May 21, 2025 and ninety years ago on this day in 1935, the film / serial “The New Adventures of Tarzan,” produced by Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises, was released. According to Wikipedia, movie houses had the choice of booking the serial in 12 episodes, the feature film (also called The New Adventures of Tarzan), or the feature film followed by 11 episodes of the serial.
Tarzan films were major money earners in the world market in the thirties, with as much as 75 per cent of the total gross from foreign box office. In fact, in many African and Asian countries their premiers were black-tie affairs. In 1934, to cash in on this popularity and the considerable profits to be made in production and distribution, Burroughs teamed with George W. Stout, Ben S. Cohen and Lee Ashton Dearholt to form a film company to promote ERB's works.
The film starred Herman Brix as Tarzan. After WW2, Brix would continue acting under the name Bruce Bennett. The female lead used the name Ula Holt, who was born as Florence Eugene Watson and also used the stage name Ula Vale. She changed her name once more after marrying the director, Aston Dearholt. The film itself also had another title, “Tarzan and the Green Goddess.”
Several photos, details, and a complete copy of the film are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0584.html
The 100-word fictional drabble for today is, “A Rose is a Rose is a Rose.” I enjoyed the film, but I didn’t care for Holt’s acting.
Herman Brix and Ula Holt visited after completing the filming of “The New Adventures of Tarzan.’ Brix said, “Dearholt told me that if this film isn’t successful, he re-release it with a new title.”
“Will we be paid twice?”
‘ No chance of that, Ula. I’m going to change my stage name. I don’t want to be typecast. New name, new career.”
“ I’ll change my name as well.”
“Ula, don’t bother.”
“Why not.”
“It’s true that a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but calling a sow a queen won’t stop her from stinking up the house.”
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