knife, it is shoved into his body. The wicked, adventurous, risk-taking war chief is stunned; he has been stabbed with his own knife! Bulam makes several attempts to rise and continue the fight and Tarzan even draws his own knife, not certain as to whether Bulam is really done for. But, as his head lolls for the last time, with the knife partially obscured by all the vegetation the king has rolled into, it is certain that Bulam has been vanquished.
The next scene shows the warriors being herded into a corral and Tarzan is begged to stay for a celebration but he must go after the gun runners who are even now having a falling out of their own and, eventually, endangering Jane.
While the plot may be simple, this first Tarzan movie ever filmed in Africa does have its moments, mostly revolving around one of the sub-villains, King Bulam, played by noted African-American actor Frederick O'Neal, founder of the American Negro Theater in New York which launched the careers of such notables as Sidney Poitier.
Gun runners have broken out of jail and have come to King Bulam's village to trade guns for jewels. Bulam, who has tangled with Tarzan before, intends to use the guns to make war on the peaceful Ashuba people, led by Queen Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge).
Tarzan (Lex Barker) is unsuccessful in stopping Bulam and his Yurongan warriors and is even thrown over a waterfall and presumably drowned. King Bulam conquers the village and, after being rejected by Melmendi, he withdraws and his warriors get drunk. Tarzan returns and organizes an uprising after having freed the Ashuban men.
When Bulam arrives to check on the situation, Tarzan gives his famous yell and the Yurongans are caught off guard. Bulam sees that Tarzan is very much alive and flees in confusion and fear.
Tarzan catches up with the husky, proud, ambitious, and greedy African war chief and a knife fight, one against one, ensues. While a much trimmer stunt double is sometimes visible, this is still an exciting screen fight. Bulam manages to knock Tarzan's head against a tree trunk and then pulls out a rather hefty, oversize knife that we have seen dangling at his waist for much of the film. The knife is almost in Tarzan's neck when Tarzan grabs Bulam's wrist and causes Bulam to fling the knife away. It lands in some ferns, blade side up. Using his legs as scissors, Tarzan manages to spin Bulam away, and the chief rolls over several times.
Here is the part I savor. Bulam rolls over onto the clump of ferns where his knife is projecting skyward. As his ample belly passes over the knife, it is shoved into his body. The wicked, adventurous, risk-taking war chief is stunned; he has been stabbed with his own knife! Bulam makes several attempts to rise and continue the fight and Tarzan even draws his own knife, not certain as to whether Bulam is really done for. But, as his head lolls for the last time, with the knife partially obscured by all the vegetation the king has rolled into, it is certain that Bulam has been vanquished.
The next scene shows the warriors being herded into a corral and Tarzan is begged to stay for a celebration but he must go after the gun runners who are even now having a falling out of their own and, eventually, endangering Jane.
Apart from actually being filmed in Africa, just another run of the mill Tarzan movie.
planktonrules11 November 2022
After MGM finished its Tarzan series, RKO picked up the series and hunky Lex Barker took over as the heroic ape-man. Surprisingly, RKO even bothered to take the project to Africa itself...something the fancier and richer MGM failed to do with the series. As for the results, they are pretty much what you'd expect...no more, no less.
In this third RKO installment, a super-evil gun runner named Radijeck (George Macready) has escaped custody and is back to his old gunrunning ways. He wants to destabilize the region by selling guns to the natives and his getting rich is his only real concern. As for his partners and any one else, they are expendable and Radijeck is a truly soul-less jerk. Can Tarzan manage to bring him to justice?
Barker was just fine as Tarzan, though I though Jane (Virginia Huston) lacked, well, a lot. She looked as if she just arrived from the beauty shop and lacked the humor and sex appeal of Maureen O'Suillivan, MGM's Jane. As for Macready and the other folks (such as Alan Napier), they were all good. What really stood out for me when I watched is that the animals actually WERE African animals. Most prior Tarzan pics featured animals from all over the globe...such as Asian elephants and American Alligators! All in all, a reasonably well made and satisfying film...but nothing more.
In this third RKO installment, a super-evil gun runner named Radijeck (George Macready) has escaped custody and is back to his old gunrunning ways. He wants to destabilize the region by selling guns to the natives and his getting rich is his only real concern. As for his partners and any one else, they are expendable and Radijeck is a truly soul-less jerk. Can Tarzan manage to bring him to justice?
Barker was just fine as Tarzan, though I though Jane (Virginia Huston) lacked, well, a lot. She looked as if she just arrived from the beauty shop and lacked the humor and sex appeal of Maureen O'Suillivan, MGM's Jane. As for Macready and the other folks (such as Alan Napier), they were all good. What really stood out for me when I watched is that the animals actually WERE African animals. Most prior Tarzan pics featured animals from all over the globe...such as Asian elephants and American Alligators! All in all, a reasonably well made and satisfying film...but nothing more.
white bread Tarzan
SnoopyStyle21 September 2020
Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge) is the peaceful Queen of the Ashuba, loyal to retiring Commissioner Peters. He's showing his replacement Conners around. They meet up with Tarzan and Chita. Later, they encounter a smuggling operation and gunrunner Radijeck kills them. Radijeck supplies guns to King Bulam of the Yorango tribe and suggests attacking the Ashubs tribe.
Tarzan has been domesticated and is more white bread than ever. The light-skinned Dandridge is somehow an African queen but she could never be Jane. It does have some location shots of wildlife and a stuntman swinging in the trees which is worth something. There seems to be quite a bit of African locations. Mostly, it's Tarzan in the California backlot. The giant snake is very fake. It's an old Hollywood Tarzan which has been tamed. Lex Barker is a blonde-haired muscle-bounded model type who has a middle America personality. It's surprisingly watchable with a dash of camp.
Tarzan has been domesticated and is more white bread than ever. The light-skinned Dandridge is somehow an African queen but she could never be Jane. It does have some location shots of wildlife and a stuntman swinging in the trees which is worth something. There seems to be quite a bit of African locations. Mostly, it's Tarzan in the California backlot. The giant snake is very fake. It's an old Hollywood Tarzan which has been tamed. Lex Barker is a blonde-haired muscle-bounded model type who has a middle America personality. It's surprisingly watchable with a dash of camp.
The Perils of Tarzan
lugonian15 August 2011
TARZAN'S PERIL (RKO Radio, 1951) directed by Byron Haskin, the third of five installments starring Lex Barker as Edgar Rice Burrough's most celebrated jungle hero, is, by far, the most prestigious project to date. An improvement over the previous two entries, thanks to some authentic location filming in Africa where much of the Tarzan stories takes place, and the casting of George Macready as the most sinister villain thus far, ranking this possibly the best in the Barker series. Aside from location sequences mixed with the studio jungle sets, TARZAN'S PERIL was reportedly intended to become the first in the series to be lensed in color, something that never happened, at least for now anyway.
Rather than the traditional opening focusing on Tarzan, Jane and/ or Cheta's daily activities, which turns up 16 plus minutes into the story, TARZAN'S PERIL opens with a native celebration in British East Africa as Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge) is made queen of the Ashuba tribe. Commissioner Peters (Alan Napier), about to retire after thirty years of service, witnesses the event with his soon-to-be replacement, Connors (Edward Ashley). King Bulam (Frederick O'Neal), a brutal chief of the Yorango tribe, comes to propose marriage to Melmendi, but is refused. Later, the pounding of drums brings forth a message that Radijack (George Macready), a ruthless slaver and gunrunner, has escaped prison and somewhere in the jungle. Assisted by Doctor Herbert Trask (Douglas Fowley) and Andrews (Glenn Anders) as his henchmen, Radijack intends on bringing in a load of illegal rifles to the natives. As Peters and Connors approach Trask to inspect their hidden items, Radijack makes his surprise attack by shooting them. During their journey climbing a cliff, Radijack arranges for Andrews to meet with an accident that handicaps him with a broken leg. Being left there to die, Andrews crawls through dangerous territory before grabbing gold onto a log and floating down the river. While canoing with Jane (Virginia Huston), Tarzan (Lex Barker) foresees danger and rescues Andrews from a crocodile attack. Taking the injured hunter to a doctor, Tarzan, having learned from Andrews of the killing of his friend, Peters, and Radijack's evil intentions, Tarzan swings into action to stop Radijack from supplying the Yorango tribe with guns to attack the peaceful Ashuba tribe. By doing so, Tarzan faces some perils of his own almost in the manner of a weekly chaptered serial.
Making every attempt on bettering this long running series to a point of recalling some highly entertaining adventure made famous by Johnny Weissmuller during his days at MGM, the strength to TARZAN'S PERIL rests on well developed screenplay by Samuel Newman and Francis Swann with enough action to hold one's interest. Although routinely made, much of it is presented in the manner with some originality. George Macready, as mentioned earlier, gives a standout performance as the villain. Aside from putting other characters to permanent rest, his intention on doing the same to Tarzan finds the jungle hero subdued by his native followers, only to somewhat finish him off by having him thrown into water rapids to plunge down from a high waterfall. Other dangers faced by Tarzan is one where he's entrapped inside spider-like arms of man-eating plants, a similar situation earlier used in Weissmuller's TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY (1943), plus his encounter with a giant poisonous snake that nearly takes Cheta. There's also interesting casting of Dorothy Dandridge as the African tribal queen, shortly before achieving immortality for her leading roles as her Academy Award nomination in CARMEN JONES (20th Century-Fox, 1954), and PORGY AND BESS (Samuel Goldwyn, 1959) opposite Sidney Poitier. As with her screen career, Dandridge's role comes short yet essential to the plot.
The weakness to TARZAN'S PERIL once again falls upon the Jane character, this time enacted by the blondish but average acting Virginia Huston. Aside from her short 1950s style haircut and noticeable facial makeup in the Virginia Mayo mode, her Jane character isn't dressed in traditional jungle dress tog but white animal skins resembling that of an Esther Williams bathing suit. Unlike previous efforts where Jane takes part in Tarzan's adventures, this time Tarzan says, "Jane, go home," leaving Tarzan to fulfill his mission alone with Cheta, his chimpanzee, along for the ride. Jane, being off screen for a long stretch, does reappear, doing housework in her tree house before being face to face with a deadly visitor.
While no masterpiece, TARZAN'S PERIL comes close to becoming 79 minutes of non-stop action, making whatever weaknesses that take place to be overlooked or forgiven. Never distributed to video cassette, TARZAN'S PERIL, formerly broadcast on American Movie Classics prior to 2000, and finally Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: July 16, 2011), has become available on DVD through Turner Home Entertainment. With more "Tarzan" adventures in the horizon, and the slow faze out of Jane before the end of the decade, the next installment in the series is TARZAN'S SAVAGE FURY (1952). (*** drums).
Rather than the traditional opening focusing on Tarzan, Jane and/ or Cheta's daily activities, which turns up 16 plus minutes into the story, TARZAN'S PERIL opens with a native celebration in British East Africa as Melmendi (Dorothy Dandridge) is made queen of the Ashuba tribe. Commissioner Peters (Alan Napier), about to retire after thirty years of service, witnesses the event with his soon-to-be replacement, Connors (Edward Ashley). King Bulam (Frederick O'Neal), a brutal chief of the Yorango tribe, comes to propose marriage to Melmendi, but is refused. Later, the pounding of drums brings forth a message that Radijack (George Macready), a ruthless slaver and gunrunner, has escaped prison and somewhere in the jungle. Assisted by Doctor Herbert Trask (Douglas Fowley) and Andrews (Glenn Anders) as his henchmen, Radijack intends on bringing in a load of illegal rifles to the natives. As Peters and Connors approach Trask to inspect their hidden items, Radijack makes his surprise attack by shooting them. During their journey climbing a cliff, Radijack arranges for Andrews to meet with an accident that handicaps him with a broken leg. Being left there to die, Andrews crawls through dangerous territory before grabbing gold onto a log and floating down the river. While canoing with Jane (Virginia Huston), Tarzan (Lex Barker) foresees danger and rescues Andrews from a crocodile attack. Taking the injured hunter to a doctor, Tarzan, having learned from Andrews of the killing of his friend, Peters, and Radijack's evil intentions, Tarzan swings into action to stop Radijack from supplying the Yorango tribe with guns to attack the peaceful Ashuba tribe. By doing so, Tarzan faces some perils of his own almost in the manner of a weekly chaptered serial.
Making every attempt on bettering this long running series to a point of recalling some highly entertaining adventure made famous by Johnny Weissmuller during his days at MGM, the strength to TARZAN'S PERIL rests on well developed screenplay by Samuel Newman and Francis Swann with enough action to hold one's interest. Although routinely made, much of it is presented in the manner with some originality. George Macready, as mentioned earlier, gives a standout performance as the villain. Aside from putting other characters to permanent rest, his intention on doing the same to Tarzan finds the jungle hero subdued by his native followers, only to somewhat finish him off by having him thrown into water rapids to plunge down from a high waterfall. Other dangers faced by Tarzan is one where he's entrapped inside spider-like arms of man-eating plants, a similar situation earlier used in Weissmuller's TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY (1943), plus his encounter with a giant poisonous snake that nearly takes Cheta. There's also interesting casting of Dorothy Dandridge as the African tribal queen, shortly before achieving immortality for her leading roles as her Academy Award nomination in CARMEN JONES (20th Century-Fox, 1954), and PORGY AND BESS (Samuel Goldwyn, 1959) opposite Sidney Poitier. As with her screen career, Dandridge's role comes short yet essential to the plot.
The weakness to TARZAN'S PERIL once again falls upon the Jane character, this time enacted by the blondish but average acting Virginia Huston. Aside from her short 1950s style haircut and noticeable facial makeup in the Virginia Mayo mode, her Jane character isn't dressed in traditional jungle dress tog but white animal skins resembling that of an Esther Williams bathing suit. Unlike previous efforts where Jane takes part in Tarzan's adventures, this time Tarzan says, "Jane, go home," leaving Tarzan to fulfill his mission alone with Cheta, his chimpanzee, along for the ride. Jane, being off screen for a long stretch, does reappear, doing housework in her tree house before being face to face with a deadly visitor.
While no masterpiece, TARZAN'S PERIL comes close to becoming 79 minutes of non-stop action, making whatever weaknesses that take place to be overlooked or forgiven. Never distributed to video cassette, TARZAN'S PERIL, formerly broadcast on American Movie Classics prior to 2000, and finally Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: July 16, 2011), has become available on DVD through Turner Home Entertainment. With more "Tarzan" adventures in the horizon, and the slow faze out of Jane before the end of the decade, the next installment in the series is TARZAN'S SAVAGE FURY (1952). (*** drums).
A comparatively serious adventure
unbrokenmetal18 May 2019
After the silliness of the previous movie of the series ('Tarzan and the Slave Girl'), 'Tarzan's Peril' attempts to go back to serious jungle adventures. Tougher action, more realistic fight scenes, not as much comic relief (by the monkeys). Tarzan tries to stop an arms dealer this time. In opposite to the usual American parks and studio sets, a lot was actually shot in Africa this time. Due to this effort, 'Tarzan's Peril' is probably the best of the 5 Tarzan movies with Lex Barker. On the downside: one ridiculous fight with a man-eating (huh?) plant, and very little to do for Jane except to sit home and wait for Tarzan's return. Director Byron Haskin went on successfully to shoot H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds', among others.
Tarzan Make War On Polish Name.
rmax30482330 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
It helps to be in the right mood to enjoy this rather typical nonsense about Tarzan (Lex Barker) foiling a plan by a villain with a Polish name (George MacReady) to arm one band of African natives with rifles and Tommy guns so they can conquer another tribe and sell them into slavery or concubinage or something. The name of MacReady's character is Radijek. It SOUNDS villainous, doesn't it? And in 1951, Slavic names served nicely as labels for the bad guys although, to be sure, Hollywood must have been experiencing some conflict over whether to give their heavies the names of Commies or Nazis. At the moment the moguls must be in turmoil, what with the Arabs.
I don't really think the plot is worth going on about. MacReady sneers constantly and murders his partners in the scurrilous plan one by one in order to steal their share of the loot. Jane wears necklaces by Tiffany and a wrap-around sarong out of Christian Dior. Tarzan comes home from the jungle and Jane says, "Sit down and have some supper," just like Dagwood and Blondie or Ricky and Lucy. Their tree house has several rooms, one of them with a comfortable table and chairs, suitable for wedding receptions and bar mitzvah celebrations. I think I spotted a framed poster of a Marc Chagall on one of the bamboo walls. The bathroom probably has a framed poster too -- a yellow rose over the slogan "Tomorrow Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life." You can probably read it while on the throne.
Of course, if you're NOT in a receptive mood, the movie sucks. There was some second-unit shooting in Africa. You can watch the stilt-legged water birds gobble down newly hatched baby crocodiles while a jaunty tune plays in the background. Dorothy Dandridge is in here somewhere, in a minor part, and we don't get to see nearly enough of her. Tarzan not real man. If Tarzan red blooded, then Tarzan shed domestic tranquility, fling Dandridge over shoulder, and swing through tree to someplace else. Company of Cheetah optional.
I don't really think the plot is worth going on about. MacReady sneers constantly and murders his partners in the scurrilous plan one by one in order to steal their share of the loot. Jane wears necklaces by Tiffany and a wrap-around sarong out of Christian Dior. Tarzan comes home from the jungle and Jane says, "Sit down and have some supper," just like Dagwood and Blondie or Ricky and Lucy. Their tree house has several rooms, one of them with a comfortable table and chairs, suitable for wedding receptions and bar mitzvah celebrations. I think I spotted a framed poster of a Marc Chagall on one of the bamboo walls. The bathroom probably has a framed poster too -- a yellow rose over the slogan "Tomorrow Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life." You can probably read it while on the throne.
Of course, if you're NOT in a receptive mood, the movie sucks. There was some second-unit shooting in Africa. You can watch the stilt-legged water birds gobble down newly hatched baby crocodiles while a jaunty tune plays in the background. Dorothy Dandridge is in here somewhere, in a minor part, and we don't get to see nearly enough of her. Tarzan not real man. If Tarzan red blooded, then Tarzan shed domestic tranquility, fling Dandridge over shoulder, and swing through tree to someplace else. Company of Cheetah optional.
Lex Barker has a new Jane in each Tarzan' s picture!!!
elo-equipamentos3 November 2019
Strangely the RKO's producers provide a new Jane in an each Lex Barker's Tarzan, I really want to know such discrepancy, Virginia Huston is redhead, thus unable for the role, due all previous were black hair, but speaking the truth who cares anyway, she is sexy, the summarized plot is about a smugglers who intent selling fire guns to an ambitious native's King, the strong presence of George Macready spoke for himself, he fits prefect as evil man, the nearest Ashuba tribe's Queen played by the gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge is another high point, the King Bulam wants marry Queen Melmendi to rules the whole territory, shot in Africa many sequences blended later with the soundstage studio is easily noticed and improve the production, a slight accent of humor from the usual Cheetah, fine Sunday matinee!!!
Resume:
First watch: 1978 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-VHS-DVD / Rating: 6.5
Resume:
First watch: 1978 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-VHS-DVD / Rating: 6.5
Tarzan Shot in Africa
wes-connors17 July 2011
Lord of the jungle Lex Barker (as Tarzan) battles gunrunner George Macready (as Radijeck) and assorted cohorts. This film seems a little foreign when compared to recent entries in the series. First, more of it was shot in Africa than had become the norm. Additionally, shapely Virginia Huston (as Jane) appears with a much shorter haircut than usual for the character, and her clothing has become a form-flattering white dress. Unfortunately ineligible as Tarzan's mate, the beautifully mixed Dorothy Dandridge plays an African queen. To prevent "Tarzan's Peril" from becoming too serious in tone, a certain chimpanzee gets the last laugh when swallowing a watch gives "Cheeta" musical indigestion.
**** Tarzan's Peril (3/13/51) Byron Haskin ~ Lex Barker, Virginia Huston, George Macready, Dorothy Dandridge
**** Tarzan's Peril (3/13/51) Byron Haskin ~ Lex Barker, Virginia Huston, George Macready, Dorothy Dandridge
Good Tarzan adventure
Panamint1 January 2017
This is a good Tarzan action movie. Featuring such notable supporting actors as Alan Napier and Walter Kingsford, you get the impression that the studio wanted to make a quality film here- its not just another b-movie throw away. Talented director Byron Haskins (who directed many notable movies of the 40's, 50's and 60's as well as a career in cinematography) is in charge with a sure and steady hand.
Lex Barker is a big strong hunk and he does a fine job as Tarzan, who faces some serious perils. Bad tribal chief King Bulam very nearly kills Tarzan with his bare hands and a knife in an exciting fight sequence. George Macready is at his meanest as he murders several people and almost kills everybody else. Macready is really a nasty baddie in this one. Virginia Huston is an athletic and poised Jane who contributes her usual lovely and capable movie effort in an underwritten role.
Dorothy Dandridge steals this movie with terrific screen presence. She is ravishing as Good Queen Melmendi. The director wisely showcases Ms. Dandridge, who ignites every scene she is in and makes it special. She is a powerhouse obviously destined for future star potential.
"Tarzan's Peril" is a worthwhile, vigorous and fast-moving adventure movie. You will be satisfied if this is what you are expecting from a film outing with a classic adventure hero.
Lex Barker is a big strong hunk and he does a fine job as Tarzan, who faces some serious perils. Bad tribal chief King Bulam very nearly kills Tarzan with his bare hands and a knife in an exciting fight sequence. George Macready is at his meanest as he murders several people and almost kills everybody else. Macready is really a nasty baddie in this one. Virginia Huston is an athletic and poised Jane who contributes her usual lovely and capable movie effort in an underwritten role.
Dorothy Dandridge steals this movie with terrific screen presence. She is ravishing as Good Queen Melmendi. The director wisely showcases Ms. Dandridge, who ignites every scene she is in and makes it special. She is a powerhouse obviously destined for future star potential.
"Tarzan's Peril" is a worthwhile, vigorous and fast-moving adventure movie. You will be satisfied if this is what you are expecting from a film outing with a classic adventure hero.
Better than expected supporting cast boosts routine Tarzan film
a_chinn3 June 2018
Lex Barker is back as a Johnny Weissmuller's replacement as the new Tarzan and has a better than expected outing in this long running (and by this point rather played out) franchise. Tarzan finds himself as peacemaker between warring tribes (complete with racist stereotypes of African people, as was common for most of the Tarzan films), who've been stirred up by gunrunners. The supporting cast includes Virginia Huston, George Macready, Alan Napier, and of most interest is the casting of singer, dancer, actress Dorothy Dandridge as Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba, although her talents are painfully wasted on this juvenile material. Still, as juvenile as the material is, I did enjoy the man-eating plants and other jungle nonsense. Overall, it's nothing classic, but decent enough if you're a fan of Tarzan films.
Tarzan and Dandridge
Michael_Elliott14 August 2011
Tarzan's Peril (1951)
** (out of 4)
Third film in RKO's Lex Barker-Tarzan series has the ape man trying to stop a bunch of gunrunners who are selling weapons to a tribe planning to use them by attacking other tribes. With the jungle at such an unrest, it's up to Tarzan to try and rescue one of the main tribe's leaders (Dorothy Dandridge). Quite a few reviews called this the best of the Barker Tarzan movies and while it's certainly an improvement over the last entry I'd say it still falls a little short of the first one. There's quite a bit of stuff to enjoy here but sadly we're once again treated with a familiar story that just becomes more and more cliché as it goes along. I will admit that I thought the film started off with an interesting idea as Tarzan doesn't appear for the first fifteen-minutes. Instead of the ape man getting all the screen time the film tries to shine the spotlight on the bad guys who are obviously more interesting the more you can hate them. For the most part I thought the villains were quite evil enough but the screenplay never really made them very fun, which was a letdown. The supporting tribes are finally being played by black actors, which is a plus but sadly the screenplay doesn't given them too much to do. Once Tarzan, Jane (Virginia Huston) and Cheetah enter the picture it's pretty much all action from this point. Once again Barker is good in the role and I think it's fair to say that he finally gotten comfortable in it. Huston makes for an interesting Jane as she's certainly got the sex appeal but her chemistry with Barker isn't the greatest. George MacReady, Douglas Fowley and Glenn Anders all do a nice job in their villain roles. Dandridge is the one who easily steals the film though. Her beauty, charm and charisma jump right off the screen but sadly she isn't given too much to do. She certainly makes the most of the part and she makes it more memorable than any other actress would have but at the same time it's pretty sad to see her having to do a film like this. People always want to put THE BIRTH OF A NATION down but that was 1915 and here this film is 1951 and Hollywood still wasn't doing anything for one of the brightest black stars. The other highlight in the film happens when Tarzan must battle a man-eating plant. The scene actually manages a few nice, tense sequences. The lowlight of the film has to be a hilarious scene where Cheetah is about to be attacked by a huge snake but thankfully Tarzan comes to the rescue. What's so funny is the fake snake that they use and just wait until you get a look at its funny face!
** (out of 4)
Third film in RKO's Lex Barker-Tarzan series has the ape man trying to stop a bunch of gunrunners who are selling weapons to a tribe planning to use them by attacking other tribes. With the jungle at such an unrest, it's up to Tarzan to try and rescue one of the main tribe's leaders (Dorothy Dandridge). Quite a few reviews called this the best of the Barker Tarzan movies and while it's certainly an improvement over the last entry I'd say it still falls a little short of the first one. There's quite a bit of stuff to enjoy here but sadly we're once again treated with a familiar story that just becomes more and more cliché as it goes along. I will admit that I thought the film started off with an interesting idea as Tarzan doesn't appear for the first fifteen-minutes. Instead of the ape man getting all the screen time the film tries to shine the spotlight on the bad guys who are obviously more interesting the more you can hate them. For the most part I thought the villains were quite evil enough but the screenplay never really made them very fun, which was a letdown. The supporting tribes are finally being played by black actors, which is a plus but sadly the screenplay doesn't given them too much to do. Once Tarzan, Jane (Virginia Huston) and Cheetah enter the picture it's pretty much all action from this point. Once again Barker is good in the role and I think it's fair to say that he finally gotten comfortable in it. Huston makes for an interesting Jane as she's certainly got the sex appeal but her chemistry with Barker isn't the greatest. George MacReady, Douglas Fowley and Glenn Anders all do a nice job in their villain roles. Dandridge is the one who easily steals the film though. Her beauty, charm and charisma jump right off the screen but sadly she isn't given too much to do. She certainly makes the most of the part and she makes it more memorable than any other actress would have but at the same time it's pretty sad to see her having to do a film like this. People always want to put THE BIRTH OF A NATION down but that was 1915 and here this film is 1951 and Hollywood still wasn't doing anything for one of the brightest black stars. The other highlight in the film happens when Tarzan must battle a man-eating plant. The scene actually manages a few nice, tense sequences. The lowlight of the film has to be a hilarious scene where Cheetah is about to be attacked by a huge snake but thankfully Tarzan comes to the rescue. What's so funny is the fake snake that they use and just wait until you get a look at its funny face!
A Little More Grit Than Usual for a Tarzan Epic
zardoz-133 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Lex Barker's third outing as Tarzan in director Byron Haskin's "Tarzan's Peril" prepares us for the greater realism of the forthcoming Gordon Scott ape man movies. The villains here display greater evil not only to the heroes but also to our eponymous hero. Any movie that featured scar-faced George Macready as the lead villain promised to be darker and grittier and "Tarzan's Peril" qualifies as darker and grittier. Although there is no way that Tarzan could bite the vine, the Lord of the Apes is almost killed twice. First, his unconscious form is thrown over a waterfall, and second he is almost stabbed to death by treacherous King Bulam in the finale. This "Tarzan" movie has the distinction of being the first to shoot sequences in Africa. Now, some may point out that the original Johnny Weissmuller "Tarzan" contained scenes lensed in Africa, but those African scenes were originally shot for another feature "Trader Horn" (1931) with Harry Carey. The Samuel Newman & Francis Swann screenplay resembles a Cavalry versus the Indians oater because the villains are running rifles to rebellious tribesmen. Aside from the casting of Macready as the villain, "Tarzan's Peril" features African-American beauty Dorothy Dandridge who went on to star in "Carmen Jones" and "Porky and Bess" for director Otto Preminger. Fans of the "Batman" television show will recognize Alan Napier, who played Alfred the Butler, as a British game warden. When Yorongan King Bulam and his rifle-bearing tribesman overrun the peaceful Ashuba tribe, Tarzan swings to their rescue. Cheetah pulls an old Charlie Chaplin stunt when he swallows a musical instrument. This "Tarzan" opus is somehow above the level of previous Tarzan movies, but the Ape man still speak in fractured English. Mind you, Virginia Houston makes a comely Jane.
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