Mike Henry plays the best Tarzan in this Bond-esque take on the ape man
The ape man travels to Mexico and tussles with an international criminal (David Opatoshu), who enjoys ridding his enemies in explosive ways. He kidnaps a boy whom he thinks will lead him to a lost city of gold. Don Megowan is on hand as the intimidating Mr. Train.
"Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" (1966) has a lot of good elements. For starters, former NFL-player Mike Henry is arguably the best actor to play Tarzan ever, at least as far as looking/acting like Burroughs' character goes. Here Tarzan doesn't speak in monosyllables, like the Weissmuller films or early Gordon Scott ones. He's articulate, intelligent and noble.
Released at the height of the mid-60's James Bond craze, this movie could've been called "The Man from A.F.R.I.C.A.," which is an actual line in the movie. It's akin to 007 in a loincloth with various friendly animals (a chimp, a lion and a jaguar). Speaking of which, it's amazing what you see Henry and the boy do with the latter two (the boy actually rides the lion!).
Other positives include the last act's inclusion of the incredible Mesoamerican ruins of Teotihuacán in central Mexico, highlighted by the huge Pyramid of the Sun. Today, the sequence would've been done with cartoony CGI, but here it's all authentic locations and quite impressive.
You might remember the stunning Nancy Kovack from the 1968 Star Trek episode "A Private Little War" where she played the flirtatious Nona. She also had a good role in 1963's "Jason and the Argonauts." Unfortunately, while she has some quality screen time, not enough is done with her.
I've heard the argument that Tarzan belongs in mythical Africa not mythical central America, but creator Burroughs had Tarzan globetrotting a bit, particularly back-and-forth from Europe to Africa, but the story in one book -- "Tarzan and the Foreign Legion" -- takes place on the island of Sumatra and another -- "Tarzan and the Castaways" -- takes place on a Pacific island inhabited by the remnant of a lost Mayan civilization, which isn't far removed from what the ape man experiences here. One book (probably more) he's in the friggin' desert. Basically, as long as Tarzan's in action, fighting corruption and hanging out with nature & animals, it's Tarzan.
All the above positives almost compel me to give "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" a marginal thumbs up, but something holds it back. For one, there's a semi-goofy kiddie animal section in the second act, which seems incongruous with the serious air of the proceedings. I can live with this flaw, however. So what's the major problem? There's just something off with the script that prevents the movie from being compelling. The reason all the James Bond films of the 60s through mid-80s were hits is because the producers hired great writers who knew how to make a story flow and keep the movie entertaining. Not so here, but it's okay and worth catching if the positives trip your trigger.
It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Mexico.
GRADE: C+
