''Tarzan's Magic Fountain'' is a 1949 Tarzan film directed by Lee Sholem and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Brenda Joyce as his companion Jane. The thirteenth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that began with 1932's '' Tarzan the Ape Man'', the film also features Albert Dekker and Evelyn Ankers. It was co-written by Curt Siodmak. This was Barker's first appearance as

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

' ape-man, while Joyce had played Jane opposite Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan in four previous films. She was one of only two actresses to portray Jane in movies with two different actors as Tarzan. (The other was Karla Schramm in the silent era.) ''Tarzan's Magic Fountain'' was Joyce's final turn in the role, and different actresses played Jane in each of Barker's four subsequent Tarzan movies: ( Vanessa Brown, Virginia Huston, Dorothy Hart, and Joyce MacKenzie). Elmo Lincoln, who had been the first screen Tarzan three decades earlier, appears uncredited as a fisherman repairing his nets. The film was followed by '' Tarzan and the Slave Girl'' in 1950.

Plot

Aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

Gloria James Jessup went missing twenty years ago. Tarzan and Jane hear news of a man back in the United States who is about to be sentenced to life imprisonment; the only way he can be cleared is for Jessup's testimony. Tarzan secretly leaves for the hidden valley where Jessup has secretly been living for almost two decades and brings her back to testify. Jessup looks decades younger than her actual age and this prompts a pair of men to ponder the rumor of a magic Fountain of Youth and try to find it after she returns from testifying and heads back there.

Cast

* Lex Barker as Tarzan * Brenda Joyce as Jane * Albert Dekker as Mr. Trask * Evelyn Ankers as Gloria James Jessup * Charles Drake as Mr. Dodd * Alan Napier as Douglas Jessup * Ted Hecht as Pasco * Henry Brandon as Siko * Elmo Lincoln as a Fisherman * Henry Kulky a Vredak * Rory Mallinson as Vredak's Companion * Rick Vallin as the Flaming Arrow Shooter

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' welcomed Lex Barker's new Tarzan as "A younger, more streamlined apeman with a personable grin and a torso guaranteed to make any lion cringe, he seems to be just what the witch-doctor ordered for this tattered series. The picture, though, is a matter of stale peanuts at the same old jungle stand. Instead of resorting to new ideas and treatment and a timely overhauling job, the studio has dragged out a mouldy script, the same sheepish-looking extras, and the wheezing chimpanzee, Cheetah, who isn't getting any younger, either."

References

External links

* * * 1949 films 1940s fantasy adventure films American fantasy adventure films American black-and-white films American sequel films American aviation films Films based on European myths and legends Films directed by Lee Sholem Films with screenplays by Curt Siodmak Films produced by Sol Lesser 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language fantasy adventure films Films scored by Alexander László {{1940s-adventure-film-stub