Michael_Elliott Tarzan and the Great River (1967) ** 1/2 (out of 4) After the horrendous TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, I really wasn't expecting too much out of Mike Henry's second Tarzan film. This time out he heads to Rio de Janeiro where his friend is murdered by an evil jaguar cult lead by a native known as Barcuma. Tarzan jumps aboard a small cargo lead by the captain (Jan Murray) and his orphan mate (Manuel Padilla, Jr.) to try and warn other native tribes while also trying to reach a doctor trying to spread medicine to them. Again, going into this film I really wasn't expecting too much after the previous film that tried to make Tarzan and James Bond like agent. I got worried early on as we got the silly opening credits sequence and once again the first time we see the ape man he is in a tuxedo that he apparently got in New York City. However, once the action starts the film turned out to be a worthy entry in the series. It's certainly not going to make people forget Johnny Weissmuller or Gordon Scott but it's worth watching for the action. Another major benefit here is that there's some terrific wildlife footage including a rather stellar fight between a couple large lions. I know some might be worried about watching two animals fight but it did look like the real thing and not something just staged for the camera. Another intense sequence has Tarzan tipping over a couple of the enemies boats so that they are in a river trying to get away from some crocodiles. The underwater footage is really terrific and includes some beautiful moments of the crocs just swimming around. It's clear that this was filmed separate from the "action" going on but it still looks great. Another major plus is that the cult members look quite effective in their uniforms and the jacked up violence also puts you on edge. Murray actually delivers a pretty fun performance as the captain who never wants to get further into trouble but constantly finds himself going along for the ride. I was also impressed with Padilla who was fun in his part. However, Henry just isn't working for me as Tarzan. While he's certainly better here than he was in the first film, there's still no question that his personality just isn't right for the ape man.

poe426 It happens: stuntmen die performing stunts they've meticulously prepared for (BEN-HUR); actors fall victim to inept direction (TWILIGHT ZONE- THE MOVIE); animals lash out at their human co-stars and are murdered (TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER). Granted, Mike Henry had every reason to be upset: chiseled good looks can come in handy when you're auditioning for a role as a leading man; extensive plastic surgery to replace chunks of missing tissue, on the other hand, can complicate matters. Had Jane Goodall (who probably knew more than she ever let on about the feeding habits of chimpanzees) been a bit more forthcoming, maybe the incident that resulted in the "destruction" of Senor Dinky on the set of TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER could've been avoided. Now that we've seen documentaries like THE DARK SIDE OF CHIMPS (which show the cute, cuddly little things mugging, murdering and masticating smaller monkeys), we know that shoving your face too close to a chimp's could have disastrous consequences. The "monkey fever" that Henry is said to have experienced sounds suspiciously like AIDS (which, as we now know, can come from eating "tainted monkey meat"). All of which makes one long for the good ol' days, when Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter (and Jane Goodall) had us all convinced that all apes were vegetarians...

Movie-Robot What's with Jan Murray as a faux-Bogart from The African Queen? I can't even begin to describe how insane this movie is.And what about Olympic decathelete Rafer Johnson as the evil Barcuna? -- Incidentally, how did all of these folks end up in Brazil? Jan Murray's interplay with little Pepe is like nothing I've ever seen.

kell31 It is some years since I saw this film but I still remember it vividly.I rate it much higher than all the other Tarzan films from the late forties to the present day.Mike Henry is adequate as Tarzan and Manuel Padilla Jr. is very natural in his role(he was later to play a similar role as Jai in the "Tarzan" television series of the sixties.)The supporting cast are fine too and the scenery is magnificent.Best of all however is the casting of Diana Millay as Ann.Combining beauty and brains this talented actress makes the lovely doctor she plays one of the most memorable heroines in any "Tarzan" film.