Sunday, May 8, 2011

'Tarzan's New York Adventure,' 1942

In 1942, Tarzan's New York Adventure, the sixth of 12 themed movies, transported Johnny Weissmuller and Jane's Maureen O'Sullivan to the concrete jungle of New York City, where he runs rampant in an attempt to rescue Boy, who's been kidnapped by the circus.

There are some hilarious lines as Tarzan tries to comprehend why so many pepes would want to be packed in one place, as well as an awesome scene where Tarzan climbs a cable along the Brooklyn Bridge before diving 200' into the river. Even though it's obviously shot against a screen, still good fun to see the NYC of 1942.

TARZAN: Stone jungle...
JANE: Yes, a man-made jungle.
TARZAN: Natives live there?
JANE: Yes, they live and they work there, to help them to concentrate their efforts, get things done in a hurry, save time.
TARZAN: Save time? Why?
JANE: Darling, you're asking me a question all the the saviors haven't been able to answer.
Note the Supreme Court Building, seen in Law and Order, out of Jane's window.
This scene is supposedly close to a ramp that connects with the Brooklyn Bridge, but I'll be damned if I've ever seen it in any vintage images...
In this grand dramatic sequence, Tarzan climbs up a cable on the Brooklyn Bridge. Top left: note the Woolworth Building in the background. Once he sheds his blazer, kudos to the director for accurately displaying the Manhattan Bridge behind him.
More fun: From the top view, you can see Brooklyn's tallest building, the Williamsburgh Bank, in the distance. Below, groovy cars, cool cats. Wowsah, what a rush.

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