''Tarzan and the Trappers'' is a 1958 action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

and starring

Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as-a ...

Eve Brent Jean Ann Ewers (September 11, 1929 – August 27, 2011), known professionally as Eve Brent and Jean Lewis, was an American actress known for her role as Jane in '' Tarzan's Fight for Life''. Biography Early years Born as Jean Ann Ewers in Hou ...

, Rickie Sorensen and Lesley Bradley. It was filmed as three pilot episodes for a television series which were edited into a feature film when the project was abandoned, and so was released in black and white rather than color, like other contemporary Tarzan films. The film did finally appear on television, but only in 1966. It was shot in

Chatsworth, California Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area was home to Native Americans, some of whom left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish b ...

Plot

The idyllic jungle life of Tarzan (Gordon Scott), Jane (Eve Brent) and Tartu (Rickie Sorensen) is interrupted by a drum message telling them of predatory hunters loose in the jungle. Tarzan disrupts the animal-collecting expedition of the hunters, Schroeder (Lesley Bradley) and Rene (Maurice Marsac); he frees a baby elephant whose mother they have killed and then leads the elephant herd against them when they make hostages of Tartu and

Cheeta Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tarza ...

the chimp. Afterwards he warns off two other hunters, Sikes ( Saul Gorse) and Lapin (

William Keene William Joseph Keene (August 4, 1915 – May 23, 1992) was an American radio and television actor who appeared on several popular television shows more than one separate occasion as a different character. Career He appeared in shows more tha ...

), seeking to plunder the lost city of Zarbo. He is attacked by their men, but escapes and shadows their party. Aware of Tarzan's continued presence, the hunters capture his native friend Tyana ( Sherman Crothers), and trap the ape man when he tries to free him. Tyana's tribe rescues the two. Finally, the hunters reach Zarbo, but find it empty of both people and treasure. In a final conflict, Tarzan overcomes the villains, who are then turned over to the authorities by the natives.

Cast

as Tarzan *

as Jane * Rickie Sorensen as Tartu * Lesley Bradley as Schroeder * Maurice Marsac as Rene *

Bruce Lester Bruce Lester (6 June 1912 – 13 June 2008) was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods. Betwe ...

as Commissioner Brandini * Naaman Brown as Tribesman * Paul Thompson as Tribesman * Carl Christian as Tribesman * Sol Gorss as Sikes (as Saul Gorse) *

as Lapin * Sherman Crothers as Tyana (as Sherman Crothers) *

Madame Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first black actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer.Lowe, Denise. ''An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films'', Hawo ...

as Witch Woman *

Paul Stader Paul Stader (February 13, 1911 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor, assistant director and stuntman. Life and career Stader was born in Neosho, Missouri. He attended at the University of Kansas, where he played football and practiced sw ...

as Sikes' Henchman * Don Blackman as Tribesman

External links

* *
''Tarzan and the Trappers'' entry on "Down Memory Lane with Tarzan (Gordon Scott)"''Tarzan and the Trappers'' entry on At-A-Glance Film Reviews

1958 films 1950s action adventure films 1950s fantasy adventure films American action adventure films American fantasy adventure films American sequel films Films directed by H. Bruce Humberstone Films shot in California Tarzan films Television films as pilots Television pilots not picked up as a series Films produced by Sol Lesser 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{action-adventure-film-stub