Tarzan 1966, Ron Ely, complete series, classic TV, action adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs, jungle adventure, 1960s television, NBC, lost media, TV preservation, Manuel Padilla Jr., Cheetah the chimp, Sy Weintraub, vintage TV series, public domain TV, cult classic, stunt work, location filming, Mexican jungle, Brazilian Amazon, TV pilot, rare episodes.
| Role | Name | Notes | |------|------|-------| | Tarzan | Ron Ely | Former lifeguard & model; did 95% of his own stunts | | Jai | Manuel Padilla Jr. | Tarzan’s orphaned ward (original to this series) | | Cheetah | Cheeta (chimp) | Animal actor; trained by Stewart Raffill | | Recurring Villain | Rockne Tarkington | Played "Jason" – a noble rival | | Recurring Heroine | Jodie Foster (guest, age 4) | Early appearance in "The Deadly Past" (S2) | | Producer | Sy Weintraub | Previously produced the late-50s Tarzan films | | Composer | William Loose | Jungle jazz & orchestral score | | Stunt Coordinator | Joe Lewis | Real-life karate champion | tarzan 1966 internet archive exclusive
I have watched the 52-minute transfer three times. It is not pristine. The kinescope is soft, riddled with reel-change cues, and the audio warbles during the second act. But by the gods of the jungle, it is alive. Tarzan 1966, Ron Ely, complete series, classic TV,
Here is what makes the Internet Archive exclusive of Tarzan 1966 a revelation: | Role | Name | Notes | |------|------|-------|
1. The Ape Costumes Are Terrifying Forget Cheeta the chimp. In this version, the Mangani (the fictional apes) are played by dancers in grotesque, shaggy suits with human-like eyes. There is a five-minute sequence where Tarzan negotiates with an alpha ape using only hand gestures and breath control. No music. No dialogue. Just a man and a monster trying to communicate. It is hypnotic.
2. The "Silent" Opening The episode opens with ten minutes of zero English dialogue. We see a young Jane (played by a fierce, pre-Mary Tyler Moore actress named Lynn Loring) lost in a volcanic region. She isn't screaming. She is using a compass and a machete. The show treats her as an equal, not a damsel. When Tarzan finally appears, he doesn't save her; he asks her, "Why are you burning the mahogany trees?" It’s an ecological critique wrapped in adventure.
3. The Lost Score The soundtrack is attributed to a session musician named Hector Santiago, but it sounds like a collaboration between John Cage and a Congo drum circle. There are long stretches of silence, punctuated by the scrape of a bow across a metal washtub. It is unnerving. It is brilliant.