Tarzan in Manhattan
Encyclopedia
Tarzan in Manhattan is an action
adventure
CBS
television movie. Joe Lara
portrays Tarzan
, and Kim Crosby appears as Jane Porter
. Tony Curtis
and Jan Michael Vincent co-star. The telefilm was produced by Max A. Keller, Micheline H. Keller and Gina Scheerer, written by Anna Sandor
and William Gough (based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
), and directed by Michael Schultz
. It aired on April 15, 1989.
and goes to present-day New York City
to seek vengeance for the murder of his Ape mother Kala
, and to rescue Cheeta
who was taken by hunters working for the Brightmore Foundation. Soon Tarzan discovers this supposed philanthropic
organization is conducting illegal tests on animal brains in an effort to transfer the thoughts and knowledge of one creature to another, and he sets out to rescue the animals and expose Brightmore. He is aided by Jane Porter
(a cab driver, played by Kim Crosby) and her father, Archimedes "Archie" Porter (Tony Curtis
), a retired police officer
, now the head of his own security agency.
With Brightmore's operations shut down, Jane joins her father's security agency, and both talk Tarzan into coming onboard at minimum wage, but with all the bananas Cheeta can eat.
, an otherwise unrelated interpretation of the character.
's Leave My Monkey Alone plays on the soundtrack as Tarzan's plane flies over prominent New York landmarks.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie. Joe Lara
Joe Lara
William Joseph Lara is an American actor and musician, best known in the role of Tarzan in the American TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.-Career:...
portrays Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
, and Kim Crosby appears as Jane Porter
Jane Porter (Tarzan)
Jane Porter is a major character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film.- In the novels :...
. Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
and Jan Michael Vincent co-star. The telefilm was produced by Max A. Keller, Micheline H. Keller and Gina Scheerer, written by Anna Sandor
Anna Sandor
Anna Sandor is an award-winning screenwriter.Born in Hungary, she spent her childhood in Canada. Sandor began her career as an actress, becoming a writer in her mid-twenties. Her films have garnered numerous major awards, including three Humanitas Prizes, the Writers Guild of America Award and the...
and William Gough (based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
), and directed by Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Katherine Frances , a factory worker, and Leo Schultz, an insurance salesman...
. It aired on April 15, 1989.
Plot
Tarzan leaves AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and goes to present-day New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to seek vengeance for the murder of his Ape mother Kala
Kala (Tarzan)
Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it....
, and to rescue Cheeta
Cheeta
Cheeta is a chimpanzee character appearing in numerous Hollywood Tarzan movies of the 1930s–1960s as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tarzan...
who was taken by hunters working for the Brightmore Foundation. Soon Tarzan discovers this supposed philanthropic
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
organization is conducting illegal tests on animal brains in an effort to transfer the thoughts and knowledge of one creature to another, and he sets out to rescue the animals and expose Brightmore. He is aided by Jane Porter
Jane Porter (Tarzan)
Jane Porter is a major character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film.- In the novels :...
(a cab driver, played by Kim Crosby) and her father, Archimedes "Archie" Porter (Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
), a retired police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, now the head of his own security agency.
With Brightmore's operations shut down, Jane joins her father's security agency, and both talk Tarzan into coming onboard at minimum wage, but with all the bananas Cheeta can eat.
Production
Joe Lara also later starred in Tarzan: The Epic AdventuresTarzan: The Epic Adventures
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures is a syndicated series that aired for one season . It focuses on the character of Tarzan in his early years, after his first exposure to civilization, but before his marriage to Jane Porter...
, an otherwise unrelated interpretation of the character.
Soundtrack
Warren ZevonWarren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
's Leave My Monkey Alone plays on the soundtrack as Tarzan's plane flies over prominent New York landmarks.
Select cast
- Joe LaraJoe LaraWilliam Joseph Lara is an American actor and musician, best known in the role of Tarzan in the American TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.-Career:...
as Tarzan - Kim Crosby as Jane PorterJane Porter (Tarzan)Jane Porter is a major character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film.- In the novels :...
, reluctant ally of Tarzan - Tony CurtisTony CurtisTony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
as Archimedes "Archie" Porter, Jane's father - Jan Michael Vincent as B. B. Brightmore, villain who kidnaps animals for illicit research
- Joe SenecaJoe SenecaJoe Seneca was an American film and television actor who had a lengthy Hollywood career, portraying bit parts in many major films and television sitcoms spanning from the 1970s to the 1990s....
as Joseph, African storekeeper, mentor and friend to Tarzan