Michael_Elliott Tarzan Goes to India (1962) ** (out of 4) A group of evil contractors are in India building a damn, which is going to flood several villages as well as kill over three hundred elephants. Tarzan (Jock Mahoney) is called in to try and rescue the elephants but a rogue is causing all sorts of trouble and making the other elephants do a lot of harm. Not only does Tarzan have to fight the elephant but he must also go against the head engineer (Leo Gordon) who doesn't care about human life. TARZAN GOES TO India comes as a major disappointment and especially when you consider it followed TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT, which was one of the greatest in the series. That film got a great villain performance by Mahoney who wound up taking the lead role here. Having seen both of his Tarzan films, it's clear Mahoney really wasn't the right person for the job. He was a very good actor as the previous film shows but he just didn't have the personality for Tarzan. You never believed him in the part and this is something that really kills this film because it really does seem like a non-Tarzan movie. The excitement of the character is missing and Mahoney just seems as if he's either bored and just doesn't know what to do with the part, which is a real shame because some of the story here is interesting. The one major benefit going on here is that the film was actually shot partially in India so we get some nice visuals. Another major plus is that there are quite a bit of elephants on hand and we get some very good shots of them. There's even a major battle between two of them that contains some nice drama. The rest of the story is pretty much the same thing just a new location. Once again Tarzan has to battle an evil person who is evil for no other reason than to have someone for Tarzan to fight. Gordon is very good and sinister in his role but at the same time you really wish the screenplay had given him more to do or at least built up his character some. The supporting cast also includes Jai "The Elephant Boy" playing Tarzan's travel mate. Fans of the series who must see all of them are the only ones that this is going to be recommended to.

wes-connors With freshly shaved chest and golden tan, Jock Mahoney (as Tarzan) takes over for departing jungle king Gordon Scott. Sporting a more traditional muscular frame than his pumped-up predecessor, Mr. Mahoney had been the main villain in the previous "Tarzan" movie. He would stick around for one more film. Like the title says, "Tarzan Goes to India" where Mahoney must move an elephant herd because a newly constructed dam will flood their valley home. He receives help from an "elephant boy" named Jai (as Jai the Elephant Boy). Filling secondary roles are impressive prince Feroz Khan (as Raju), villainous Leo Gordon (as Bryce), and local princess Simi (as Kamara). The Indian scenery is nice.**** Tarzan Goes to India (7/62) John Guillermin ~ Jock Mahoney, Jai, Feroz Khan, Leo Gordon

zardoz-13 Former stunt man and "Range Rider" TV star Jock Mahoney makes a rather scrawny ape man in "Tarzan Goes to India." Apparently, producer Sy Weintraub felt like Tarzan should no longer be as brawny as Gordon Scott so he replaced Scott with Mahoney. Earlier, Mahoney had portrayed a villain opposite Scott in the 1960 production of "Tarzan the Magnificent." Actually, Weintraub flip-flopped on his attitude about the ideal Tarzan physique. After the lean mean Mahoney turned in his loincloth following "Tarzan's Three Challenges" in 1963, Weintraub hired muscular Mike Henry to replace him. A former Pittsburgh Steeler, Henry boasted a spectacular physique, too. Ron Ely took over the role for the NBC-TV series after Henry turned down the part and Ely resembled Mahoney more than either Scott or Henry. Happily, the one thing that neither Weintraub nor director John Guillerin changed was the way that Tarzan delivered his dialogue. In "Tarzan Goes to India," our barefoot protagonist speaks in English and usually in complete sentences.This time around the resourceful Lord of the Jungle flies into India where a huge hydro-electric dam is under construction to end a drought as well as provide jobs. The chief problem is 300 elephants are at stake. You see, once construction is completed on the dam, the jungle behind the dam will be inundated and those elephants will drown. The price of progress and economic prosperity is high. Bringing electricity to the backwaters has to have an impact on either somebody or someplace and the elephants are the victims. To exacerbate tensions, the elephants are being led by a wild rogue elephant, and Tarzan has to kill that troublemaker. Somehow, this part of the plot got left on the editing room floor. Meantime, the villagers behind the dam are fleeting, too. Tarzan encounters another elephant that attacks the work camp, but this elephant has been dispatched to attack the camp by a youth, Jia the Elephant Boy (Jia), who Tarzan later befriends. Guillerin stages an okay elephant stampede, but the drama is like the Mahoney Tarzan, it is a little on the lean side.Director John Guillermin has to monkey with the camera speed during the elephant attacks. As the dam construction foreman, veteran heavy Leo Gordon makes a solid villain for about 55 minutes before he meets his match. He abducts Jia, tries to ambush Tarzan in a three-way crossfire, and takes shots at a bull elephant. The elephant puts an end to him. Tarzan braves his share of dangers. He tangles with a cobra, a leopard, and the trigger-happy villains. Jock Mahoney has his moments, but not enough of them. He looks at home in the wilderness and he cuts a pretty impressive figure when he climbs aboard an elephant and rides the beast through the jungle. The shift in setting from Africa to India is a splendid change of pace and lenser Paul Beeson of "Mosquito Squadron" and "To Sir, With Love" captures the immense, rugged scenery.

Albert Ohayon This is quite an enjoyable film with as an added bonus, 300(!!) elephants and spectacular Indian scenery. I don't think I've ever seen India look so beautiful in any movie. Jock Mahoney makes an articulate and athletic(if a bit lean) Tarzan. His easy-going performance is quite fun to watch, as is his interplay with the Maharaja's daughter. There seems to be a nice chemistry between these two. It is really too bad that their relationship isn't allowed to progress further but this being a G-rated film, the line has to be drawn somewhere. As this film is aimed at the very young, a lot of emphasis is put on Jai the elephant boy. This turns out to be the film's greatest weakness. The character is irritating and obnoxious. Not surprisingly, Mahoney looks a little uncomfortable in his scenes with the young boy and some of their moments together are downright corny. It's a good thing that the film's fast paced action sequences and beautiful scenery make up for these weaknesses(the final charge of the elephants is very exciting).Also of note, Leo Gordon is quite effective as the villain Bryce. On the whole, this is a good way to pass a rainy Sunday afternoon. You'll have to close your eyes and ears every time Jai appears, but the rest will go down easily enough, especially for the younger set. By the way, don't miss Tarzan's arrival into India. It's an eye opener!!