There Were Many Live-Action Tarzans in Jungle of Hollywood

Hollywood’s most famous swinger, Tarzan, is getting the big-budget animated musical treatment from Disney. Opening Friday, the newest adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ jungle classic features the music of Phil Collins and lots of adorable furry creatures.

If you want to see Tarzan in the flesh--that is, a live-action version--you’ll have to go to video. And there are plenty to choose from there. Johnny Weissmuller is best known as the da-vine one, but over the past eight decades, other actors have played the role of the Lord of the Apes. For instance:

Back in 1918, Elmo Lincoln starred as the son of Lord and Lady Greystoke, who, after his parents are killed in the jungle, is raised by apes. This silent classic, “Tarzan of the Apes” (Grapevine, $20), though dated, is quite faithful to the original book.

Frank Merrill was the first Tarzan audiences actually heard in “Tarzan the Tiger” (Nostalgia), a 15-part serial from 1929 that is loosely based on Burroughs’ “Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.” Originally filmed as a silent, it was subsequently released with sound effects and a musical score.

Olympic champion Buster Crabbe, who found fame in the “Flash Gordon” serials, wore the famous loincloth in the ill-fated 1933 adventure “Tarzan the Fearless” (Sinister, $15). In this outing, Tarzan helps a young woman find her father; along the way, they also discover a lost city.

Another Olympic star, Herman Brix, later known as Bruce Bennett, had little luck in the 1938 snooze “Tarzan and the Green Goddess” (Hollywood Home Theatre, $15). Tarzan is on the search for a statuette that could prove deadly if put in the wrong hands.

Glenn Morris joined the Tarzan fray in 1938’s little-known “Tarzan’s Revenge” (Sinister Cinema, $20). This time around, Tarzan rescues a young woman from a crazed ruler. Olympic swimmer Eleanor Holm and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper also star.

MGM’s “Tarzan, the Ape Man” ($20) from 1981 has to be seen to be believed. This major hound was directed by the late John Derek as a showcase for his wife, Bo, who keeps cavorting around the jungle au naturel. Miles O’Keeffe is so bad as Tarzan that he makes Bo look like Meryl Streep. Richard Harris also is trapped in this turkey.

Far more entertaining is Hugh Hudson’s lavish, literate 1984 epic, “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” (Warner, $15; $20 for letterbox), with Christopher Lambert as Tarzan. Andie McDowell makes her film debut as Jane but was dubbed by Glenn Close, supposedly because her Southern accent was too strong. Ralph Richardson, in his last film role, is memorable as Tarzan’s Scottish grandfather and earned an Oscar nomination--one of three the film received. The video contains footage not shown in theaters.

Casper Van Dien of “Starship Troopers” fame headlines the hokey 1998 adventure “Tarzan and the Lost City” (Warner), which died a quick death in the theaters. Tarzan is enjoying the good life in England as Lord Greystoke, but trades his dandy duds for his loincloth when he heads back to the jungle to stop an explorer from finding the Lost City of Opar. Jane March and Steve Waddington also star.