Product Details

• Actors: Johnny Weissmuller
• Format: Box set, Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: June 8, 2004
• Run Time: 527 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001NBLYA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,753 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Tarzan Collection Starring Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan the Ape Man / Escapes / and His Mate / Finds a Son / Secret Treasure / New York Adventure)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Many actors have slipped on a loincloth and swung from a jungle vine, but nobody reached the treetops of Tarzania quite like Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic swimmer. And Tarzan's greatest Jane was Maureen O'Sullivan, who moved into T's treehouse for six films at MGM, all collected in this splendid boxed set. It is possible to find these films hokey... but only if you have absolutely no feeling for the magic of early-sound pictures, or no joy in the gee-whiz, Saturday-matinee wonder of Tarzan's prelapsarian lifestyle. To say nothing of the surprisingly overt running theme of (implied) hot jungle sex.

Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932), made with the blessings of Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, establishes the basics of the series (and uses extra Africa footage MGM had compiled for Trader Horn). There'd been many Tarzans before, but Weissmuller's buff bod and innocent charm won over audiences. Tarzan and His Mate is generally considered the best of the lot; it is also the sexiest, especially after the restoration of a hotsy-totsy nude swimming scene. The formula still works in Tarzan Escapes, which brings Jane's cousins out for a visit to the Mutia Escarpment, with its elephant-powered elevator for Tarzan's pad. (Always keep in mind that this is Africa of kiddie imagination, not the real deal.)

Tarzan Finds a Son! introduces Johnny Sheffield as Boy, and stirs up the nest. Things were getting rote by the time of Tarzan's Secret Treasure, and the jungle is left behind entirely for Tarzan's New York Adventure, which has some fun stunts. Also included in the boxed set is the documentary Tarzan: Silver Screen King of the Jungle, which is a fine overview not just of the MGM Tarzan series but of its predecessors (though it does not mention the fact that Weissmuller went on to crank out more Tarzan pictures at RKO). It does delve into the mystery of just what the heck "ungawa" means. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Johnny Weissmuller. Includes Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932/99 min.), Tarzan Escapes (1936/90 min.), Tarzan and His Mate (1934/104 min.), Tarzan Finds a Son (1939/82 min.), Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941/81 min.) and Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942/71 min.). 4 DVDs. B&w/NR/fullscreen.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 150 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy and Support Tarzan! May 26, 2004

By C. A. Luster TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

I can only hope at least a million people buy this Tarzan DVD set. I pre-ordered it a couple months ago when I first saw it was available to order. As a child I watched these on Sunday afternoons. They were a mainstay for any kids TV diet in the 1950s and 1960s. I have to say that after dining on the majority of Tarzan movies my taste became partial to Johnny Weismueller. The fact that he was an Olympian swimmer, had the best Tarzan yodel, and his acting seemed to fit a kid raised in the jungle. It was a blast watching him wrestle crocodiles and lions and call elephants to tramble the bad guys. We can only hope that interest in this set may prompt them to release the rest of his Tarzan movies. I for one loved them all, even if the special effects were a little hokey sometimes. By todays standards the F/X will seem comical, but still fun to watch. This set has the best production values and casting of all the Tarzan movies.

105 of 106 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY SUPERB! June 15, 2004

By T. Brice

Format:DVD

I've been waiting for these films to be released on DVD ever since I got my DVD player in January, 2001. I was born in 1954 and grew up watching them on TV. Tarzan was without a doubt my favorite hero and Johnny Weissmuller was Tarzan. One of the biggest thrills of my youth was meeting Johnny when he came to my hometown in 1967. He gave me two photos of himself which I still have. The packaging of this set is excellent, first class all the way. The documentary is very interesting. I only wish that Johnny Sheffield could have been interviewed. It was great to see Cheeta still going strong at 72 years old. The theatrical trailers were fun to watch, and the other "special features" were great, also. I especially enjoyed the short documentary shot during the filming of "Tarzan Finds A Son" at Silver Springs, Florida. Before I purchased the set, I was concerned about the picture quality of the six feature films.But, when I watched them, I was very pleased. After years of seeing them on TV, it was good to view them via the high resolution of the DVD format. When and if the six RKO Tarzan/Weissmuller films are released on DVD, I pray that Warner Video will do the honors.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Lord of the Jungle is Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan)" June 26, 2004

By J. Lovins HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Finally and about time, the release of Johnny Weissmuller on DVD in the role that he was born to play TARZAN! ~ loaded with many "special features" entitled "Tarzan:Silver Screen King of the Jungle"[introduction/studio interest in Tarzan/developing the story/casting Tarzan/casting Jane/production begins/Tarzan and His Mate/the Tarzan yell/Cheeta/backlot zoo/Tarzan escapes/Tarzan Finds a Son!/Tarzan's Secret Treasure/Tarzan's New York Adventure/final thoughts/End Credits ~ plus vintage vault treasures featuring Jimmy Durante as "Schnarzan the Conqueror"!!(from Hollywood Party) and a real treasure with MGM on location featuring Johnny Weissmuller, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Cooper featured in "Rodeo Dough" with Kokomo the Bull ~ all 6 Weissmuller/O'Sullivan Tarzan theatrical trailers.

After years of taping these off the local television stations and then when AMC ran the segments a few years ago with fairly good prints, I'd given up of ever seeing the Tarzan films on DVD ~ but here they are in a beautifully packaged box set on four discs ~
"TARZAN THE APE MAN" (1932) featuring Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith and directed by W.S. Van Dyke.
"TARZAN AND HIS MATE" (1934) with Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton, Paul Cavanaugh and directed by Bernard H. Hyman (this is my favorite Tarzan film - story and action sequences were way ahead of their time)
"TARZAN ESCAPES" (1936) with Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, John Buckler, Benita Hume, William Henry and directed by Richard Thorpe.
"TARZAN FINDS A SON" (1939) with Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Ian Hunter, Henry Stephenson, Henry Wilcoxon, Laraine Day and directed by Richard Thorpe (one of the best in the early series)
"TARZAN'S SECRET TREASURE" (1941) with Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Reginald Owen, Tom Conway, Philip Dorn, Barry Fitzgerald (one of my favorite Irish Actors - with Bing Crosby and later with John Wayne) and directed by Richard Thorpe.
"TARZAN'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE" (1942) with Weissmuller, O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Charles Bickford, Chill Wills (Francis the Talking Mule fame), Paul Kelly, Virginia Grey and directed by Richard Thorpe(which Tarzan and the rest of the cast are completely clothed in a civilized world of crooks, trying to take Boy away from Jane and Tarzan) all under the watchful eye of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Hopefully Warner Brothers will release the next group of Weissmuller films he did for RKO Studios ~ the same quality and special features for those six films would be a welcome addition ~ just think a new generation of fans are on the brink of discovering the true Lord of the Jungle ~ TARZAN(in the guise of Johnny Weissmuller)...gotta love it!

Total Time: 4-DVD-Set ~ Warner Home Video 65995 ~ (6/08/2004)