Tarzan the Mighty (lost action film serial; 1928)

Film poster.

Status: Lost

Tarzan the Mighty is a 13-part 1928 film serial from Universal Pictures, based on the book Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Synopsis

Mary Brooks and her father are marooned in Africa by pirates, led by the Black John, who seeks to claim the Greystoke estate. To do so, he needs a locket held by Tarzan, raised by apes since birth, who is actually the rightful heir. John tries to kill Tarzan any number of times throughout the serial but always fails. Tarzan keeps Mary and her father alive, and when John appears in England to claim the title, he is stopped by Tarzan and killed.

Production

The role of Tarzan was portrayed by Frank Merrill, gymnastic champion of 1918, who looked and moved exactly like the "paper" Tarzan. He was cast in the role after Joe Bonomo was forced to bow out after injuring his leg in an accident during a stunt. Frank had been doing stunt work before being cast in the lead role. and it was he who devised the vine swing for this serial.

The serial was originally intended to be 12 chapters long, but it was so successful that it was extended to 15 chapters in length.

Chapters

1.The Terror of Tarzan

2.The Love Cry

3.The Call of the Jungle

4.The Lion's Leap

5.Flames of Hate

6.The Fiery Pit

7.The Leopard's Lair

8.The Jungle Traitor

9.Lost in the Jungle

10.Jaws of Death

11.A Thief in the Night

12.The Enemy of Tarzan

13.Perilous Paths

14.Facing Death

15.The Reckoning

Status

It has since faded into obscurity and is considered lost. A few production stills, posters and behind the scenes information have survived to preserve its existence.

External Links

• The serial's Wikipedia page. Retrieved 23 Mar '19
• The serial's Silentera page. Retrieved 23 Mar '19
• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019447/