Friday, October 07, 2011

Tarzan The Ape Man #15

Once again, the action is staged so that a stunt double could be used. (During an interview given in the 1990s, Maureen O’Sullivan recalled that one of the Jackie lions was used on the set, and that Johnny Weissmuller wanted no part in working with it.)
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Posted by Buckles at 10/07/2011 05:57:00 AM

1 comments:

Roger Smith said...

Weissmuller wisely picked up on the old rule that contact cats like the Jackies are one-man lions. Any other man trying it is committing suicide. Pat Anthony got away with wrestling Mel's lion, doubling Samson for Vic Mature, only because Mel was right there, inches out of frame. That's the rule by the rarest exception.

Benny Bennett told me Weissmuller did well with all the animals he was in contact with--especially the Henry Tyndall chimps, but was a pro in understanding there were animals best left to trainer/doubles. Johnny was also a personable guy with the Compound folks. He preferred to have lunch with them, when Sol Lessor thought the star should hang out with the moguls. As for his successor, it was Lex Barker who was terrified of every animal, and got the shakes when the chimps shared the set.

08 October, 2011 15:14

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