Description

The New Adventures of Tarzan is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Bruce Bennett. The serial is a more authentic version of the character than most other adaptations, with Tarzan as a cultured and well educated gentleman as in the original Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. It was filmed during the same period as the Johnny Weissmuller/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Tarzan films. Film exhibitors had the choice of selecting the serial or the episodes edited into two separate films, The New Adventures of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Green Goddess.

The serial was filmed in Guatemala, and Tarzan was played by Bruce Bennett (known post-war as Bruce Bennett). The final screenplay was credited to Charles F. Royal, and from Episode 6 onward, also Basil Dickey. It was produced by Ashton Dearholt, Bennett Cohen and George W. Stout under the corporate name of “Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises, Inc.” (which also film distributor) and was directed by Edward Kull and Wilbur F. McGaugh.

Cast

• Bruce Bennett as Tarzan, or Lord Greystoke, who travels from Africa to Guatemala to rescue his friend, French Lt. d’Arnot, who bailed out of his plane just before it crashed, following a lightning strike, into the uncharted jungles of Guatemala and he is believed to be held by a tribe of lost natives. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. had suggested Herman Brix to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to play Tarzan. However, Brix broke his shoulder filming Touchdown (1931 film) for Paramount and, because his recovery period was uncertain, MGM cast Johnny Weismuller in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932 film) instead. Sources disagree about Burroughs’ involvement with Brix’s casting. Some stated that Brix was hand picked for this serial by Burroughs while others state that it was Dearholt who cast Brix and he only briefly met Burroughs afterwards for a handshake and some photographs. Official biography of Herman Brix Brix was never paid for his work on this film In reality, “Don Costello” was merely a pseudonym chosen by Dearholt, who had previously starred himself in several silent films of his own making, and planned all along to do so here.
• Frank Baker as Major Francis Martling, archaeologist leader of another expedition to find the Green Goddess, with whom Tarzan and Ula Vale join forces.
• Lewis Sargent as George, bumbling comic relief; Major Martling’s assistant.
• Jiggs (chimpanzee) as Nkima, Tarzan’s chimpanzee. Nkima, rather than Cheeta, is the name of Tarzan’s animal companion in Burroughs’ books, though in the books he is a monkey rather than a chimp. Jiggs earned $2,000 for this role.
• Dale Walsh as Alice Martling, The Major’s daughter who accompanies him on his expedition.
• Harry Ernest as Gordon Hamilton, Alice’s fiancé and also part of Martling’s expedition. The original draft story called for Gordon and Alice to become separated from the expedition and hunted and arrested by Guatemalan authorities as gun runners. However this entangling subplot was dropped, and Gordon and Alice both return to America in the third episode, along with d’Arnot, and are not seen again excepting some incidental shots in the final episode.
• Merrill McCormick as Bouchart, in the first chapter, who comes to Africa to alert Tarzan to d’Arnot’s disappearance; and as “Pedro”, a Guatemalan associate of Ula Vale.