Memorable, crazy movie

Absolutely Fantastic

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Even though it recycles some footage from the earlier movies, Tarzan's Secret Treasure is one of the best of the Weissmuller Tarzan movies. It's exciting and entertaining from start to finish, funny, romantic and even heartwarming.The big action scene at the end, where Tarzan defeats the cruel natives and greedy white men by capsizing their boats is one of the most exciting action scenes I've seen in a movie, old or new. Watching Tarzan dodge spears under water made my heart race faster. The part where Tarzan's friends use a tree to catapult Cheeta from one part of the mountain to the other in order to save Tarzan is clever. And one of the best things about the movie is the funny Irish character called O'Doul. The movie wouldn't be the same without him.The Tarzan movies really improved under the production code. The racist content is toned way down (Boy even befriends a black boy), and there's no unnecessary sex or gruesome violence like in the crude Tarzan The Ape Man or the overrated Tarzan And His Mate.I watched it with my daughter and my mother last week, and they loved it too. I wish they made more movies like this today, action/adventure movies for the whole family. It's a good thing that the old Tarzan movies are available on DVD.

Enjoyable Tarzan movie , plenty of action , adventures and quite entertaining . It starts with the following preface : ¨Beyond the last outpost of civilization , a mighty escarpment towers the skies of Africa -uncharted on maps- a strange world , a place of mystery¨ . The picture concerns a naive Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) in his loincloth , living his fairy tale with Jane Parker (Maureen O'Sullivan) and cohabiting in unmarried bliss , this situation being really criticized by Hays Code . Tarzan , then , saves an expedition from a savage tribe , only to be repaid by having the mean hunters (Tom Conway , Philip Dorn , Reginald Owen) hold Jane and spunky ten-year-old Boy (Johnny Sheffield) hostage . As Boy is tricked by evil hunters and abandoning his parents . As the greedy explorers scheme heinous plans and want Boy's help in finding a secret cache of gold . Thus , Tarzan -helped by O'Doul (Barry FitzGerald) and Cheeta- , now heads to jungle in order to save the boy and gets into trouble with bad guys and cannibal tribes . But Tarzan doesn't take kindly to threat and kidnap to his family and executes against the evil-doers an extreme lesson . The movie is dubiously faithful to Edgar Rice Borroughs story . It contains noisy action , sensational adventures , many angry natives , nasty white hunters , hungry lions and wonderful outdoors , though mostly shot in Hollywood studios . Well starred by Johnny Weissmuller , Maureen O'Sullivan Johnny Sheffield , both of them bring wit and style to their classic characters . However , Johnny Weissmuller is better Olympic swimmer than actor . Here stands out Johnny Sheffield whose first role was in ¨Tarzan finds a son¨ (1939) as an orphan whose ambitious relatives hope he stays lost so they can collect an inheritance . And , of course , special mention for the likable Chimpanzee Cheeta that steals the show , giving some humorous moments with his antics , frolics and mayhem . As usual , there are the obvious uses of stock footage due to many budget cutbacks following the death of Irving Thalberg many stock shots regarding wild animal sequences from former movies were used , such as intervention of a well trained Lion and a Chimpanzee ex-professed for the film . The sets and production design are visually appealing , including a brilliant cinematography by Clyde De Vinna . The motion picture was decently directed by Richard Thorpe . First Tarzan/Johhny Weissmuller was ¨Tarzan , the ape man¨ (1932) by W.S. Van Dyke , this one being the definitive Tarzan movie , the original of the long series . Followed by ¨Tarzan and his mate¨ (1934) by Jack Conway . Richard Thorpe continued the following sequels : ¨Tarzan escapes¨(1936) , ¨Tarzan finds a son¨ (1939) with the addition of the five-year-old Johnny Sheffield as Boy , ¨Tarzan's secret Treasure¨ (1941) , and ¨Tarzan's New York adventure¨ (1942) where Boy is abducted by an evil circus owner , then Tarzan goes to rescue him and he meets N.Y. big city , being Maureen O'Sullivan's final appearance and in which Elmo Lincoln's , the screen's first Tarzan, had a cameo . These stories were lavishly produced by M.G.M. and R.K.O. Subsequently , to be appeared other Tarzans produced by independent producers as Sol Lesser ; the latter being replaced by Sy Weintraub , these movies were interpreted by Lex Barker and Gordon Scott : ¨Tarzan the Magnificent¨ and ¨The greatest adventure¨ directed by John Guillermin . Furthermore , Mike Henry starred as Tarzan in ¨Tarzan and the jungle boy ¨ , ¨ Tarzan and the great river¨ , and ¨Tarzan 66¨ directed by Robert Day . Besides , two performed by Jock Mahoney : ¨Three challenges¨ and ¨Tarzan goes to India¨ directed by John Guillermin , among others . Plus , other TV Tarzan as Ron Ely , Wolf Larsen , Joe Lara ...

Tarzan's secret treasure is not the gold they find in the water.In "Tarzan escapes" we had already seen Jane meeting her English cousins and displaying no interest in the rich inheritance .The beginning of the movie displays a true garden of Eden ,where you can have what you want for nothing ,so why bother to make money or use gold? This Rousseauesque side is all that makes these Tarzan movies (with Weissmuller) so endearing ;all the other ones are mediocre adventures flicks ,without heart and without emotion.It's only natural that Boy wants to know what civilization is.The movies the men from the cities show is good propaganda.This scene takes us back to the prehistory of cinema ,when the Lumiere bros' shorts used to scare the crowds who were afraid to get run over by a train.the rest of the plot is more conventional,but the scene on the river with hungry crocodiles is still impressive today.It seems that some scenes (the first victims of the nasty tribe) were taken from "Tarzan escapes" .These black and white Tarzan movies have no contender ,with the possible exception of "Greystoke:the legend of Tarzan" (1982)

Well-paced and -produced jungle adventure with an heroic Weissmuller, a fetching O'Sullivan and a better-than-average supporting cast. I could have done without seeing the stock footage of Weissmuller battling that croc for the third time though. Not one of the best Tarzan adventures, but you could do a lot worse.