Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1939
Running Times: 82 mins
Length: 8 reels
Format: black and white (Sepiatone)     35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Loew's Inc / MGM
Producer: Sam Zimbalist

SCRIPT
Script: Cyril Hume
Characters: Edgar Rice Burroughs

DIRECTION
Director: Richard Thorpe

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Leonard Smith

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Gene Ruggiero, Frank Sullivan

SOUND
Recording Director: Douglas Shearer
Sound System: Western Electric Sound System

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Cedric Gibbons
Associate Art Director: Urie McCleary

LOCATIONS
Locations: Crystal Springs, Florida, USA; Ocala, Florida, USA; Silver Springs, E. Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, Florida, USA

CAST
Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan)
Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane)
John Sheffield (Boy)
Ian Hunter (Mr Austin Lansing)
Henry Stephenson (Sir Thomas Lancing)
Frieda Inescort (Mrs Lancing)
Henry Wilcoxon (Mr 'Sandee' Sande)
Laraine Day (Mrs Richard Lancing)
Morton Lowry (Mr Richard Lansing)

PLOT SUMMARY

A young boy is orphaned when his parents are killed in a plane crash. He's found by Tarzan and Jane who name him Boy and raise him as their own son. Five years later, an expedition has come to Africa in search of the child who turns out to be the heir to a fortune.

AVAILABILITY

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Loew's Inc / MGM
DVD Distributors: Warner Home Video

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: G

Finland
Rating: S

Norway
Rating: 7

USA
Rating: Approved (PCA #5299)

TIMELINE

1939
January
9: USA - production begins

June
8: USA - copyright granted
16: USA - theatrical release

July
12: Canada - theatrical release

December
31: Finland - theatrical release

1940
February
19: Denmark - theatrical release

May
4: West Germany - theatrical release

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Il figlio di Tarzan - Italian title
O Filho de Tarzan - Brazilian title
Tarzan in Exile - working title
Tarzan trouve un fils - French title
Tarzan und sein Sohn - Austrian / West German title
Tarzán y su hijo - Spanish title
Tarzanin poika - Finnish title
Tarzans søn - Danish title

REFERENCES

BOOKS

Kings of the Jungle: An Illustrated Reference to Tarzan on Screen and Television by David Fury (Jefferson, NC: McFarland (1994) ISBN: 0899507719 / 0786411090)
review

Tarzan of the Movies by Gabe Essoe (Secaucus, New Jersey: The Citadel Press ISBN: 0806502959)
review

KEYWORDS

africa, aircraft, animals, apes, chimpanzees, elephants, jungles, sequels, stampedes, tarzan

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009