I've gotta admit that I've always liked the high tech Tarzan, as personified by Mike Henry, better than any of the others (although Gordon Scott comes in a close second). Henry could've (and should've) played Batman or Superman: he had the "built-in body armor" that any good superhero worth his tights should have- and he could act well enough to pull it off, too (despite what some critics seem to think, he comes across as a cerebral savage who vacillates between the contemporary, "civilized" man and the cave man). A buddy of mine tells me that Henry wanted to play Doc Savage; in my opinion, it would've been a perfect fit. (The soon-to-be-doomed) Dinky never really comes close to stealing the show in TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, but he does a commendable job in what turns out to have been his swan song. All things considered, TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD is a lot of fun and the one Tarzan movie I can recommend without reservations.
26 Reviews
Enjoyable Tarzan movie , plenty of action , adventures and quite entertaining
ma-cortes8 May 2007
The picture concerns a tidy Tarzan (a bouncing Mike Henry) well suited with necktie and elegant and carrying a briefcase . But a nasty assassin named Vinaro (the distinguished secondary David Opatoshu) schemes heinous plans . He abducts a little boy (Manuel Padilla) . Thus Tarzan , now in his loincloth , heads to jungle in order to save the spunky ten-years-old-boy and gets into trouble with bad guy , an evil with six feet high named Mr Train (the habitual villain Don Megowan) . Meanwhile , avaricious mercenaries with tanks , a little army and helicopters are going to the lost city of gold . The criminal Vinaro is accompanied by a beautiful girl named Sophia (attractive Nancy Kovack , nowadays married to Zubin Metha) who is leaved with an explosive necklace . The treasure seekers wish they hadn't messed with the ape-man .
The movie is dubiously faithful to Edgar Rice Borroughs story . However , it contains noisy action , sensational adventures , wonderful outdoors and with some elements from James Bond films . The sets and production design are visually appealing . Film was shot in city of Mexico with background of the famous Aztecas pyramids and temples . As usual , there are the obvious uses of stock footage in many of the wild animal sequences though with the intervention of a well trained lion and a chimpanzee ex-professed for the film . The film was produced by Sy Weintraub (substituting former producer Sol Lesser) , he produced three for Mike Henry directed by Robert Day : ¨Tarzan and the jungle boy ¨ and ¨The great river¨ and this one. Besides , he produced two for Jock Mahoney : ¨Three challenges¨ and ¨Tarzan goes to India (directed by John Guillermin)¨ and two for Gordon Scott (recently deceased) :¨Tarzan the Magnificent¨ and ¨The greatest adventure (by John Guillermin)¨. Also he produced the classic TV series with Ron Ely and the little boy , Manuel Padilla Jr ,in this one as co-starring.
The movie is dubiously faithful to Edgar Rice Borroughs story . However , it contains noisy action , sensational adventures , wonderful outdoors and with some elements from James Bond films . The sets and production design are visually appealing . Film was shot in city of Mexico with background of the famous Aztecas pyramids and temples . As usual , there are the obvious uses of stock footage in many of the wild animal sequences though with the intervention of a well trained lion and a chimpanzee ex-professed for the film . The film was produced by Sy Weintraub (substituting former producer Sol Lesser) , he produced three for Mike Henry directed by Robert Day : ¨Tarzan and the jungle boy ¨ and ¨The great river¨ and this one. Besides , he produced two for Jock Mahoney : ¨Three challenges¨ and ¨Tarzan goes to India (directed by John Guillermin)¨ and two for Gordon Scott (recently deceased) :¨Tarzan the Magnificent¨ and ¨The greatest adventure (by John Guillermin)¨. Also he produced the classic TV series with Ron Ely and the little boy , Manuel Padilla Jr ,in this one as co-starring.
Nonstop Hilarity
Steve_Nyland19 November 2008
"Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" is one of the most bizarre and entertaining movies I have seen in quite a while. A number of questions come to mind, not the least of which was When exactly did Tarzan learn how to operate a tank in battle?
The answer is rooted in the objective of the film, which was to update Tarzan to compete with James Bond. Since 007 is naturally familiar with all methods of transport and can successfully employ any firearm ever made, it should go without saying that Tarzan would be just as handy with whatever means are at his disposal. He could probably disarm a nuke and target missiles to blast each other in midair too if the plot depended on it.
Some have questioned why Tarzan would travel to Mexico dressed in a suit, and I challenge that with basic knowledge of Edgar Rice Borroughs' novels where Tarzan at one point travels to America to find Jane and then settles down with her at the Greystoke Estate in England -- do people think he went all that distance in a loincloth?
Mike Henry is great as Tarzan. In the first six minutes of the movie he shoots a guy in the face during a botched assassination attempt, then crushes another guy under a giant Coca-Cola bottle in what has to be the most clever product placement I've seen in a movie since James Bond back-flipped an opponent into a stack of empty Red Stripe Lager boxes.
The film is exceedingly violent. I would put a rough estimate of the body count at about fifty, including the innocent peasants gunned down by the evil crime syndicate's henchmen. Tarzan himself wipes out about forty guys including three goons in a helicopter he takes out in a wonderful ripoff of "From Russia With Love"'s famous helicopter duel. Instead of just shooting the pilot Tarzan rigs a bolo using a couple of grenades and hooks it around the engine block. Those jungle skills pay off in the most unusual ways.
Tarzan is of course dispatched to Mexico to get into a game of wits with an evil crime syndicate boss whose forces have kidnapped a young boy to give young boys in the audience someone to identify with -- this is a family adventure film, we remind ourselves, as Tarzan uses a Browning Automatic Rifle to machine gun down a bunch of thugs in a cave, blows up a truck full of men, and then asphyxiates the big evil goon character in the film's showdown by half-Nelsoning the guy to death.
He is the perfect Vietnam War era action hero, so de-sensitized to carnage & suffering that all he can manage to come up with to console the young boy with is "Hey, what's all this now? " when the kid starts crying out of concern that his people will be massacred by the guys in the tanks. Some of them are but nobody really seems to care about it that much, and in the concluding wrapping it all up speech the tribal leader admits that sometimes you need to resort to violence after all.
The Mike Henry Tarzan films are apparently a body of work that were so dangerous for the performers to make that Henry very understandably declined to work on the Ron Ely Tarzan television show of the same era after Dinky the Chimp bit Henry in the jaw on the set of the next adventure, requiring twenty stitches to sew up and giving Henry a case of "Chimp Fever" that took him out of the production for three weeks while he recovered. Just what Chimp Fever is I have no idea and even less interest to learn.
The issue of unsafe work conditions is even further underscored by Ron Ely's string of injuries incurred while he worked on the TV show, and looking at the hands on approach to the stunt work evident in this movie it's a miracle that nobody was killed making these films. This is one of those movies that make you wonder just what the HELL people were thinking when they cooked it up: Out of control helicopters, live ammunition, explosions going off right next to the star performers, you name it.
I will agree that Mike Henry does make a fabulous Tarzan, and to remind us of just who the hero was they even let him swing on a couple of vines, though I was disappointed that he never gave that famous Tarzan yell ... though then again since there are no elephants native to Mexico to stampede the effect would have been gratuitous.
And yet there is something hypnotically watchable about the film, including a marvelous sequence where a jaguar sets off in search of the boy & Tarzan trots along behind with a wonderful little jazz music score twittering in the background. The makers of this movie were definitely onto something and it's too bad the franchise sort of petered out, leaving it up to the Italians to continue with their own unofficial series with names like Tarzak, Zambo, and Zan, which are no more silly, improbable, or entertaining than this movie.
And had more women. There is only one in this whole film and while she is a comely little lass Tarzan seems about as fascinated by her as he is by that Coke bottle he pushes over on the assassin in the beginning of the movie. Is he so smitten by Jane that the thought of intimately interacting with another woman never enters his mind? As the credits roll they walk off into the sunset, and something tells me he never busted a move on her. In any event it's immensely entertaining and Tarzan saves the day with just a good rope, a hunting knife, and a soft piece of leather. Sounds kinky.
7/10
The answer is rooted in the objective of the film, which was to update Tarzan to compete with James Bond. Since 007 is naturally familiar with all methods of transport and can successfully employ any firearm ever made, it should go without saying that Tarzan would be just as handy with whatever means are at his disposal. He could probably disarm a nuke and target missiles to blast each other in midair too if the plot depended on it.
Some have questioned why Tarzan would travel to Mexico dressed in a suit, and I challenge that with basic knowledge of Edgar Rice Borroughs' novels where Tarzan at one point travels to America to find Jane and then settles down with her at the Greystoke Estate in England -- do people think he went all that distance in a loincloth?
Mike Henry is great as Tarzan. In the first six minutes of the movie he shoots a guy in the face during a botched assassination attempt, then crushes another guy under a giant Coca-Cola bottle in what has to be the most clever product placement I've seen in a movie since James Bond back-flipped an opponent into a stack of empty Red Stripe Lager boxes.
The film is exceedingly violent. I would put a rough estimate of the body count at about fifty, including the innocent peasants gunned down by the evil crime syndicate's henchmen. Tarzan himself wipes out about forty guys including three goons in a helicopter he takes out in a wonderful ripoff of "From Russia With Love"'s famous helicopter duel. Instead of just shooting the pilot Tarzan rigs a bolo using a couple of grenades and hooks it around the engine block. Those jungle skills pay off in the most unusual ways.
Tarzan is of course dispatched to Mexico to get into a game of wits with an evil crime syndicate boss whose forces have kidnapped a young boy to give young boys in the audience someone to identify with -- this is a family adventure film, we remind ourselves, as Tarzan uses a Browning Automatic Rifle to machine gun down a bunch of thugs in a cave, blows up a truck full of men, and then asphyxiates the big evil goon character in the film's showdown by half-Nelsoning the guy to death.
He is the perfect Vietnam War era action hero, so de-sensitized to carnage & suffering that all he can manage to come up with to console the young boy with is "Hey, what's all this now? " when the kid starts crying out of concern that his people will be massacred by the guys in the tanks. Some of them are but nobody really seems to care about it that much, and in the concluding wrapping it all up speech the tribal leader admits that sometimes you need to resort to violence after all.
The Mike Henry Tarzan films are apparently a body of work that were so dangerous for the performers to make that Henry very understandably declined to work on the Ron Ely Tarzan television show of the same era after Dinky the Chimp bit Henry in the jaw on the set of the next adventure, requiring twenty stitches to sew up and giving Henry a case of "Chimp Fever" that took him out of the production for three weeks while he recovered. Just what Chimp Fever is I have no idea and even less interest to learn.
The issue of unsafe work conditions is even further underscored by Ron Ely's string of injuries incurred while he worked on the TV show, and looking at the hands on approach to the stunt work evident in this movie it's a miracle that nobody was killed making these films. This is one of those movies that make you wonder just what the HELL people were thinking when they cooked it up: Out of control helicopters, live ammunition, explosions going off right next to the star performers, you name it.
I will agree that Mike Henry does make a fabulous Tarzan, and to remind us of just who the hero was they even let him swing on a couple of vines, though I was disappointed that he never gave that famous Tarzan yell ... though then again since there are no elephants native to Mexico to stampede the effect would have been gratuitous.
And yet there is something hypnotically watchable about the film, including a marvelous sequence where a jaguar sets off in search of the boy & Tarzan trots along behind with a wonderful little jazz music score twittering in the background. The makers of this movie were definitely onto something and it's too bad the franchise sort of petered out, leaving it up to the Italians to continue with their own unofficial series with names like Tarzak, Zambo, and Zan, which are no more silly, improbable, or entertaining than this movie.
And had more women. There is only one in this whole film and while she is a comely little lass Tarzan seems about as fascinated by her as he is by that Coke bottle he pushes over on the assassin in the beginning of the movie. Is he so smitten by Jane that the thought of intimately interacting with another woman never enters his mind? As the credits roll they walk off into the sunset, and something tells me he never busted a move on her. In any event it's immensely entertaining and Tarzan saves the day with just a good rope, a hunting knife, and a soft piece of leather. Sounds kinky.
7/10
Two Endings (Spoiler)
maquebec6 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Not much I can add to the review of "Tarzan & The Valley of Gold" that hasn't already been said (yup, it's a '60's "James Bond in a breach cloth" film) except for the fact that "Tarzan & The Valley of Gold" has TWO different endings, depending on which edited version you're seeing.
Okay, "Spoiler Warning." That given, one version has the end credits rolling right after Mike Henry & Nancy Kovac wave goodbye to the Incas at Tucomare (& the inhabitants all come out to see him off.)
However, another version DOESN'T end there. It ends with Tarzan (Mike Henry) flirting a bit with Nancy Kovac (who flirts back), while offering her another (exploding) wrist-watch! (The flirting was another James Bond touch. You'd never see Johnny Weismuller do that! Of course, Weismuller's Tarzan wasn't exactly articulate.) Henry then takes out the villain's exploding mercury from the briefcase & blows up the cav entrance to Tucomare, commenting to Kovac that "Perhaps if nobody finds them for a while, the world will have time to catch up with them."
(Meaning, "catch up" with Tucomare's peaceful philosophy.)
Hmmm. This Tarzan also knows how to handle chemicals (like mercury) & is a philosopher, too!
Definitely NOT Johnny Weismuller!
If you "dig" '60's "camp" like I do, then "Tarzan & The Valley of Gold"
is definitely worth taping whenever it's shown on tv.
Okay, "Spoiler Warning." That given, one version has the end credits rolling right after Mike Henry & Nancy Kovac wave goodbye to the Incas at Tucomare (& the inhabitants all come out to see him off.)
However, another version DOESN'T end there. It ends with Tarzan (Mike Henry) flirting a bit with Nancy Kovac (who flirts back), while offering her another (exploding) wrist-watch! (The flirting was another James Bond touch. You'd never see Johnny Weismuller do that! Of course, Weismuller's Tarzan wasn't exactly articulate.) Henry then takes out the villain's exploding mercury from the briefcase & blows up the cav entrance to Tucomare, commenting to Kovac that "Perhaps if nobody finds them for a while, the world will have time to catch up with them."
(Meaning, "catch up" with Tucomare's peaceful philosophy.)
Hmmm. This Tarzan also knows how to handle chemicals (like mercury) & is a philosopher, too!
Definitely NOT Johnny Weismuller!
If you "dig" '60's "camp" like I do, then "Tarzan & The Valley of Gold"
is definitely worth taping whenever it's shown on tv.
Tarzan In Central America
bkoganbing12 August 2008
David Opatoshu one of the most distinguished actors of the Yiddish Theater back in the day came to Hollywood rather late in his career. In doing so however he created a series of varied and distinguished roles. But none I liked better than his playing of international criminal David Vinaro in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold.
Tarzan's been sent for by the Guatamalen government because a mysterious young boy played by Manuel Padilla, Jr. emerges from the jungle saying he's from a lost city that has vast uncounted gold. Of course that interests Opatoshu and he kidnaps the kid and forces him to lead a well armed expedition back to the lost city.
Of course they're no match for Tarzan as played in this film by Mike Henry. In addition to his jungle skills, Henry has a good command of both the Queen's English and of modern weaponry which he demonstrates during the film. He also in the end gets Nancy Kovack who is Opatoshu's mistress out of harm's way. Naturally she likes the idea after one look at Henry in a loin cloth.
Still Tarzan and the Valley of Gold belongs to David Opatoshu. He clearly loves the part he has and the end he meets in the Lost City is a poetical one to beat all.
Tarzan's been sent for by the Guatamalen government because a mysterious young boy played by Manuel Padilla, Jr. emerges from the jungle saying he's from a lost city that has vast uncounted gold. Of course that interests Opatoshu and he kidnaps the kid and forces him to lead a well armed expedition back to the lost city.
Of course they're no match for Tarzan as played in this film by Mike Henry. In addition to his jungle skills, Henry has a good command of both the Queen's English and of modern weaponry which he demonstrates during the film. He also in the end gets Nancy Kovack who is Opatoshu's mistress out of harm's way. Naturally she likes the idea after one look at Henry in a loin cloth.
Still Tarzan and the Valley of Gold belongs to David Opatoshu. He clearly loves the part he has and the end he meets in the Lost City is a poetical one to beat all.
Groovy 1960s Tarzan adventure with a dash of James Bond thrown in.
Alberto-712 November 1998
Ex-L.A. Rams linebacker Mike Henry makes his debut as Tarzan in this 1960s adventure. His arrival in Mexico wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase is quite jarring, as is his subsequent "James Bond style" gunfight. But, not to fear, this is just to show us that this Tarzan is handy with modern weapons and is at ease in any environment. He does go into the jungle(in his loincloth)accompanied by a couple of wild animals and this is where the film gets interesting. He has to find the legendary Valley of Gold and protect its citizens from greedy villain Vinaro(David Opatashu) and his well organized(not to mention armed-to-the-teeth) army. The story is a little hokey at times, and seeing Tarzan use guns, grenades and a tank is a little hard to take, but overall the characterizations are good and the Mexican scenery is nothing short of spectacular(especially the Aztec pyramid city).Opetashu is perfect as the smooth, slick villain who sends his enemies exploding wristwatches. Henry is a little serious as Tarzan but he does excel in the action sequences. On the whole a groovy movie experience( jazzy musical score and all).
Reasonable Tarzan film
gridoon202415 November 2018
The James Bond influence is strong in this one, starting with the opening credits sequence. Mike Henry is very wooden in his debut as Tarzan, although his god-like physique is certainly eye-catching. The monkey shines and the young boy slow down the proceedings a lot, but some of the sets and locations of the city of gold look impressively authentic. ** out of 4.
The New Adventures of Tarzan
lugonian16 June 2020
The Tarzan franchise continues with TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD (American-International, 1966), directed by Robert Day, with a new Tarzan (Mike Henry), new locale and new type of story. With previous 1960s Tarzan carnations ranging to the muscular Gordon Scott, to the very thin Jock Mahoney, this latest Tarzan resumes back to physically build and more muscular build. Aside from Tarzan's younger physical appearance and down-to-earth performance, this edition also benefits with location filming, fast-pace direction and Eastman color photography.
Following the slanting opening credits to more 1960s style of hip music underscoring, the fade-in opens with an aerial view of Mexico City's tourist district of highways, yacht and water skiing before a helicopter landing follows. Tarzan (Mike Henry) is introduced as a businessman type sporting suit and carrying briefcase while entering a jeep to the airport on an airplane bound for Central America. Next scene finds Antonio, a chauffeur, being killed and substituted by an impersonator to pick up Tarzan upon his arrival. As Tarzan meets with Antonio to take him to his destination, Tarzan suspects something wrong when he smells the odor of blood and being driven to a secluded Plaza De Toros stadium. As gunshots are fired, Tarzan outwits his assassins. Next scene has Tarzan with the actual officials whom inform him as to why Ruiz (Frank Bandstetter), his personal friend, had sent for him. Tarzan then assumes his assignment to help locate Ramel (Manuel Padilla Jr.), a little boy abducted by Vinaro's (David Opatoshu) henchmen for being the sole link to the lost Aztec Treasure of Tukamay. Stripping from his clothing for a more natural appearance of pocket knife and loincloth, Tarzan sets out to the jungle, assisted by his animal friends, Dinky (the chimpanzee), Major (the lion) and Bianco (Ramel's pet leopard). After rescuing Ramel from his captures, Tarzan not only ventures with Ramel through the jungle back to his lost city of Vinar, but has to keep himself aware of his surroundings regarding Vinaro's evil associates out to kill Tarzan whenever possible.
Nancy Kovack co-stars as Sophia Renault, Vinaro's mistress who fears him, and wants to help Ramel escape from danger. After Vinaro is through with her, he leaves her in the jungle in fear of her life when an explosive necklace is placed around her neck. Francisco Riquerio also appears as a philosopher and peaceful leader of the Aztec City where the treasure is located. Also in support are Eduardo Noriega (Professor Talmadge); and John Kelly (Captain Voss).
With every Tarzan adventure, there has to be a villain. David Opatoshu's Vinaro, characterized as the "deadliest international criminal," assumes that title with a vengeance. There's also Vinaro's huge-sized, bald-headed bodyguard, Mr. Train (Don Megowan), who highlights the proceedings with a fight to the death battle with Tarzan.
Aside from Tarzan sporting clothing attire during its initial 20 minutes, he is also seen riding automobiles, avenging his enemies with a rifle or bombs rather than an elephant stampede. Interestingly, there is no traditional Tarzan ape call this time around. Portions of the story is a grand mix of its current trend of Sean Connery's secret agent man character, James Bond, to those latter day Harrison Ford "Indiana Jones" action flicks of the 1990s. With Tarzan being outside of his jurisdiction of Africa, there's enough action, adventure and animals to go around for its tight 90 minutes. His one-on-one bonding with Ramel is both well played and believable. Manuel Padilla Jr. would further become associated in Mike Henry's next adventure, TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER (1967), assuming a different character role, as well as being a series regular in the hourly "Tarzan" TV series (NBC, 1966-1969) starring Ron Ely.
Commonly shown on network television since the 1970s, TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD had is cable television broadcasts on American Movie Classics prior to 2001, and Turner Classic Movies since 2011. Never distributed on video cassette, this Mike Henry revamped adventure of Tarzan has become available on DVD. (**1/2)
Following the slanting opening credits to more 1960s style of hip music underscoring, the fade-in opens with an aerial view of Mexico City's tourist district of highways, yacht and water skiing before a helicopter landing follows. Tarzan (Mike Henry) is introduced as a businessman type sporting suit and carrying briefcase while entering a jeep to the airport on an airplane bound for Central America. Next scene finds Antonio, a chauffeur, being killed and substituted by an impersonator to pick up Tarzan upon his arrival. As Tarzan meets with Antonio to take him to his destination, Tarzan suspects something wrong when he smells the odor of blood and being driven to a secluded Plaza De Toros stadium. As gunshots are fired, Tarzan outwits his assassins. Next scene has Tarzan with the actual officials whom inform him as to why Ruiz (Frank Bandstetter), his personal friend, had sent for him. Tarzan then assumes his assignment to help locate Ramel (Manuel Padilla Jr.), a little boy abducted by Vinaro's (David Opatoshu) henchmen for being the sole link to the lost Aztec Treasure of Tukamay. Stripping from his clothing for a more natural appearance of pocket knife and loincloth, Tarzan sets out to the jungle, assisted by his animal friends, Dinky (the chimpanzee), Major (the lion) and Bianco (Ramel's pet leopard). After rescuing Ramel from his captures, Tarzan not only ventures with Ramel through the jungle back to his lost city of Vinar, but has to keep himself aware of his surroundings regarding Vinaro's evil associates out to kill Tarzan whenever possible.
Nancy Kovack co-stars as Sophia Renault, Vinaro's mistress who fears him, and wants to help Ramel escape from danger. After Vinaro is through with her, he leaves her in the jungle in fear of her life when an explosive necklace is placed around her neck. Francisco Riquerio also appears as a philosopher and peaceful leader of the Aztec City where the treasure is located. Also in support are Eduardo Noriega (Professor Talmadge); and John Kelly (Captain Voss).
With every Tarzan adventure, there has to be a villain. David Opatoshu's Vinaro, characterized as the "deadliest international criminal," assumes that title with a vengeance. There's also Vinaro's huge-sized, bald-headed bodyguard, Mr. Train (Don Megowan), who highlights the proceedings with a fight to the death battle with Tarzan.
Aside from Tarzan sporting clothing attire during its initial 20 minutes, he is also seen riding automobiles, avenging his enemies with a rifle or bombs rather than an elephant stampede. Interestingly, there is no traditional Tarzan ape call this time around. Portions of the story is a grand mix of its current trend of Sean Connery's secret agent man character, James Bond, to those latter day Harrison Ford "Indiana Jones" action flicks of the 1990s. With Tarzan being outside of his jurisdiction of Africa, there's enough action, adventure and animals to go around for its tight 90 minutes. His one-on-one bonding with Ramel is both well played and believable. Manuel Padilla Jr. would further become associated in Mike Henry's next adventure, TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER (1967), assuming a different character role, as well as being a series regular in the hourly "Tarzan" TV series (NBC, 1966-1969) starring Ron Ely.
Commonly shown on network television since the 1970s, TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD had is cable television broadcasts on American Movie Classics prior to 2001, and Turner Classic Movies since 2011. Never distributed on video cassette, this Mike Henry revamped adventure of Tarzan has become available on DVD. (**1/2)
Body by Michelangelo
dinky-415 April 1999
The movie is enjoyable in a Saturday-matinee sort of way. What makes it notable, however, is the appearance of Mike Henry in his first Tarzan role. Henry's personality is hardly charismatic and his acting ability is, at best, limited, but in terms of sheer physicality, he's probably the best Tarzan the movies have ever seen. (And what "Jane" wouldn't love to run barefoot over those pecs!).
Mike Henry's toughest assignment ... running through the Mexican jungle in his bare feet ... ouch !!!!
Ed-Shullivan11 June 2020
Other than the hip musical score which seemed out of place for another Tarzan adventure flick even for 1966, Mike Henry did more than an admirable job in playing a modern day Tarzan who gets attacked by planes, helicopters and even army tanks! After retiring from a successful career in the National Football League (NFL) as a buff and bruising linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1959-1961) and then the Los Angeles Rams (1962-1964), Mike Henry thought it would be an easier gig playing the tree swinging Tarzan in a trio of films starting with the 1966 film Tarzan and the Valley Of Gold. But boy oh boy was he wrong.
Although the film was made under the hot sun of Mexico, he appeared to be running through the dense jungles of Africa. Mike Henry as Tarzan also showed no fear when he opened the cage of a fierce leopard and he put a chain around the leopard's neck before releasing him in an effort to hunt down his little friend Ramel (Manuel Padilla Jr.) who was captured to lead the greedy villain named Augustus Vinero (David Opatoshu) into the valley of gold.
Tarzan is going to face the villain Augustus Vinero and his army of planes, helicopters and army tanks with his three (3) animal friends, a monkey, a leopard and a lion. You can visibly see the sculptured thirty (30) year old body of retired professional athlete and now film star is in great shape, but what the silver screen does not tell you how hard Mike Henry worked whislt filming in Mexico. After his third feature Tarzan film, Mike Henry sued film produce Sy Weintraub after suffering animal bites, food poisoning, infections, and severe working conditions in both Mexico and Brazil. During his short tenure as Tarzan, Mike was bitten in the face by a chimp and had to have his chin sewn up with twenty stitches. In addition he suffered from dysentery, an ear infection, and a liver ailment. Just watching Tarzan (Mike Henry) running in just his bare feet and a thong suit through those woods had me shouting "ouch"...'"ouch" ... and "ouch" again.
This is in my humble opinion a better than average Tarzan film and Mike Henry's physique is more fit than the best known film Tarzan former Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller's physique. Tarzan and the Valley of Gold also has its own "Jane" in the lovely actress Nancy Kovack who plays the lady in distress in the jungle Sophia Renault.
I give it an exceptional 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.
Although the film was made under the hot sun of Mexico, he appeared to be running through the dense jungles of Africa. Mike Henry as Tarzan also showed no fear when he opened the cage of a fierce leopard and he put a chain around the leopard's neck before releasing him in an effort to hunt down his little friend Ramel (Manuel Padilla Jr.) who was captured to lead the greedy villain named Augustus Vinero (David Opatoshu) into the valley of gold.
Tarzan is going to face the villain Augustus Vinero and his army of planes, helicopters and army tanks with his three (3) animal friends, a monkey, a leopard and a lion. You can visibly see the sculptured thirty (30) year old body of retired professional athlete and now film star is in great shape, but what the silver screen does not tell you how hard Mike Henry worked whislt filming in Mexico. After his third feature Tarzan film, Mike Henry sued film produce Sy Weintraub after suffering animal bites, food poisoning, infections, and severe working conditions in both Mexico and Brazil. During his short tenure as Tarzan, Mike was bitten in the face by a chimp and had to have his chin sewn up with twenty stitches. In addition he suffered from dysentery, an ear infection, and a liver ailment. Just watching Tarzan (Mike Henry) running in just his bare feet and a thong suit through those woods had me shouting "ouch"...'"ouch" ... and "ouch" again.
This is in my humble opinion a better than average Tarzan film and Mike Henry's physique is more fit than the best known film Tarzan former Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller's physique. Tarzan and the Valley of Gold also has its own "Jane" in the lovely actress Nancy Kovack who plays the lady in distress in the jungle Sophia Renault.
I give it an exceptional 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.
Mike Henry plays the best Tarzan in this Bond-esque take on the ape man
Wuchakk12 July 2015
Released in 1966, "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" stars Mike Henry as the ape man who travels to Mexico and tussles with international criminal Vinaro (David Opatoshu), who enjoys ridding his enemies in explosive ways. Vinaro kidnaps a boy, Ramel, whom he thinks will lead him to a lost city of gold. Nancy Kovack is on hand as the requisite babe while Don Megowan plays the intimidating Mr. Train.
This movie has a lot of good elements. For starters, former NFL-player Mike Henry is arguably the best actor to play Tarzan ever, at least as far as looking/acting like Burroughs' character goes. Here Tarzan doesn't speak in monosyllables, like the Weissmuller films or early Gordon Scott ones. He's articulate, intelligent and noble.
Released at the height of the mid-60's James Bond craze, this movie could've been called "The Man from A.F.R.I.C.A.," which is an actual line in the movie. It's akin to 007 in a loincloth with various friendly animals (a chimp, a lion and a jaguar). Speaking of which, it's amazing what you see Henry and the boy do with the latter two (the boy actually rides the lion!).
Other positives include the last act's inclusion of the incredible Mesoamerican ruins of Teotihuacán in central Mexico, highlighted by the huge Pyramid of the Sun. Today, the sequence would've been done with cartoony CGI, but here it's all authentic locations and quite impressive.
You might remember the stunning Kovack from the 1968 Star Trek episode "A Private Little War" where she played the flirtatious and orgasmic Nona. She also had a good role in 1963's "Jason and the Argonauts." Unfortunately, while she has some quality screen time, not enough is done with her.
I've heard the argument that Tarzan belongs in mythical Africa not mythical central America, but Burroughs had Tarzan globetrotting a bit, particularly back-and-forth from Europe to Africa, but the story in one book -- "Tarzan and the Foreign Legion" -- takes place on the island of Sumatra and another -- "Tarzan and the Castaways" -- takes place on a Pacific island inhabited by the remnant of a lost Mayan civilization, which isn't far removed from what he experiences in "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold." One book (probably more) he's in the friggin' desert. Basically, as long as Tarzan's in action, fighting evil/corruption and hanging out with nature & animals it's Tarzan.
All the above positives almost compel me to give "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" a marginal thumbs up, but something holds it back. For one, there's a semi-goofy kiddie animal section in the second act, which seems incongruous with the serious air of the proceedings. I can live with this flaw, however. So what's the major problem? There's just something off with the script that prevents the movie from being compelling. The reason all the James Bond films of the 60s through mid-80s were hits is because the producers hired great writers who knew how to make a story flow and keep the movie entertaining. Not so here, but it's okay and worth catching if the positives trip your trigger.
The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in Mexico.
GRADE: C+
This movie has a lot of good elements. For starters, former NFL-player Mike Henry is arguably the best actor to play Tarzan ever, at least as far as looking/acting like Burroughs' character goes. Here Tarzan doesn't speak in monosyllables, like the Weissmuller films or early Gordon Scott ones. He's articulate, intelligent and noble.
Released at the height of the mid-60's James Bond craze, this movie could've been called "The Man from A.F.R.I.C.A.," which is an actual line in the movie. It's akin to 007 in a loincloth with various friendly animals (a chimp, a lion and a jaguar). Speaking of which, it's amazing what you see Henry and the boy do with the latter two (the boy actually rides the lion!).
Other positives include the last act's inclusion of the incredible Mesoamerican ruins of Teotihuacán in central Mexico, highlighted by the huge Pyramid of the Sun. Today, the sequence would've been done with cartoony CGI, but here it's all authentic locations and quite impressive.
You might remember the stunning Kovack from the 1968 Star Trek episode "A Private Little War" where she played the flirtatious and orgasmic Nona. She also had a good role in 1963's "Jason and the Argonauts." Unfortunately, while she has some quality screen time, not enough is done with her.
I've heard the argument that Tarzan belongs in mythical Africa not mythical central America, but Burroughs had Tarzan globetrotting a bit, particularly back-and-forth from Europe to Africa, but the story in one book -- "Tarzan and the Foreign Legion" -- takes place on the island of Sumatra and another -- "Tarzan and the Castaways" -- takes place on a Pacific island inhabited by the remnant of a lost Mayan civilization, which isn't far removed from what he experiences in "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold." One book (probably more) he's in the friggin' desert. Basically, as long as Tarzan's in action, fighting evil/corruption and hanging out with nature & animals it's Tarzan.
All the above positives almost compel me to give "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" a marginal thumbs up, but something holds it back. For one, there's a semi-goofy kiddie animal section in the second act, which seems incongruous with the serious air of the proceedings. I can live with this flaw, however. So what's the major problem? There's just something off with the script that prevents the movie from being compelling. The reason all the James Bond films of the 60s through mid-80s were hits is because the producers hired great writers who knew how to make a story flow and keep the movie entertaining. Not so here, but it's okay and worth catching if the positives trip your trigger.
The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in Mexico.
GRADE: C+
One of the best epics in the "Tarzan" series starring the theatrical debut of Mike Henry in the title role
raysond15 November 2013
American International Pictures,the studio founded in the mid-1950's by Samuel Z. Arkoff and his business partner James H. Nicholson were known for there style of "B" movie pictures,mostly the occasional genre of films that they released which were "teenage juvenile","horror and monster flicks",and the "beach movies",not to mention the movies that featured the works of Edgar Allan Poe that were produced by Roger Corman(the studio that launched the careers of unknowns Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern not to mention reinvented Annette Funicello's career after her stint with Disney,and made Vincent Price its top box office star,and also launched the careers of Pam Grier and Fred Williamson too).
By 1966,American International Pictures took on a new venture..this time around the first-ever "Tarzan" motion picture that was filmed on location and brought with it a new style of high adventure and excitement. That picture was titled "Tarzan And The Valley of Gold",the 34th entry into the "Tarzan" franchise,and the first to star former NFL-great Mike Henry(who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams)in his theatrical debut as the "Lord Of The Jungle". Mike Henry replaces Jock Mahoney in the series. Mike Henry gets to do more things as Tarzan in "The Valley of Gold" than any other Tarzan that came before or after him. Not to mention this version is the more exciting of the series,and not since Johnny Weissmuller or Gordon Scott you have never seen "Tarzan" like this before,and more,all at a running time of 92 minutes tops. The movie begins with Tarzan(Mike Henry)arriving in Mexico wearing a custom-made suit and tie and carrying a briefcase as he is ambush in a stadium by assassins out to kill him in the style of the "James Bond" films. Second in the most exciting and incredible scenes in the film Mike Henry's character hurls a gigantic Coca-Cola bottle onto a sniper that is trying to kill him. Later on after he disses the suit and tie for loincloth accompanied by a chimp and a his pet lion,our hero goes into the hostile jungle where he slings a rope with two hand grenades attached to that land onto the rotor blades of a helicopter(in one of the most astounding action scenes ever filmed),and later on Tarzan gets behind the wheel of a tank and blasts away the villains.
Tarzan must also rescue a little boy named Ramel(Manuel Padilla, Jr.,who would also appear as Jai in the "Tarzan" television series starring Ron Ely during the mid-1960's and was a versatile child actor throughout) from a thoroughly evil but sadistic wealthy international criminal,Augustus Vinero(David Opatoshu),who likes to surprise his adversaries by installing small explosive charges into wristwatches,rings,and necklaces to blow up people. Not to mention has to rescue that damsel in distress(Nancy Kovack) from the evil villain and not to mention Tarzan has a dual to the death with a fight against the villain's hencemen,an Odd-Job type character. The death scene of the hencemen and the villain is fitting,but Mike Henry makes a great Tarzan character in a franchise that desperately needed to shot in the arm after the last Tarzan venture came out some three years before with Jock Mahoney in the title role.
"Tarzan And The Valley of Gold" was action-packed with non stop excitement and high adventure,and director Robert Day along with producer Sy Weintraub kept the action sequences at a good pace. The locations where the movie was filmed included were not far from scenic Acapulco,at Plaza de Toros in Mexico City,and at the Chapultepec Castle,and the Teotihuacan ruins,and the in the caves at Guerro. The screenplay by Clair Huffaker was an above-average and a change of pace for the franchise not to mention the film was given the full widescreen "Panavision" treatment. Despite mixed reviews when this movie came out on July 8,1966, "Tarzan And The Valley of Gold" did tremendous business at the box office,becoming American International's first and only attempt at a "Tarzan" movie and their highest grossing picture in the history of the studio. Robert Day would direct the next two to the last "Tarzan" films in the franchise both starring Mike Henry. Those would include "Tarzan And The Great River"(1967),and the last "Tarzan" theatrical feature "Tarzan And The Jungle Boy" (1968),both would be released by Paramount Pictures.
By 1966,American International Pictures took on a new venture..this time around the first-ever "Tarzan" motion picture that was filmed on location and brought with it a new style of high adventure and excitement. That picture was titled "Tarzan And The Valley of Gold",the 34th entry into the "Tarzan" franchise,and the first to star former NFL-great Mike Henry(who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams)in his theatrical debut as the "Lord Of The Jungle". Mike Henry replaces Jock Mahoney in the series. Mike Henry gets to do more things as Tarzan in "The Valley of Gold" than any other Tarzan that came before or after him. Not to mention this version is the more exciting of the series,and not since Johnny Weissmuller or Gordon Scott you have never seen "Tarzan" like this before,and more,all at a running time of 92 minutes tops. The movie begins with Tarzan(Mike Henry)arriving in Mexico wearing a custom-made suit and tie and carrying a briefcase as he is ambush in a stadium by assassins out to kill him in the style of the "James Bond" films. Second in the most exciting and incredible scenes in the film Mike Henry's character hurls a gigantic Coca-Cola bottle onto a sniper that is trying to kill him. Later on after he disses the suit and tie for loincloth accompanied by a chimp and a his pet lion,our hero goes into the hostile jungle where he slings a rope with two hand grenades attached to that land onto the rotor blades of a helicopter(in one of the most astounding action scenes ever filmed),and later on Tarzan gets behind the wheel of a tank and blasts away the villains.
Tarzan must also rescue a little boy named Ramel(Manuel Padilla, Jr.,who would also appear as Jai in the "Tarzan" television series starring Ron Ely during the mid-1960's and was a versatile child actor throughout) from a thoroughly evil but sadistic wealthy international criminal,Augustus Vinero(David Opatoshu),who likes to surprise his adversaries by installing small explosive charges into wristwatches,rings,and necklaces to blow up people. Not to mention has to rescue that damsel in distress(Nancy Kovack) from the evil villain and not to mention Tarzan has a dual to the death with a fight against the villain's hencemen,an Odd-Job type character. The death scene of the hencemen and the villain is fitting,but Mike Henry makes a great Tarzan character in a franchise that desperately needed to shot in the arm after the last Tarzan venture came out some three years before with Jock Mahoney in the title role.
"Tarzan And The Valley of Gold" was action-packed with non stop excitement and high adventure,and director Robert Day along with producer Sy Weintraub kept the action sequences at a good pace. The locations where the movie was filmed included were not far from scenic Acapulco,at Plaza de Toros in Mexico City,and at the Chapultepec Castle,and the Teotihuacan ruins,and the in the caves at Guerro. The screenplay by Clair Huffaker was an above-average and a change of pace for the franchise not to mention the film was given the full widescreen "Panavision" treatment. Despite mixed reviews when this movie came out on July 8,1966, "Tarzan And The Valley of Gold" did tremendous business at the box office,becoming American International's first and only attempt at a "Tarzan" movie and their highest grossing picture in the history of the studio. Robert Day would direct the next two to the last "Tarzan" films in the franchise both starring Mike Henry. Those would include "Tarzan And The Great River"(1967),and the last "Tarzan" theatrical feature "Tarzan And The Jungle Boy" (1968),both would be released by Paramount Pictures.
James Tarzan Bond
shawnblackman26 September 2016
One of the later Tarzans with Mike Henry playing him. He always made Tarzan seem more like James Bond even in the opening scene where Tarzan is all decked out in a suit speaking suave English.
In this one Tarzan is needed to locate a boy who is being used as a guide to the lost treasure by a greedy tycoon. This guy is using tanks and helicopters in the jungle which is still no match for Tarzan. There is no Cheetah in this one instead you get Dinky the Chimp. Tarzan just doesn't seem the same without him.
Exploding watches and Tarzan driving tanks is what keeps you watching this one. It is better than Mike Henry's other Tarzan flicks.
In this one Tarzan is needed to locate a boy who is being used as a guide to the lost treasure by a greedy tycoon. This guy is using tanks and helicopters in the jungle which is still no match for Tarzan. There is no Cheetah in this one instead you get Dinky the Chimp. Tarzan just doesn't seem the same without him.
Exploding watches and Tarzan driving tanks is what keeps you watching this one. It is better than Mike Henry's other Tarzan flicks.
The Man from A.F.R.I.C.A.
wes-connors30 October 2011
Doing a suave impersonation of 007 agent James Bond, muscular Mike Henry (as Tarzan) arrives in Mexico for his latest mission (and his first appearance as Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle hero). After starting an unusually high body count, for the animal-loving tree-hugger, Mr. Henry dons the familiar "Tarzan" loincloth. "The outfit is casual but practical," he explains. Henry acquires a lion, leopard, and beefed-up "Dinky" - a chimp about double the size of "Cheeta". They go off to rescue kidnapped boy Manuel Padilla Jr. (as Ramel) and have shoot-outs with a gang led by David Opatoshu (as Augustus Vinero) in the jungles of Mexico. Beautiful blonde Nancy Kovack (as Sophie Renault) adds a fine female figure to the film. The film peaks early, with someone getting killed by a Coca-Cola bottle. Other than that, it's just weird to see Tarzan shooting people like he's "Rambo" while lounge music plays.
**** Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (6/8/66) Robert Day ~ Mike Henry, Manuel Padilla Jr., David Opatoshu, Nancy Kovack
**** Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (6/8/66) Robert Day ~ Mike Henry, Manuel Padilla Jr., David Opatoshu, Nancy Kovack
The name's Zan...Tarzan!
yenlo27 September 1999
Perhaps the makers of this film thought it was time to update Tarzan and cash in on the secret agent craze that swept movies and television in the 60's. In this picture Tarzan played by Mike Henry is first seen stepping out of a helicopter in a suit and tie carrying a briefcase. Later he engages in a gun battle ala James Bond.
Eventually he ends up back in the jungle sheds his coat and tie along with his pistol for his loin cloth and knife and takes on the bad guys who are equipped with machine guns, tanks and hi-tech explosives. Actually this Tarzan film although not one of the best is a great deal more entertaining than the 1981 Tarzan The Ape Man with Bo Derek. Along as his sidekicks are Manuel Padilla Jr who takes on the "BOY" role with the name of Remel and Nancy Kovacks who becomes sort of his Jane decked out in sexy female jungle safari clothes. His chimpanzee buddy goes by the name "Dinky". If your a Tarzan fan this film should be included in your viewing keeping in mind that the Tarzan character like Superman has been able to adjust to change through out the decades.
Eventually he ends up back in the jungle sheds his coat and tie along with his pistol for his loin cloth and knife and takes on the bad guys who are equipped with machine guns, tanks and hi-tech explosives. Actually this Tarzan film although not one of the best is a great deal more entertaining than the 1981 Tarzan The Ape Man with Bo Derek. Along as his sidekicks are Manuel Padilla Jr who takes on the "BOY" role with the name of Remel and Nancy Kovacks who becomes sort of his Jane decked out in sexy female jungle safari clothes. His chimpanzee buddy goes by the name "Dinky". If your a Tarzan fan this film should be included in your viewing keeping in mind that the Tarzan character like Superman has been able to adjust to change through out the decades.
swinging dinky
smarty-1127 April 1999
It's a long time since I saw this and spent a fun afternoon watching it on the small screen; all I really remember is that the chimp usually known as "Cheetah" was called "Dinky" in this one. And that Mike Henry! What a versatile actor!
"No human being could follow our trail".
classicsoncall24 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Well I'm definitely going to be in the minority here but I thought this was a pretty poor excuse for a Tarzan movie. Not only is the film geographically challenged with Tarzan (Mike Henry) relocated to where? - Mexico, Central America, South America? - but it also has such disparate elements as the jungle king driving an armored tank and brandishing huge automatic weapons. I hope Coca Cola got their money's worth out of their product placement dollars because their advertising was all over the place in the early going, and Tarzan had a big hand in handing some evil henchman a Coke and a smile. And what's with the character who portrayed Mango Capoc, the leader of the natives in the land of Tucamai? Could they have gotten anyone older than this unknown guy named Francisco Riquerio to play the role? He looked as ancient as the Incan structures used in the village scenes. To my thinking there's not a lot to recommend here unless you like your Tarzan straight out of the James Bond spoof genre. At least Mike Henry looked the part as Tarzan, maybe a bit much on the muscular side to be swinging from a vine, but certainly well developed from working out in his jungle gym.
What Were They Thinking?
damianphelps5 December 2021
Odd, Occasionally Outrageous, but Lots of Tarzan Fun and Expansion
LeonLouisRicci14 May 2016
Opinions are All Over the Map on this, the 32nd Tarzan Movie. Sometimes Sighted for not being set in Africa, Fact is, the Edgar Rice Burroughs Ape-Man, did Travel the Map from Time to Time.
But the most Heavy Criticism is Morphing Tarzan into a James Bond Type Character. While initially Jarring during the First Act, that is done quite well, seeing Tarzan in a Tailored Suit carrying a briefcase and emerging from a Helicopter, once the Movie Settles in the Jungles of Mexico things Feel more Familiar.
To be sure, it's an Odd and Off-Beat Entry in the Series. Mike Henry made Three Tarzan Movies, finding the Gig Overwhelming, left the Loincloth and went on to Less Grueling and Less Impressive Work.
David Opatoshu as a Diabolical Villain with a Penchant for Gold, Explosives, and Chemical Killing Gadgets, makes for a Sinister Looking Megalomaniac. Nancy Kovack is a Beauty but isn't much more than Eye-Candy. Manuel Padilla Jr. is a Native "Boy" that Tarzan must Rescue, and there is a Lion, Chimp, and Jaguar...Oh My!
The Climax is Filmed On Location at the Aztec "Pyramid of the Sun", an Awesome Site, and adds a bit of Class to the Proceedings. It's a Comic-Book Script with Little Wit, and the Military Action Scenes can Unsettle, but in a Good Way. The Musical Score is Unfitting and Awful.
Overall, Above Average and can be Thoroughly Enjoyed by Tarzan Fans and Non-Fans alike.
But the most Heavy Criticism is Morphing Tarzan into a James Bond Type Character. While initially Jarring during the First Act, that is done quite well, seeing Tarzan in a Tailored Suit carrying a briefcase and emerging from a Helicopter, once the Movie Settles in the Jungles of Mexico things Feel more Familiar.
To be sure, it's an Odd and Off-Beat Entry in the Series. Mike Henry made Three Tarzan Movies, finding the Gig Overwhelming, left the Loincloth and went on to Less Grueling and Less Impressive Work.
David Opatoshu as a Diabolical Villain with a Penchant for Gold, Explosives, and Chemical Killing Gadgets, makes for a Sinister Looking Megalomaniac. Nancy Kovack is a Beauty but isn't much more than Eye-Candy. Manuel Padilla Jr. is a Native "Boy" that Tarzan must Rescue, and there is a Lion, Chimp, and Jaguar...Oh My!
The Climax is Filmed On Location at the Aztec "Pyramid of the Sun", an Awesome Site, and adds a bit of Class to the Proceedings. It's a Comic-Book Script with Little Wit, and the Military Action Scenes can Unsettle, but in a Good Way. The Musical Score is Unfitting and Awful.
Overall, Above Average and can be Thoroughly Enjoyed by Tarzan Fans and Non-Fans alike.
Should have been a groovy companion to the series...instead, it sticks out like a green banana
moonspinner5522 June 2011
Screenwriter Clair Huffaker brings Edgar Rice Burroughs' titular creation into the groovy 1960s, with mediocre results. Tarzan has been transformed into a jungle super-spy--which is rather like having 007 in a loin-cloth! Worse ideas have surely been filmed, and ex-football player Mike Henry does quite well in his debut as the infamous Ape Man, but the nondescript plot, cardboard villains and weak supporting players do this entry in. Huffaker pairs Tarzan up with a chimp, a squinting kid, a pretty lady and a very sleepy lion, none of whom are able to energize the plot involving international crime, exploding wristwatches, and a mythical lost city. Lethargic and weary; long-time "Tarzan" aficionados were not enthused, yet the new formula was kept (as was Henry) for two more pictures. *1/2 from ****
First Tarzan Adventure with Mike HENRY
ZeddaZogenau20 March 2024
First appearance of Mike Henry as Tarzan
Thanks to his career as a football player, Mike Henry (1936-2021) was physically perfect for the role of Tarzan. The three films that were released with him by low-budget distributor AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES are characterized by a wild mixture of different elements.
The story takes place in Mexico, and at first Tarzan acts like a typical secret agent from the 1960s. Only when the lion, leopard and chimpanzee come into play is the loincloth revealed. And then off we go into the jungle! Of course there is also a little boy there, an Inca tribe living in isolation and a crazy criminal (David Opatoshu, the Mr. Jacobi from the GDR bus in TORN CURTAIN by Alfred HITCHCOCK), who uses explosives to send his opponents into the afterlife. Of course he also has a beautiful girlfriend (Nancy Kovack, who lived in Munich for a few years as Zubin Mehta's wife) and a broadly built bodyguard (Don Megowan, alongside GERMAN FILM AWARD winner Hildegarde NEFF in the Italian adventure film LA STRADA DEI GIGANTI). With which Tarzan can fight so wonderfully.
So: turn off your head and don't let the mess get too close to you! Then you will be quite entertained by this and the other two Tarzan films with the giant Mike Henry.
Thanks to his career as a football player, Mike Henry (1936-2021) was physically perfect for the role of Tarzan. The three films that were released with him by low-budget distributor AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES are characterized by a wild mixture of different elements.
The story takes place in Mexico, and at first Tarzan acts like a typical secret agent from the 1960s. Only when the lion, leopard and chimpanzee come into play is the loincloth revealed. And then off we go into the jungle! Of course there is also a little boy there, an Inca tribe living in isolation and a crazy criminal (David Opatoshu, the Mr. Jacobi from the GDR bus in TORN CURTAIN by Alfred HITCHCOCK), who uses explosives to send his opponents into the afterlife. Of course he also has a beautiful girlfriend (Nancy Kovack, who lived in Munich for a few years as Zubin Mehta's wife) and a broadly built bodyguard (Don Megowan, alongside GERMAN FILM AWARD winner Hildegarde NEFF in the Italian adventure film LA STRADA DEI GIGANTI). With which Tarzan can fight so wonderfully.
So: turn off your head and don't let the mess get too close to you! Then you will be quite entertained by this and the other two Tarzan films with the giant Mike Henry.
Best Tarzan ever!
robman-512 November 2001
In terms of pure aesthetics Mike Henry is head and shoulders above all the other Tarzans. He looks the part more than anyone who's ever played it. This man's physique is a work of art, and he's not at all hard to look at. I defy anyone to take their eyes off him when he's on screen. He's perfectly cast, the story moves likes lightning, the action sequences are great(with even a nice touch of James Bond thrown in),this movie is well worth the price of rental or purchase(if you can find it).It's well worth it
One of the Top Ten "Tarzan" Epics
zardoz-1317 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Rugged former football linebacker Mike Henry gets to do more things as the Lord of the Apes in "Tarzan and the City of Gold" than any other Tarzan before or after him. First, he gets to wear a suit and tie and tote an attaché case. Second, he gets to hurl a gigantic Coco-Cola bottle onto a sniper trying to kill him. Later, he slings a rope with two hand grenades attached to it into the rotor blades of a helicopter. Finally, he commandeers a tank and blasts away at the villains. Tarzan must rescue a little boy, Ramel, (Manuel Padilla, Jr.) from a thoroughly evil but wealthy international criminal, Augustus Vinero (David Opatoshu), who likes to surprises his adversaries by installing small explosive charges into wristwatches, rings, and necklaces and blow up people. Tarzan flies into Mexico and plunges into the jungles to find the boy. Most critics classify this "Tarzan" epic as being influenced by the James Bond adventures. "Tarzan and the Great River" helmer Robert Day never lets the pace slow down, but some of the action in the finale is slack. The death scene of the villain is fitting. Mike Henry makes a good Tarzan who speaks in complete sentences. The film was lensed on location not far from scenic Acapulco, at Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, at the Chapultepec Castle, the Teotihuacan ruins, and in the caves at Guerro. The Clair Huffaker screenplay is an above-average change of pace for the franchise.
excellent
philly61021 June 2002
this movie is fine!it is filmed in mexico,which makes it special!mike henry is the best tarzan actor of them all!he is very sexy running in his loincloth barefooted!his well buit body is fine!!he puts a full nelson on the bad guy,he never stops,untill he snaps his neck. at the end the gold is safe!this movie is a perfect 10!
007 Tarzan
Michael_Elliott12 December 2011
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966)
* (out of 4)
Horrendously bad entry in the long-running series has former NFL lineman Mike Henry playing Tarzan. This time out Tarzan is called to Mexico where a young boy has come out of a jungle and apparently he's from a lost city where there's an endless amount of gold. The young boy is eventually kidnapped by the evil Augustus Vinero (David Opatoshu) so Tarzan must of course save the day. I'm sure there are some who are going to get a kick out of this entry in the series but every inch of this film just got under my skin. It's obvious that the producers were out of ideas in Africa so for this film and the past few they had him going around the globe doing various battles. It's also quite clear that the producer's of this film were familiar with the success of James Bond and that they wanted Tarzan to be another 007 but the end results are just embarrassing. You can see the Bond connection right during the opening credits as they're quite flashy and we get a "large" music score going with them. From this point we see Tarzan landing via helicopter in Mexico where he eventually gets into a major shoot-out and in one of the most jaw-dropping funny moments he kills a man with a large bottle of coke. From here we see our hero going around learning about the deadly wristwatches our villain sends to his enemies, the boy who came from the jungle and eventually he picks up some jungle animals do help him do battle. The entire thing with the Bond stuff is just so incredibly stupid that you can't help but get annoyed at it. I was hoping the film would at least get campy enough to where you could laugh at it but sadly this film never reaches the "so bad it's good" level. The story is just downright weak and we get way too much time where we see the villains doing their dumb things but most of it is just dialogue. Even worse is what they've done to Tarzan because he's pretty much unrecognizable. Henry doesn't make for a very good Tarzan. Yes, he has the body and can handle the action but he's just not believable as an ape man. The supporting cast isn't much better. I can understand the producer's trying to do something new and different but at the same time I think this here is just too much. It also doesn't help that it was probably best to realize that the series was simply running out of gas.
* (out of 4)
Horrendously bad entry in the long-running series has former NFL lineman Mike Henry playing Tarzan. This time out Tarzan is called to Mexico where a young boy has come out of a jungle and apparently he's from a lost city where there's an endless amount of gold. The young boy is eventually kidnapped by the evil Augustus Vinero (David Opatoshu) so Tarzan must of course save the day. I'm sure there are some who are going to get a kick out of this entry in the series but every inch of this film just got under my skin. It's obvious that the producers were out of ideas in Africa so for this film and the past few they had him going around the globe doing various battles. It's also quite clear that the producer's of this film were familiar with the success of James Bond and that they wanted Tarzan to be another 007 but the end results are just embarrassing. You can see the Bond connection right during the opening credits as they're quite flashy and we get a "large" music score going with them. From this point we see Tarzan landing via helicopter in Mexico where he eventually gets into a major shoot-out and in one of the most jaw-dropping funny moments he kills a man with a large bottle of coke. From here we see our hero going around learning about the deadly wristwatches our villain sends to his enemies, the boy who came from the jungle and eventually he picks up some jungle animals do help him do battle. The entire thing with the Bond stuff is just so incredibly stupid that you can't help but get annoyed at it. I was hoping the film would at least get campy enough to where you could laugh at it but sadly this film never reaches the "so bad it's good" level. The story is just downright weak and we get way too much time where we see the villains doing their dumb things but most of it is just dialogue. Even worse is what they've done to Tarzan because he's pretty much unrecognizable. Henry doesn't make for a very good Tarzan. Yes, he has the body and can handle the action but he's just not believable as an ape man. The supporting cast isn't much better. I can understand the producer's trying to do something new and different but at the same time I think this here is just too much. It also doesn't help that it was probably best to realize that the series was simply running out of gas.
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