The first person to portray Tarzan in the movies was Elmo Lincoln in 1918. In 1932, Johnny Weismuller assumed the roll and became the definitive Tarzan, although he wasn’t quite the educated man that Edgar Rice Burroughs imagined in his books. Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers) portrayed the ape man in a 1933 serial, and Herman Brix took a turn in 1935. Brix’s serial, The New Adventures of Tarzan, was the only one where Burroughs was involved in the production. Gordon Scott, Ron Ely, and other actors portrayed the jungle lord also. Jane Goodall noted that the Tarzan series had a major influence on her childhood. Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) noted that Tarzan and John Carter of Mars were early inspirations for Superman. As for me, watching the Tarzan movies every Sunday on local television was an essential part of my childhood.
