Evening star., 1932-03-27
Search for the Ideal
Tarzan Makes a Star of
Americas Water Champ
Johnny Wessmuller Plays Around Among Apes
and Beats Crocodile at His Own Came-Other
Players Who Might Have Taken the Part.
By E. de S. Melcher.

.TOR years, it seems, Hollywood
r. has had a hankering to
/ create a "talkie" Tarzan on
the screen. Book after book
on this mum" gentleman, who
played pinochle with the apes and
spoke only after the fashion OF
the most musical hyenas, stood
idly on shelves in the various stu
dio libraries, awaiting their turn
to be brought out into the cold, cold
world. Spring came and Winter
went, but somehow the white
haired boy of the jungle stuck to
his books and was not able to
make a celluloid appearance the
way Hollywood wanted him to.
The question was-"Who would
play TarZan?"
Obviously Paramount lacked the
required African charmer. M
Chevalier, in spite of his smile
was a trif1e beyond the age where
climbing trees and puttering
around apes would be quite con-
venient; Frederic March would
be too cold without a shirt; Jack
Oakie would laugh too much, and
Gary Cooper-Well, Mr.. Cooper
might have been a Tarzan, and
not a bad one, depending, of
course, on the Straightness of his
legs and his ability to grunt
(which ability he has to a marked
degree) and say nothing.
On the whole, however, Para
mount didn't have a Tarzan
Neither did the Fox company, for
in those days Tarzan hadn't
learned yet to say Mr.. Dunn's
20. K" nor had he learned to raise
his eyebrows, chew gum, or say
"nize baby" after a certain Ed
mund Lowe. The R.-K.-O. outfit
too, couldn't boast of tall, strong
son of the jungle who could swim
faster than a crocodile and make
love to a pretty girl without say
ing a word
But there was the book, and
there was the story, and there was
Trader Horn" which had ripped
so many dollars out of its patrons,
and there was that enterprising
firm of Metro Goldwyn- Mayer
which has seized every available
classic this year and turned it into
screen form. And as the season
began again it seemed downright
silly not to get the casting depart
ment to go and laSSo some man.
ner of man who could play the
stalwart, red-blooded, modern
caveman.
The M.-G.-M. casting depart
ment must have had a fit. Can
you imagine it looking over files,
seeing the name of Clark Gable
and then calling him up and say
ing, How would you like to play
Tarzan, Mr.. Gable?"
What would I have to do?"
Jump around, play with few
apes, swim with a couple of croco-
dileS, play tag with a lion, wreStle
with tiger, pretend that you
don't know what love is, and leave
your laundry at home"
Mr.. Cables answer is, of course,
not recorded, but it might have
been interesting.
Beery? John Barrymore-there'S
some one who might have made
a grand caricature of Mr.. Tarzan
and given him a better profile than
he probably had. Robert Mont
gomery? Che would have had to
play him in white flannelS) |?
William Haines (too knock -kneed
in his abbreviated snort Sl1itl .
Ramon Noyarro UNFORTUNATELY
Tarzan didn't sing)? Polly Moran
now there's some one.
But, somehow, no one toed the
mark. TarZan must be young and
silent and have muscles as big as
mountains. Some one suggested
Jack Dempsey; another, Gene
Tunney. Mayor Walker, at one
time, is said even to have been
under consideration.
WHEN therefore one day the
w name of Johnny WeiSsmuller
was brought up, the shouts of JOY
that went out over Hollywood
must have been stupendous. Here
was a man who could outSwim a
crocodile and look respectable
with less on than a Gandhi. Here
was a man who, although known
to talk, had yet not talked be-
fore this kind of a camera. Here
was a man who wouldn't have to
diet, or reduce, or play medicine
bali early in the morning. Here