around me body... It’s hard to die when Mr. Tarzan is around.” Most surprising is the series’ switch to sympathy toward Africans in the form of Tumbo, the native boy. After losing his mother, the child remains attached to the leads, mostly standing around in the background as the story unfolds— but toward the end, he gets to help Tarzan es- cape from the chasm (though seen alongside Cheeta in enough shots to make us doubt the filmmakers’ intentions) and even stands as an equal alongside his adoptive family at the end. However, by the time MGM got around to producing the next sequel, Tumbo was long forgotten. Happily, the series ends on a high note, its
stagnating formula shaken apart by the energetic and often hilarious TARZAN’S NEW YORK ADVEN- TURE (1942). When an airplane lands on the Mutia escarpment, Tarzan notes “White man no longer make safari... come through the sky like vultures.” Disregarding his parents’ wishes, Boy seeks out the visitors—“world-famous animal trainer” Manchester Mountford (Chill Wills) and his shady partner Buck Rand (Charles Bickford)—who are in the process of trapping lions. Amazed by Boy’s control over a trio of baby elephants, the wheels start turning in Rand’s head: “That kid would be
a sensation in the circus!” But look out, the Jaconis are attacking! Tarzan and Jane swing to the scene, only their vine is cut by a native and they crash through tree limbs to the ground in a pretty convincing stunt. The hunters grab Boy and take off in the plane, assuming T & J are dead— but, of course, they’re only stunned. As the pair swing across the continent to reach a port, Jane warns: “We’re going into places where man’s minds are more tangled than the worst under- brush... Everywhere we’ll be met with lies and deceit.” Replies the jungle lord unhesitatingly: “Jane lead way. Tarzan follow always.” Their journey ends in New York City, where
nine years before another, much bigger jungle king clashed with the civilized world. Luckily, Tarzan is able to blend in a lot better than Kong, though he has his awkward moments, all for the sake of com- edy: flipping through radio stations, the ape-man labels jazz as native “war dance” and thinks an op- era diva is “sick... cry for witch doctor”; assumes a black man on the street is one of the Jaconi tribe; and, best of all, steps into a shower fully clothed to sound the Tarzan yell. Back in TARZAN ESCAPES, Jane worried that, if ever introduced into society, Tarzan would resent being dependent on his rich
Tarzan knows better than to sample O’Doul’s (Barry Fitzgerald’s) fire water— that stuff makes you see Eck birds!
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