Customer Reviews

Tarzan, My Father

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Most books are mediocre. And I say this based upon a lifetime of reading everything. This book is wonderful, well-written, well-researched, well-published. I simply could not stop reading it, and when I'd finished, I really truly felt I knew the great Johnny Weissmuller, my childhood idol. I also came to know Johnny, Jr., and have enormous empathy for this fellow, who has managed to carve a successful life for himself, against large odds, it would seem, and with little guidance. The book is amazingly candid and very moving, and virtually un-put-down-able. If you have even the slightest interest in humanity, Tarzan, or John Weissmuller, buy this excellent book. RM

As a film buff and life-long Johnny Weissmuller fan, I thought I knew all there was to know about the Olympic swimming champion who became the most beloved of all movie Tarzans. I was wrong. TARZAN, MY FATHER is the inside story of Johnny Weissmuller, told from the point-of-view of the ultimate insider - his son and namesake, Johnny Jr. This incredible book is neither a scandalous tell-all nor hero-worshipping hagiography, but rather a respectful and honest account of the life of the legendary actor/athlete. With many facts revealed for the first time, and hypocryphal stories refuted once and for all, this book is the definitive account of the life of Johnny Weissmuller, from his humble origins to his Olympic victories to his sad and tragic end. Though written without cloying sentiment, the book is still moving and heartfelt. It's the ideal book for sports fans, movie buffs or anyone interested in reading a fascinating biography of a remarkable man. Highly recommended!

In the thirties and forties there was something big film wise to look forward to nearly every year, bigger than the anticipation of the next Star Wars, Bond or Potter film. It was Tarzan and most of those years there was only one Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller. To many today he is still the only Tarzan.

Tarzan fans in our generation actually embraced a parallel universe in the jungle man's world. There was the long time favorite given us by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, an articulate educated Lord Greystoke who could stow away his tux, put on a loin cloth to lead Tantor and his herd of elephants. Then there was the bigger than life Johnny Weissmuller on the screen who portrayed a Tarzan of few words, gave a battle cry that is more familiar today than most any other sound byte and whose biggest vocabulary word was "Umgawa!" Whether we were first introduced to the book Tarzan or film Tarzan, we could love both. Weissmuller himself was familiar with the concern Burroughs had about the portrayal that first MGM and then RKO required and wished also that he could have a bigger speaking role. However, the money was good and he couldn't object too much. When Burroughs himself made Tarzan films and hand picked Bill Brix with his well spoken vocabulary the films bombed.

In "Tarzan My Father" the author Johnny Weissmuller, Jr. gives a portrayal unlike others in the past. It is not an apology or a "daddy dearest". Johnny Jr. loved his father and admits there were both good and bad things that can be related. However, even in the bad, Johnny Weissmuller is more the innocent taken in by business managers, partying big name friends and two of his five wives, especially the last one who did all she could to trash his name and memorial while making money off of interviews. There is also a rebuttal against Esther Williams's recent book with interviews that reveal she has lied about Johnny Weissmuller as she did other legendary Hollywood heroes.

Johnny Jr. covers the myths behind the legend and uses documentation when needed. When stories conflict he gives both sides as would a true historian. I found myself looking at older books I have on the father and find that in general the son has been forthright in his handling of events. There is also detailed information about his father's sports career which makes him also legendary in that world as well. I had an opportunity to meet Johnny Weismuller briefly in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia and the man I saw was the man described by his son. It was a moment I will always remember. He was both generous and kind.

The book covers the father's friends and cronies, people like Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Red Skelton and others who are icons today. In his own case the author knew well Robert Mitchum, Ricky Nelson, Burt Reynolds and Elvis. There are great pictures in the book that will delight any and all film fans.

Yes, the book is very personal and unlike some, the author does it not to exploit his name but to give honor to one of the great film heroes of the 20th century. The book itself is endorsed by Danton Burroughs, secretary of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. This is a tribute and it shows us a man bigger than life who greatly influenced more than one generation.

Johnny Weissmuller had what some might call a simplistic philosophy that his son paraphrases as "A man should stand where God places him-jungle trails or Hollywood streets-and fight for those things he believes."

Any fan of sports, especially the olympics will love this wonderful book. If you liked Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, you will definitely find this an interesting read. The writing draws you into the book and entertains you with the details of how sports figures, movie stars, and average people were influenced by Johnny and how they affected his outlook.

A positive and different perspective than has often been written about movie stars, it leaves a warm feeling when you lay it down. I certainly hope this book receives the notoriety it deserves. One can only hope it will influence them to put all the great Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies on DVD. It astounds me they are only available on VHS when some poor quality non-Weissmuller Tarzans are on DVD. I highly recommend this book.

My daughter gave me a copy of this book for Father's Day this year along with the last MGM Tarzan movie that I was missing " Tarzan Escapes". This book is loaded with all kinds of good stuff written by Weissmullers son, Johnny Jr..It has some great pictures in it too. For Folks like myself who grew up watching (or just wanting to watch) Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan and knowing that nothing either before or after his movies was worth it's weight in Dog Dung then you also will really enjoy this book! My kids were raised hearing phrases like "That used to be a full grown man" or "Ma-ha-wani Sleep,Ma-ha-wani Sleep" or better yet "That was a close one, we almost lost the rifles". Yes there was only one REAL Tarzan and folks from my generation know that his name was Johnny Weissmuller. Boy did MGM screw up when they stopped making Tarzan Movies and let Johnny go to RKO, If only they knew how big his movies would become in the future! When Tarzan answered Jane as he was feeding a bottle to Boy and said "Him no choke",I'm certain MGM did a lot of choking in years to come. It was kind-a like SUN RECORDS selling Elvis Presly's contract to RCA for 50 grand a real no-brainer. This book tells the whole Hollywood story and how so many stars of that day really turned Hollywood into "SIN CITY" but Johnny was one of very few who kept to clean living and avoided all the garbage! This book is a real good deal! "ENJOY"

Johnny Weissmuller by far was the best of all the Tarzans ever filmed for movies or television and "Tarzan, My Father" written by his son, is by far the best of many dozens of biographies written about Johnny.
His swimming achivements are unmatched and he was not only a friend of everyone in the jungle, but of everyone he meet.
This is a must read, if you want to know the real Johnny Weissmuller. Mike Oliver

This is a extraodinary personal look at one of the greatest athletes of the past century, and the man who made the world love Tarzan. This book is written with care and detail, and that effort shows. From the family's Austrian history to Wiessmuller's swimming career to Hollywood, to the last days of his life. A great, rich story. A must for lovers of biographies.

I've loved and admired the great Johnny Weissmuller since I was a tiny tot. The Weissmuller Tarzans were a major component of my childhood and had a profound impact on my development; Tarzan's jungle ethics and code of "right triumphs over wrong, good over evil" have always made more sense to me than today's gray-area mish-mosh and the Tarzan series, 50 years later in my case, is still tops for entertainment value. Given my near-fatuousness (which has actually provoked jealousy in some of my male colleagues), I'm delighted to have discovered so much recent material that acquaints fans with the man behind the loincloth.
The author of this contribution, due to his mother's vitriol, wasn't allowed contact with his father after his parents separated, and was only permitted to pick up the pieces as a young adult. On that basis, he explains that his purpose in writing this book is to introduce readers to the man he came to know, as well as to correct misconceptions and errors that have appeared in previous biographies. He succeeds in spades on both counts and we learn that Johnny was a kind, (too) trusting, uncomplicated man who, unfortunately, endured much sadness in his life, much of it due to his refusal to believe that others aren't always what they seem. Johnny Jr. provides a very even-handed account of his father's life from his perspective, and we learn a lot about him and the other Weissmuller children as well.
Contrary to some naysayers, this is a very nicely written account; there are a few errors (some of them real bloopers) that should have been caught by fact-checkers while it was in the galleys (identifying Laurel and Hardy as each other comes to mind), otherwise it's stylistically very sound.
Readers are also treated to a bit of Hollywood dishing; I don't think I can look at Red Skelton in quite the same way ever again! And we learn that Esther Williams greatly exaggerated events associated with their introduction and subsequent relationship. Fun stuff, and it's also gratifying to learn that Johnny Jr. and his wife found so much happiness with each other. Sadly, I only recently learned that he died of cancer in 2006. My heartfelt condolences to his survivors.
I've always regretted that I was unable to meet my hero and this book confirms what I've always known in my heart: that he was a great guy. Bottom line, read David Fury's mostly excellent biography and chase it with this one to correct misinformation Mr. Fury was fed by the last Mrs. Weissmuller, Sr., Maria.

It was a very fascinating read and gave a great insight to the life of Johnny Weissmuller and how the studios treated stars then.

I would recommend it to anybody that liked the Tarzan movies.

A Great Read

Excellent book, told me more about the man than i ever knew. my own father is a johnny fan of his era, a swimmer too. I grew up to know the legend of what he was. After reading the book he is more of a man then i could of imagined. What a great read.