Then, in 1942, Weissmuller went to RKO and starred in six more Tarzan movies with markedly reduced production values.

He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim film.

The last one, Jungle Moon Men ( Charles S. Gould, 1955 ), was yet another remake of Sir H. Rider Haggard ’ s classic novel She ( after Katzman stopped making the features, Weissmuller starred in 39 " Jungle Jim " TV episodes ).

* Johnny Weissmuller, winner in the 1920s of five Olympic gold medals in swimming and one bronze medal in water polo, and later, an actor best known for his six Tarzan movies with actress Maureen O ' Sullivan ; born in Timisoara, Romania, he lived in Windber for a few years as a child.

Hmpf But on to the frothier side Johnny Weissmuller, the only real Tarzan, telephoned Maureen O'Sullivan, his first `` Jane '' ( now at Drury Lane ) and muttered, `` Me Tarzan, this Jane ''??

Johnny Weissmuller ( born János Weißmüller ; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984 ) was an American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century.

Dozens of other actors have also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller is by far the best known.

In his book, Tarzan, My Father, Johnny Weissmuller Jr. stated that although rumors of Peter Weissmüller living to " a ripe old age, remarrying along the way and spawning a large brood of little Weissmüllers " were reported, no one in the family was aware of his ultimate fate.

Tarzan author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was pleased with Weissmuller, although he so hated the studio's depiction of a Tarzan who barely spoke English that he created his own concurrent Tarzan series filmed on location in Central American jungles and starring Herman Brix as a suitably articulate version of the character.

In a total of twelve Tarzan films, Weissmuller earned an estimated $ 2, 000, 000 and established himself as what many consider the definitive Tarzan.

Aside from a first screen appearance as Adonis and the role of Johnny Duval in the 1946 film Swamp Fire, Weissmuller played only three roles in films during the heyday of his Hollywood career: Tarzan, Jungle Jim, and himself.

Weissmuller sized up the situation, got out of the cart and gave his trademark Tarzan yell.

In September 1966, Weissmuller joined former screen Tarzans James Pierce and Jock Mahoney to appear with Ron Ely as part of the publicity for the upcoming premiere of the Tarzan TV series.

** Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor ( Tarzan ) ( d. 1984 )

* March 25 – Tarzan the Ape Man opens, with Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the title role ( Weismuller will star in a total of 12 Tarzan films ).

The famous swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, later famous for playing the role of Tarzan, was born there ( his ethnicity being German ); he emigrated to the United States as an infant, before the age of 1.

* Johnny Weissmuller, who later appeared in several Tarzan movies, won two gold medals in swimming.

After several roles there and at other movie studios, she was chosen by Irving Thalberg to appear as Jane Parker in Tarzan the Ape Man, opposite co-star Johnny Weissmuller.

In 1929, Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who went on to become the most famous Tarzan in motion pictures, was hired as a model and representative.

After her relationship with Cooper ended, Vélez married Olympic athlete Johnny Weissmuller ( of Tarzan fame ) in 1933.

Male physique shots of famous stars were even less frequent during the early talking picture era outside of stars of jungle films like Johnny Weissmuller ( Tarzan ) and Buster Crabbe.

Sheffield played Boy in three Tarzan movies at MGM, and in another five after the star, Weissmuller, and production of the movie series moved to RKO.

Weissmuller was one of the world's fastest swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals for swimming and one bronze medal for water polo.

Peter signed his consent for 19-year old John " Weissmuller "' s passport application in 1924, preceding Johnny's Olympic competition in France.

When Weissmuller finally left that role, he immediately traded his loincloth costume for a slouch hat and safari suit for the role of Jungle Jim ( 1948 ) for Columbia.

It failed when Weissmuller and the owners did not see eye to eye, it was shut down for good in 1973.

Weissmuller lived in Florida until the end of 1973, then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a greeter at Caesars Palace along with boxer Joe Louis for a time.

In 1973, Weissmuller was awarded The George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.

MGM was searching for a suitable youngster to play the adopted son of Tarzan in its next jungle movie with stars Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O ' Sullivan.

Sheffield was taken to an audition where Weissmuller chose him over more than 300 juvenile actors interviewed for the part of " Boy " in Tarzan Finds a Son ( 1939 ).

In 1949 Katzman hired Olympic hero and movie Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller ( who had been replaced by Lex Barker in the RKO Tarzan films ) for a series of Jungle Jim adventures, earning Katzman the nickname " Jungle Sam.

" By 1955 Columbia turned Jungle Jim into a television property, and when legalities prevented Columbia from making any more Jungle Jims for theaters, Katzman simply shrugged off the Jungle Jim character and had Weissmuller use his own name in three more features.

He re-optioned MGM's contract for a third Weissmuller film and approved the sale of three of Sol Lesser's remaining four options to MGM, who agreed to make a large " authorisation payment " to Burroughs.

Unlike MGM, RKO allowed Weissmuller to play other roles, though a three picture contract with Pine-Thomas Productions led to only one film, Swamp Fire, being made, co-starring Buster Crabbe.

Future MGM star Esther Williams and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller were both Aquacade headliners.

Weissmuller would later, upon moving to the prosperous Bel Air section of Los Angeles, California, ( specifically to an area known today as East Gate Bel Air ), famously commission architect Paul Williams to design a large home with a 300-foot serpentine swimming pool that curled around the house ( and which still exists to this day ).

In 1929, Weissmuller signed a contract with BVD to be a model and representative.

In the late 60s, early 70s, Weissmuller was involved with a doomed tourist attraction called Tropical Wonderland, aka Tarzan's Jungleland, on US 1 in Titusville, Florida.

Knowing and being with Johnny Weissmuller during my formative years had a lasting influence on my life.

The Tarzan yell is the yodel-like call of the character Tarzan, as portrayed by actor Johnny Weissmuller in the films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, starting with Tarzan the Ape Man ( 1932 ).

The Aquacade was part of the Golden Gate International Exposition, and Williams was partnered with Olympic swimmer and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller, who, as Williams wrote in her autobiography, repeatedly tried to seduce her during the show's run.

The early Tarzan films with Johnny Weissmuller featured at least partial nudity justified by the natural surroundings in which the characters lived ; in Tarzan and His Mate in 1934, Jane ( Maureen O ' Sullivan, doubled by Olympic swimmer Josephine McKim ) swims in the nude.