Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)

Last of the Gordon Scott Tarzan's has him attempting to drag bad guy Coy Banton to jail. Banton is played by Jock Mahoney who would take over the role from Scott in the next film TARZAN GOES TO INDIA. The resulting battle of manliness has so much testosterone that women seeing this should be warned they may leave the film with full growth beards.

The plot of the film has Banton and his bad guy crew robbing a bank and shooting up the town. The police chief gives chase and manages to spirit Banton away in the middle of the night. Banton's men lay an ambush and kill the cop. Tarzan then does a number drags Banton to a trading post. He wants to put him on the ferry to the city but the people at the post are afraid, more so after Banton's men kill the ferry captain and burn the ferry. Tarzan is stuck taking the overland route which he does, dragging some stranded travelers with him. Things then become a cat and mouse game as Tarzan and party are pursued by Banton's men. (the film is a riff on the plot of the last film TARZAN"S GREATEST ADVENTURE)

A great cast, which in addition to Scott and Mahoney also includes Lionel Jeffries, Betta St John and John Carradine, manages to make this one of the tensest of all th Tarzan films. It helps that Banton and his men are just pure evil. They will just shoot you for no reason and you fear for Tarzan and his party. The tension continues straight to the end when Tarzan gets his ass kicked in a final battle with Banton.

One of the better Tarzan's is definitely worth a look

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