TARZAN'S FIGHT FOR LIFE (1958)
Gordon Scott (Tarzan), Eve Brent (Jane), Rickie Sorensen (Tartu), Jil Jarmyn (Ann Sturdy), James Edwards (Futa), Carl Benton Reid (Dr. Sturdy), Harry Lauter (Dr. Ken Warwick), Woody Strode (Ramo), Roy Glenn (Native Chief), Nick Stewart (Molo), Milton Wood (Temple Native).
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone; Screenplay by Thomas Hal Phillips; Produced by Sol Lesser; Original music: Ernest Gold; Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Film Editing: Aaron Stell; Art Direction: Ernst Fegté; Makeup artist: Gustaf Norin; Production supervisor: Fred Ahern; Assistant director: William Forsyth; Sound editor: Henry Adams; Sound technician: Jean Speak; Photographer: Africa: Miki Carter; Script supervisor: Cora Palmatier; Music editor: Alfred Perry.
Production began: Early February - mid-March, 1958
Release date: July, 1958
MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Sol Lesser Productions
Running time: 86 Minutes
Color by Metrocolor
Futa, the witch doctor of the Nagasu tribe, is trying to stop Dr. Sturdy and his daughter Anne from helping the natives. He uses his influence over the tribe to get them to attack Dr. Ken Warwick, Anne's fiance, when he comes to join Dr. Sturdy in Randini. Tarzan comes to the rescue and sends the attackers fleeing back to their village. Since the old chief died, Futa and his friend Ramo have turned the natives against the doctors.
When Tarzan returns to his treehouse, he finds that Jane needs an appendectomy, so he and Tartu (his adopted son) travel by canoe to the doctors in Randini. Meanwhile, Toshina, a Nagasu woman and wife of Molo, one of Dr. Sturdy's native helpers, has died from injuries she suffered when attacked earlier by a crocodile. Tarzan had saved her by wrestling and killing the crocodile, but Futa became enraged when Tarzan brought her to the doctors in Randini instead of letting him use his "jungle magic" to help her. Futa hypnotises Molo and orders him to kill Jane, but after Jane recovers from surgery, Tartu sees Molo going toward Jane's room with a sacrificial knife in his possession and warns Tarzan. Tarzan is in time to save Jane; he then hears that the young Nagasu chief is sick and goes to the village to try and get the natives to bring him to Dr. Sturdy. But Futa has Tarzan captured and brought to the village where he is condemned to die.
Not sure if his "magic" will cure the young chief, Futa sends Ramo to the doctor's home to steal some serum; instead Ramo grabs a bottle of poison. Later at the village, Futa orders his men to bring him the heart of Tarzan as part of his ritual to save the sick boy's life. But Tarzan breaks free and arrives in time to stop Futa from giving the young chief the poison. Futa drinks the poison to prove that Tarzan is lying; in seconds he is dead. Dr. Sturdy is brought to the village to save the boy chief's life.
Tarzan's Fight For Life was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first Tarzan story. Texan Eve Brent was cast as Jane, while the late Rickie Sorenson was chosen as their adopted son Tartu (Tarzan two?) instead of Boy or Korak. While not as good as I would have hoped, it was still a fairly good adventure story and not as bad as most critics have made it out to be. Gordon still makes an imposing Tarzan. This was the last movie where Tarzan spoke broken english, which began with Weissmuller's first MGM film in 1932. Sol Lesser would turn the franchise over to Sy Weintraub, who had plans to revitalize it.
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