Let’s rewind. By 1966, Tarzan was in a rut. The Johnny Weissmuller era was a distant memory; the late 50s and early 60s had seen a few low-budget adventures, but the cultural bite was gone. NBC decided to take a massive swing. They greenlit a new series simply titled Tarzan .
Option 1: Compare the 1966 Tarzan item to an earlier (1930s–1940s) Tarzan film: discuss changes in portrayal of Tarzan, colonial/race themes, production values, and audience expectations. tarzan 1966 internet archive exclusive
IX. Suggested further reading and sources Let’s rewind
Until now.
(Episode 1 only)
Because the rights are a nightmare. The Tarzan estate (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.) has famously suppressed the 1966 pilot. Rumors suggest it’s because Riordan’s Tarzan was openly bisexual in the unaired second episode (a claim CelluloidGhost hints at in the upload notes, though that episode remains missing). Others say the estate simply hates the depiction of the apes as violent, non-comedic creatures. NBC decided to take a massive swing