Tarzan Takeoffs in Comic Books

Tarzan takeoffs conquered comic books.  Naturally.  When something is worth parodying or paralleling, it’s worth parodying or paralleling as much as possible.  The comic book arena provided another platform for creators to capitalize on Tarzan’s...

Tarzan Takeoffs in Films

Tarzan inspired film studios to invent their versions of a jungle hero.  The results range from hysterical to sober. In 1973, Disney mined Tarzan for laughs in The World’s Greatest Athlete, a benign film set on the fictional Merrivale College campus.  Faced with...

Tarzan Takeoffs on Television

Tarzan’s popularity inspired takeoffs, parodies, and parallels.  Television, in particular, provided a fertile platform for these offerings. On November 11, 1962, Carol Burnett gest starred on The Jack Benny Program.  She plays Jane in the Jack Plays Tarzan...

Tarzan on Television

Tarzan benefited from the superhero craze of the mid-1960s ignited by the 1966 launch of the camp television show Batman.  On September 8, 1966, Ron Ely debuted as the title character in Tarzan.  Jane did not appear on the show.  It lasted two seasons. Twenty-five...

Tarzan in the Movies

The first appearance of Tarzan in popular culture took place in the 1912 magazine story Tarzan of the Apes.  The character expanded to comic strips on January 7, 1929 under the aegis of Harold Foster. Buck Rogers’ comic strip also debuted on this date.  The...