[3]

Gordon Scott makes his debut as Tarzan in this entry. He’s a taller, beefier Tarzan — kinda cute, but certainly the dumbest of the lot. Poachers are in the jungle (again), and a well-meaning animal doctor is accidentally leading them into an area of the jungle ripe with big game. There’s also a skiddish African tribe called ‘the Sukulu’ drifting around in the screenplay. They’re temperamental, too — at first they’re cool with Tarzan and the doctor. But when the big gamers enter the picture, the Sukulu want to throw everyone in the lion pit. Jane’s out of the picture, but Cheta the Chimp is still around — this time falling in love with a girl chimp. I know. How calculating.

Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle is probably the single worst Tarzan movie I’ve seen so far. It brings nothing new to the table, playing like a re-run of one of Johnny Weissmuller or Lex Barker’s movies, but starring someone way less cool and made by filmmakers far less skilled. Hidden Jungle is filled to the brim with badly-integrated stock footage. The action scenes are incomprehensibly shot and edited. The chimps are beyond cloying now. I mean, I know an adventure serial as old as this one has to get tired, but it doesn’t have to be this lame.

With Psycho‘s Vera Miles and Jack Elam.