In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross

The glorious and tragic story of American athlete and actor Johnny Weissmuller (1904-84), Olympic swimmer, water polo player and the only true Tarzan, an archetypal character and myth of cinema, that of the original Hollywood blockbusters (1932-48).

The history of the Tarzan films is presented through behind-the-scenes footage and scenes from the Jungle King’s many classic movies.

Tarzan: Silver Screen King of the Jungle is a documentary focusing on the first six sound Tarzan films produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. Written and directed by John Rust, the documentary features interviews with film historians Rudy Behlmer and Scott Tracy Griffin, who discuss the films' literary antecedents and behind-the-scenes production details.

A look at the history and cultural impact of Tarzan.

Prof. Ram Dayal, his assistant Johnny and daughter Leena go to the jungle in search of Cobra Tribe's treasure. Jojo and Bakona, a pair of crooks, follow them secretly. When the party enters the jungle, Tarzan, the king of the jungle, takes Leena away to his hideout. The Professor and his party search for her. Leena is treated well by Tarzan and they fall in love. When the party sees Tarzan they want to kill him, but Leena saves him. Later the party must deal with the two crooks, betrayal among them, and the Cobra Tribe.

A young couple die in a plane crash in the jungle. Their son is found by Tarzan and Jane who name him Boy and raise him as their own. Five years later a search party comes to find the young heir to millions of dollars. Jane agrees, against Tarzan's will, to lead them to civilization.

The greatest adventure of jungle king Tarzan. Four British villains raid a settlement to obtain explosives for use in a diamond mine. In doing so they nearly destroy the settlement, so Tarzan pursues them to their mine.

Shame, the ape man of the jungle, is aghast when his woman, June, is kidnapped by a gang of giant penises. They take her to their queen, Bazunga, a bald woman with fourteen breasts. After tangling with a gang of great white hunters, a marauding lion and the Molar Men, Shame sets off to rescue her with only his faithful friend Flicka at his side. He heads for that darkest of areas

Tarzan returns to his homeland of Africa to save his home from destruction.

White hunter Captain Fry tries to take Tarzan back to civilization, caged for public display. He arrives in the jungle with Jane's cousins, Eric and Rita, who want Jane's help in claiming a fortune left her.

Tarzan helps the Amazons defeat two gangsters who wished to take over a sacred gold treasure from the women's tribe. There are extensive views of the Central America jungle, and several tough battles between the young Amazons and the evil pirates.

A letter from Jane, who is nursing British troops, asks Tarzan's help in obtaining a malaria serum extractable from jungle plants. Tarzan and Boy set out across the desert looking for the plants. Along the way they befriend a stranded American lady magician.

A group of archaeologists asks Tarzan to help them find an ancient city in a hidden valley of women. He refuses, but Boy is tricked into doing the job. The queen of the women asks Tarzan to help them.

A tribe devoted to the leopard cult is dedicated to preventing civilization from moving further into Africa.

The film starts off with a woman and a baby on a plane. The plane, for no apparent reason, fails and crashes into a jungle. The baby survives and is adopted and brought home by a gorilla named Shina. She brings him to her troop, where he is ridiculed for being different from the rest of them. The yet to be named baby is allowed to stay on the condition that he is to go if he causes any trouble. Shina names him Lord and he quickly adjusts to life as a gorilla.

Tarzan has to deal with slave traders who are making raids into African villages to get slaves.

Tarzan and Jane are to sail for England. They are attacked by natives and Tarzan is believed to have been killed. The Greystoke relatives return to England, the Porters (Jane's family) goes to their ranch near San Francisco. Tarzan shows up in a tuxedo and rescues Jane from outlaws...

A shortage of zoo animals after World War II brings beautiful animal trainer Tanya, her financial backer and her cruel trail boss to the jungle. After negotiating a quota with the native king, they take more animals than allowed. Tarzan intervenes.

Tarzan is joined by a reporter and her fiance on a journey to find a boy who was abandoned in the jungle six years earlier. The search party must also battle an evil native, who is out to kill the boy and take over as chief of his brother's tribe.

Tarzan leads five passengers from a downed airplane out of the jungle. En route white hunter Hawkins tries to sell them to the Oparian chief.