TARZAN AND THE TRAPPERS (1958)
Gordon Scott Tarzan
Eve Brent Jane
Rickie Sorensen Tartu
Lesley Bradley Schroeder
Maurice Marsac Rene
Naaman Brown Tribesman
Paul Thompson Tribesman
Don Blackman Tribesman
Saul Gorse Sikes
William Keene Lapin the Trader
Sherman Crothers Tyana
Madame Sul-Te-Wan Witch Woman
Carl Christian
Bruce Lester
Paul Stader
Directed by Charles Haas and Sandy Howard
and H. Bruce Humberstone
Screenplay by Frederick Schlick and Robert Leach
Produced by Sol Lesser
Cinematography William Snyder and Alan Stensvold
Film Editing George Gittens
Art Direction Ernst Fegté and Frank Hotaling
Set Decoration Victor Gangelin and Jack Mills
Makeup artist Gustaf Norin and Carlye Taylor
Production supervisor Fred Ahern
Assistant director Gordon McLean
Sound technician Jean Speak
Producer: Africa Miki Carter
Script Supervisor Helen Gailey
Music supervisor Audrey Granville
Script Supervisor Cora Palmatier
Production began: Late March - early April, 1958
Released in a TV movie package May 5, 1966:
Sol Lesser Productions
Sound recording by Ryder Sound Services
Running time: 70 Minutes
Filmed in Black and White
(Produced in 1958, but not shown until 1966)
Native drums tell Tarzan that hunters have invaded the jungle and are killing the animals. Tarzan leaves Jane and Tartu behind to stop these ruthless hunters. The trappers are Schroeder and Rene, and they have killed an elephant to get at its baby. Tarzan frees the baby elephant, but the hunters have captured Cheetah and Tartu. Tarzan calls the elephants into action and overcomes the trappers and rescues Tartu and Cheetah.
But peace in the jungle does not last long.
Tarzan's friend Tyana brings news or more hunters, who
seek a lost city and to plunder its treasure. Tarzan
warns them to leave but they refuse. Tarzan must
overcome six men to escape them. As Sikes and Lapin trek toward the lost city of Zarbo, Tarzan keeps
watch. The hunters know Tarzan is following and set a
trap. They capture Tyana and when Tarzan comes to
help his friend, he is trapped in a hunting net. But
Tyana's tribe surrounds the camp. Tarzan and Tyana
are freed. Tarzan sets his own trap for Schroeder and Lapin. When they enter the lost city, they find it
deserted and no treasure. Lapin is disheatened, but
Schroeder still plans to kill Tarzan. Tarzan attacks
the two men and is victorious. Tarzan has the natives
turn the two men over to the authorities and returns
to his treehouse to be with Jane and Tartu.
Sol Lesser had produced many Tarzan movies over
the years and now turned his attention toward making a
Tarzan TV series. Filmed in 1958 following the
completion of Tarzan's Fight For Life, three pilot episodes were filmed and sent to the three major
networks, but they all turned him down. There was also the question about who owned the rights to do a TV series, and it would take the courts several years to decide the outcome.
Meanwhile, the shows remained on the shelf until 1966
when they were edited together and released as a TV
movie to take advantage of the Ron Ely TV series,
which had been getting very good ratings. It is not
hard to see why these shows failed to become a series.
The plots and plenty of stock footage were borrowed
from previous Tarzan films and the direction was
rather pedestrian.
