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Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950)
Topic Started: Mar 12 2016, 07:55 AM (623 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950) Dir. Lee Sholem

The whitest African tribe you've ever seen is kidnapping women from even whiter African tribes (Eva Gabor and Mary Ellen Kay among them, and you don't GET much whiter) and taking them to their jungle pyramid home to replace the women who are dropping dead from the plague. When they nab Jane, though, Tarzan, his doctor friend, his chimp, Robert Alda, and a French girl who learned how to act by watching Lupe Velez movies swing into action.

The best Tarzan movie in years and one of the best ever. Exciting, funny, Lex Barker at the top of his game, lotsa beautiful women, and a whole slew o' funny stuff to entertain audiences of all ages. Vanessa Brown replaces Brenda Joyce, and while I always liked Miss Joyce, I never thought much of her as Jane; Vanessa is a huge improvement, both feisty and yet feminine. Denise Darcel, alternately throwing herself at Alda, Tarzan, the white-guy Prince of the Pyramid, and probably Cheeta in a scene that was cut out, is hilarious as the hot-tempered blonde (the only one in the picture) sarong-wearing nurse. She and Jane have a cat-fight for the ages (Jane uses judo, which upsets not only Miss Darcel, but also Cheeta, who hides in the clothes hamper). The white guys in the pyramid all wear Roman togas, leather sandles, and Flash Gordon collars, along with Chico Marx hats that they change into Jughead Jones hats when they go out girl-snatching. The only tribe of blacks wear bushes to hide and jump out at people, a truly terrifying disguise. Tarzan blocks the door to the pyramid by sitting a big, fat white African guy against it. Everyone in the film either falls into the lion pit or comes darn close. And once captured, the white African ladies are all dressed in matching I Dream of Jeannie outfits!

Million-dollar Dialog:
White African Guy, during a riot at the pyramid: "All this confusion—a bad omen just before the entombment of the king!"

Hurd Hatfield is excellent as the Prince of Pyramids, and Anthony Caruso is a real stinker as his Iago. Don't let the silliness fool you; this is as good as the Tarzan series has been in a long, long time. I really have warmed to Barker's Ape Man, and his byplay with Jane (and Miss Darcel) is a hoot. The Warner Archive DVD is fine. Highly enjoyable and another big hit; producer Sol Lesser duly announced that the next Tarzan adventure would be filmed in Africa in color!

Other Balconeers have weighed in in the past on Lex Barker's Tarzan.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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riddlerider
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Laughing Gravy
Mar 12 2016, 07:55 AM
Lex Barker at the top of his game...

LOL.
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Fantomas
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It's interesting to see how quickly an actor's career can go down the drain in Hollywood. In 1945 Hurd Hatfield and Robert Alda both starred in big important films. Hatfield played the title role in MGM's PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY and Alda starred as George Gershwin in Warner's RHAPSODY IN BLUE. Yet here they are, just five years later, in supporting parts in a cheapie Tarzan movie. What happened, fellas?
"For life is short, but death is long."
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Frank Hale
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They suited their purposes at their particular moments, but didn’t project any qualities that audiences found aspirational.

Poor Hurd Hatfield. I remember watching "The Left-Handed Gun" on the Late Show in the 60's, suddenly recognizing him playing the same part as in Dorian Gray, and groaning.

Seems like Robert Alda could have been more successful, but perhaps he was too much a character actor at bottom.

Hey! I should be an agent, right?
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The Batman
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You are an agent provocateur, Mr Hale.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Frank Hale
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Definitely, Mr. Bats.

But is that a compliment, or a slam?

I like to talk to people who have something to say. And slightly more than 50% of my BS is what I genuinely believe.
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The Batman
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Sir, it was a compliment of the highest order. I should have added "and I wouldn't want it any other way".



Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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