The first one I ever
saw was "Tarzan and the Amazons" with BrendaJoyce. She was the only Jane I ever knew until the AMC Movie Channel
here in the States decided to run a "Tarzan" Marathon. I think I was about
ten years old when I saw "Amazons". I loved the plot. I had never seen
any of the films with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and when I finally did,
I couldn't believe how much better she was as Jane than Brenda Joyce.
There was a natural chemistry between her and Johnny Weissmuller.
Brenda Joyce was too stiff... perhaps it is the Irish/Austrian combination
that works so well with O'Sullivan and Johnny. Many people believed that
they carried on their movie romance off-stage, but that has been denied
by both Weissmuller in his biography and O'Sullivan in her many interviews.
The best
one of the series as most critics agree is "Tarzan and His
Mate".It is my favorite, too. The later ones with Johnny Sheffield domesticate
the family and the "romance" between Tarzan and Jane fades with every
succeeding film. The worst, I think, is "Tarzan's New York Adventure" as
far as the O'Sullivan series. The worst with Brenda Joyce is "Tarzan and
the Mermaids". It was Johnny's last Tarzan film. By then he had gained so
much weight, the plot was so stupid and unbelievable, that I think it was
a good thing that he left. The three earliest films with Johnny show him
at his best. He is young, athletic, moves like a cat and his sincerity shows
through,
even though he isn't an actor. He is believable in the part
because