TARZAN'S HIDDEN JUNGLE (1955)
Gordon Scott (Tarzan), Vera Miles (Jill Hardy), Peter van Eyck (Dr. Celliers), Jack Elam (Burger, Hunter), Charles E. Fredericks (DeGroot, Hunter), Richard Reeves (Reeves), Don Beddoe (Johnson), Jester Hairston (Witch Doctor), Rex Ingram (Sukulu Chieftain), Ike Jones (Malenki), Maidie Norman (Suma).
Directed by Harold D. Schuster; Screenplay by William Lively; Produced by Sol Lesser; Original music: Paul Sawtell; Cinematography: William Witney; Film Editing: Leon Barsha; Art Direction: William Flannery; Makeup artist: Jack Byron; Assistant director: Harry Templeton; Sound technician: James L. Speak; Set continuity: Winfrid K. Thackrey; Wardrobe supervisor: Henry West.
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Production began: mid-August, 1954 at RKO Pathe Studios
Release date: February 16, 1955
Sol Lesser Productions
Running time: 72 Minutes
Filmed in Black and White
When some unscrupulous hunters, named DeGroot, Reeves, Burger and Johnson, invade Tarzan's jungle and kill some of the animals, Tarzan orders them to leave. But they refuse and make plans to carry on. DeGroot and Reeves pretend to be UN photographers and accompany Dr. Celliers and his nurse, Jill Hardy into Sukulu-land. On a scouting trip across the river, Reeves is killed.
Nurse Hardy discovers the truth about the hunters and travels by station wagon to try and warn Tarzan. But her car breaks down and she must travel the rest of the way on foot. Tarzan arrives in time to rescue her from a python, and then both travel to the Sukulu village to join Dr. Celliers and stop the hunters. There they are captured by the natives and sentenced to death because they brought the white hunters with them. To the Sukulu tribe, all animals are sacred. Tarzan manages to escape. He calls all the animals back across the river. In the stampede, DeGroot is killed and Tarzan again saves the day.
This was Gordon Scott's first Tarzan movie, and certainly not one of his best. It was just an average jungle adventure, no better or worse than any of the Sol Lesser productions that proceeded it. It would take three more films for Gordon Scott to come into his own and become one of the best Tarzan's of all time.
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