Johnny Weissmuller is the archetype of the character/hero Tarzan. From 1932 to 1948, he played the lead role in 12 Tarzan movies, the first of which was introduced under the title ’Tarzan the Ape Man.’ In the current ’woke era’, this would be a completely unacceptable title for a film, but in the thirties of the previous century, no one cared about the ’Ape Man’ expression. And this is despite the fact that Tarzan - a fictional hero created by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs - is the son of aristocratic English parents who were shipwrecked on a beach on the west coast of Africa in the late 19th century.
In Burroughs' tales, Tarzan's real name is John Clayton, Lord Greystoke. The hardships in the jungle become too much for Tarzan's parents, they tragically lose their lives. Afterward, John is adopted by an ape named Kala, who is also dealing with a loss. Her ’ape child’ has died, and she takes care of young Clayton. She gives him the name Tarzan, which means ’white skin.’ Were you familiar with this history? Well, I certainly wasn't. Later in his life, Tarzan learns French as his first language (no, not English….), he was already able to communicate with apes and, on basic level, with elephants. In the books, Tarzan skillfully jumps from branch to branch, without using vines at all. In the movies, however, he does, and that's not the only aspect in which the films differ from the Tarzan books...
Weissmüller János - his original name - was born on June 2, 1904, in a suburb of present-day Timișoara. During the (dual monarchy) era, this city belonged to Hungary, and in former Temesvár, not only Hungarians and Romanians lived, but also Germans. János was the son of Swabian-German parents who left their homeland at the end of 1904 with the aim of traveling to New York. In early 1905, the Weissmüller family arrived in the land of unlimited possibilities, and upon arrival, the names of all family members were changed. From that moment on, János would go through life as Johnny Weissmuller.
The Great Lakes, especially Lake Michigan, became the El Dorado for young Johnny, as he proved to be an unparalleled swimming talent. In 1922, at the age of 18, he became the first person to swim the 100-meter freestyle in under one minute. In total, he won five gold medals during the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games! In 1924, he also participated in the American water polo team, winning a bronze medal. 'Hollywood' saw a rising star in Johnny and cast him as Tarzan The Ape Man. It became a tremendous success. From 1932 to 1948, Weissmuller was the godlike Adonis in the Tarzan films and never seemed to age. The reason for this was that he took pills prescribed to him by the mysterious Kavuru tribe. Tarzan was later treated by a black witch doctor. The result? Eternal youth!
In Burroughs' adventure tales, Tarzan still looks like a twenty-year-old muscular young man at the age of 60. Suddenly, I wonder if someone like Donald Trump hasn't watched too many Tarzan films. Based on his behavior, it wouldn't surprise me... However, Donald, I wouldn't let Tarzan films be your only guide. In 1974, at the age of 70, Johnny broke his hip and two legs, and he never fully recovered. In the final period of his life, the former jungle hero had become a pitiful figure, having to accept even the most menial jobs to get by. After five marriages, the wrong friends, and failures in business, it was all over for the man with his famous primal scream.
Interestingly, this world-famous ’Tarzan primal scream’ could still be heard three times, at his funeral. Hopefully, Tarzan is still swinging from branch to branch in the eternal jungle, Hungarians, Germans, and Americans can still be proud of this legendary ’beast of a man.’ But the rest of the world still likes to mirror themselves in Tarzan as well. Since Weissmuller's death, several TV series, stage plays, and comic books have paid homage to The Ape Man. Of course, there have also been sequel films, with the most recent one dating back to 2016. ’The Legend of Tarzan’ is the captivating title, but the film didn't become a true blockbuster, even though the jungle hero valiantly tries to save an African American...
Would Donald Trump have seen this latest film version of Tarzan? I doubt it. Trump still feels physically ’on top’ even though he is almost reaching the elderly age of 77. That wasn't the case with Weissmuller; he had been sick, weak, and nauseous for quite some time at that age. But Uncle Donald is alive and kicking, probably taking better pills and having a fantastic miracle doctor. I happen to know who that is. Shall I reveal his name? Okay then, his name is Donald Trump. Wait, how can this be? It's quite simple. In this world, it's all about Trump, Trump, and Trump once again. Just so you know……
Would you like to listen to Tarzan's primal scream again? Here it is. P.S. Dear Donald, please don't try to imitate it. On second thought, maybe you should. Why? Because it would mark the definitive end of your presidential aspirations, Mr. Pussygrabber!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHWbsvgQUE&ab_channel=soldier_why
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