''Tarzan the Mighty'' is a 1928 American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

directed by Jack Nelson and Ray Taylor. It was nominally based on the collection ''

Jungle Tales of Tarzan ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' is a collection of twelve loosely connected short stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. ...

'' by

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

. The film is now considered to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Cast

Frank Merrill Frank Dow Merrill (December 4, 1903 – December 11, 1955) was a United States Army general and is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), in the Burma Campaign of World War II ...

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

Joe Bonomo Joe Bonomo is an American essayist and music writer. Life Bonomo was born and raised in Wheaton, Maryland. He graduated from University of Maryland (BA) and Ohio University (MA and PhD). His books include ''No Place I Would Rather Be: Roger Ang ...

was cast as Tarzan but, while filming ''

Perils of the Wild ''Perils of the Wild'' is a 1925 American silent adventure film serial directed by Francis Ford. The film is considered to be lost. This serial was based on the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' by Johann David Wyss. Cast Productio ...

'', fractured his left leg and severely injured his

sacroiliac joint The sacroiliac joint or SI joint (SIJ) is the joint between the sacrum and the ilium bones of the pelvis, which are connected by strong ligaments. In humans, the sacrum supports the spine and is supported in turn by an ilium on each side. The ...

while performing a stunt. Director Jack Nelson remembered Frank Merill from working with him on an earlier production, either '' Perils of the Jungle'' (1927) or ''

The Adventures of Tarzan ''The Adventures of Tarzan'' (1921) is a 15 chapter movie serial which features the third and final appearance of Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan. The serial was produced by Louis Weiss, written by Robert F. Hill and Lillian Valentine (partially b ...

''. Whichever production it was, he felt that Merrill was a natural replacement and the new lead actor started filming the next morning. *

Al Ferguson Al Ferguson (19 April 1888 – 4 December 1971) was an Irish-born American film actor. Born in County Wexford, Ireland, he appeared in nearly 300 films between 1912 and 1956. Billed as Smoke Ferguson, by 1912 he was making Westerns for Selig ...

as Black John, village ruler of Pirates' descendants *

Natalie Kingston Natalie Kingston (born Natalia Ringstrom; May 19, 1905 – February 2, 1991) was an American actress. Background Kingston was born as Natalia Ringstrom in Vallejo, California, and raised in San Francisco. She was of Spanish, Hungarian, an ...

as Mary Trevor. There was no

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

in this production. Kingston was cast as the castaway and love interest Mary Trevor. * Bobby Nelson as Bobby Trevor, Mary's younger brother *

Lorimer Johnston Lorimer Johnston (November 2, 1858 in Maysville, Kentucky – February 20, 1941 in Hollywood, California) was an American silent film actor and director. He was involved in the production of over 60 films in acting and directing and he also wr ...

as Lord Greystoke, Tarzan's uncle

Production

After the failure of ''

Tarzan and the Golden Lion ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' is an adventure novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-Story Week ...

'', starring "Big Jim" Pierce, FBO did not make a sequel. Universal paid Burroughs an undisclosed sum to make a new Tarzan serial based on ''

''. This serial was later re-titled ''Tarzan the Mighty''. Merrill, who was the National Gymnastics champion from 1916 to 1918, came up with the vine-swinging technique. Merrill actually swung on a "vine" (a rope) with Kingston in one arm. The footage was later studied by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

for ''

Tarzan the Ape Man Tarzan, the Ape Man may refer to * Tarzan, a fictional character * ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' (1932 film), with Johnny Weissmuller * ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1959 film) with Denny Miller * ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981 film) with Richard Harris and ...

'' (1932) and the subsequent series of Tarzan films with

Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...

. Production began on April 12 and finished on October 28, 1928 The serial was originally intended to be 12 chapters long but it was so successful that it was extended to 15 chapters in length. ''Tarzan the Mighty'' was successful enough for a sequel, ''

Tarzan the Tiger ''Tarzan the Tiger'' (1929) is a Universal movie serial based on the novel '' Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It stars Frank Merrill as Tarzan, Natalie Kingston as Jane, and Al Ferguson. It was directed by Henry M ...

'', to be put into production with many of the cast returning (in slightly different roles in some cases).

Chapter titles

# The Terror of Tarzan # The Love Cry # The Call of the Jungle # The Lion's Leap # Flames of Hate # The Fiery Pit # The Leopard's Lair # The Jungle Traitor # Lost in the Jungle # Jaws of Death # A Thief in the Night # The Enemy of Tarzan # Perilous Paths # Facing Death # The Reckoning

Novel

Originally written as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1926, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback () by ERBville Press in 2005.

Chapters

# Jungle King # Queen of His Kind # Black John Plots # A Pawn of Passion # Tantor Trumpets # Giant Emotions # Flaming Hate # Mock Marriage # Black John's Revenge # The Imposter # The Stolen Heritage # Treachery Higher Up # A Thief in the Night # Momentary Triumph # The Day of Reckoning

References

External links

*
Stills and lobby cards
at erbzine.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarzan The Mighty 1928 films 1920s fantasy adventure films American fantasy adventure films American black-and-white films American sequel films American silent serial films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Jack Nelson Films directed by Ray Taylor Lost American films Mighty Universal Pictures film serials 1928 lost films Lost fantasy adventure films 1920s American films Silent adventure films