In our humble opinion, the best portrayal of Tarzan ever was performed by Johnny Weissmuller.
Though its said he was born an Austro-Hungarian, he claimed to have been born in Pennsylvania in order to be able to compete as part of the US Olympic team. Weissmuller went on to become swimming’s first superstar by winning five Olympic gold medals. He won the 100m freestyle and the 4 x 200m relay team event at both the 1924 Paris Games and 1928 Amsterdam Games. He also won gold in the 400m freestyle and a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris. He also earned 67 world and 52 national titles, and was the holder of every freestyle record from 100 yards to the half-mile. Afterward his competitive career, he was put under contract with BVD to model underwear and swimsuits, but MGM Studios got him released by agreeing to pose many of its female stars in BVD swimsuits. The studio billed him as “the only man in Hollywood who’s natural in the flesh and can act without clothes.” Watch the video clip below and see if you agree:
Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs who liked his character enough to name his Airedale Terrier after the fictional man of the jungle. And why not? President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “An Airedale can do anything that any other dog can, and then lick the other dog.”
As much as we liked Weissmuller, the first person whom Burroughs saw bring his creation come to life was Elmo Lincoln, the first person to play Tarzan in 1918 (Edgar Rice Burroughs first introduced the world to Tarzan in a 1912 issue of The All Story Magazine). Six other actors portrayed Tarzan before Weissmuller did in 1932 when Burroughs would have been 57 (he died in 1950), but we’ve not been able to ascertain the years in which Burroughs had his Airedale.
As an aside, several years ago, we encountered a vet tech working at a Banfield/Petsmart in Colorado whose name tag read, “Weissmuller.” Curious, we asked if she was any relation, and learned that she was a great grand niece.
Image: Airedale by Mary Sparrow HangingtheMoonShelby
www.marysparrowsmith.net
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