Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan" first appeared on radio on September 12, 1932 in a syndicated serial that lasted for 286 episodes. It was titled "Tarzan of the Apes". A second series, "Tarzan and the Diamond of Ashir" followed on May 14, 1934, another serial consisting of 39 episodes. A third series, "Tarzan and the Fires of Thor" was transcribed but never released for broadcast. All episodes of these series ran approximately 15 minutes each.The radio listening audience had to wait until 1951 to again hear the adventures of Tarzan and then it was only syndicated on the West coast on the Mutual Don-Lee network. This series, the subject of this log, was "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle". The series, a product of Commadore Productions, was later syndicated nationwide on CBS, replacing HOPALONG CASSIDY. Unlike the previous series, it was not a serial. The part of Tarzan was played by Lamont Johnson. Walter White, Jr. produced the series. Most scripts were written by Bud Lesser.
It opened with:
"From the heart of the jungle comes a savage cry of victory. This is Tarzan, Lord of the jungle! From the black core of dark Africa, land of enchantment, mystery and violence comes one of the most colorful figures of all time. Transcribed from the immortal pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, the bronzed, white son of the jungle!"
The West coast syndication started on January 11, 1951. The nation-wide syndication started on March 22, 1952 and ran for sixty-seven 30-minute episodes until June 27, 1953. It's not known at this time when the West coast Mutual run ended or how many shows that run included.
For more Tarzan content and shows, please visit the Adventure Group on the sister site TimesPast
No comments:
Post a Comment