Despite the success of the 1921 serial, The Adventures of Tarzan, starring Elmo Lincoln there were no film projects until 1926 when FBO Studios (Joseph Kennedy's company which later joined with RCA to form RKO Radio Pictures) bought the film rights to Tarzan and the Golden Lion. Burroughs had much more say in the choice of actor to play Tarzan in this film. During a party at Tarzana Ranch ERB was impressed by one of the guests who fit the mental image of his fictional jungle man. Pierce was a former All-American football player from Indiana who had come to Hollywood to work as a football coach at Glendale High School. His giant physique and chiselled good looks got him numerous roles in Hollywood films. ERB insisted that he try out for the role of Tarzan, even though it meant giving up a major part in the upcoming film, Wings -- a part that eventually went to Gary Cooper.

Filming began in September 1926 and finished in December 1926. Under ERB's supervision the script followed the original novel quite closely. Jane was played by Dorothy Dunbar and the part of a native was played by an obscure English actor called Boris Karloff. The film was a hit at the box office despite the lukewarm reviews by critics. Mainly because of the poor critical reception, FBO did not exercise their option to produce a sequel. Burroughs then signed a deal with rival Universal who produced two Tarzan movies starring Frank Merrill -- the last of the silent Tarzan films. Jim Pierce never played Tarzan again on film, although he married Burroughs daughter, Joan, and they starred as Tarzan and Jane in the 1932 radio serial.

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STORY SUMMARY

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Lord Greystoke (James Pierce), known as Tarzan to the natives of Africa among whom he lived, expects his wife (Dorothy Dunbar) and her niece (Edna Murphy) with the young overseer (Harold Goodwin) of his estate. A renegade White (villain played by Frederic Peters) meets the travellers and plans to attack them. But the timely arrival of the hero with his native army rescues them. A stranger in rags (D'Arcy Corrigan) comes to the hero and informs him that he had escaped from the diamond city of a race of people little known. He tells the hero of a fabulous wealth in diamonds hidden within the Diamond palace of this tribe. The villain overhears him and during the hero's absence he abducts him and the young heroine. The villain forces the stranger to lead him to the city of diamonds. When the hero returns and hears of the abduction he takes his faithful lion along and rushes to their rescue, instructing his lieutenants to follow him wit his army of natives. Eventually he reaches the city of diamonds in time to rescue the heroine from being offered as a sacrifice to a lion, which the natives worshipped as their God. The hero kills their lion, and his lion kills the villain. The natives declare the hero as their High Priest, to reign in the city of diamonds. The young heroine marries the overseer of his estate.

From Harrison's Reports, March 12, 1927
See Actual Screen Captions Below

For many years the only known print of this film was a French version. There are video dubs of this print in circulation.

Considered lost for many decades, a complete print of the film was discovered in the 1990s.

Some of the players Jim Pierce coached during his job at Glendale High included John Wayne and Bob Steele.

Jim Pierce had an affair with his leading lady, Edna Murphy, but later married ERB's daughter Joan.

Shooting was delayed for month while star Jim Pierce recovered from injuries suffered in a serious car crash.

More than 1,000 extras were hired for the filming

A standout in the cast was Lin-Yu-Ching, a Chinese giant who stood eight feet tall and weighed 300 pounds

California shooting locations included Chatsworth, Santa Ana Canyon and Sherwood Forest. Elaborate sets were built at the FBO Studio.

A sampling of other films that used the Chatsworth location: Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Cops ~ Charge of the Light Brigade ~ Last of the Mohicans ~ Maisie ~ Phantasm IV: Oblivion ~ Stagecoach ~ Shanghai Express ~ White Heat

There were two lions; Jad-bal-ja and a wild lion; Tarzan killed the wild lion that was attacking Gordon (the stranger).

They changed Flora Hawks name to Betty Greystoke and her boyfriend's name to Jack Bradley. Most writeups (even on the internet movie database) use the names from the book, not the film).

Boris Karloff plays the renegade Owaza in his film debut.

Release date: January 2, 1927

After the Golden Lion, Jim Pierce, typecast as the apeman, could only find work in lesser roles: westerns with Tex Ritter, Tim McCoy and Bob Livingston, parts in serials such as Zorro's Fighting Legion and as  King Thun, the Lion-Man with Buster Crabbe in the Flash Gordon serial.

ERB believed in this film and its star. On December 8, 1926, he wrote to a friend: "I suggest you not miss the new Tarzan picture just being completed by FBO here. I have seen some of the work during the making and also some of the rushes, and am convinced that it is going to be the greatest Tarzan picture ever made. We have found a man who really is Tarzan, and whom I believe will be raised to the heights of stardom."

Jim Pierce was of a different opinion. He was quoted later as saying: "Because of poor direction, terrible story treatment and putrid acting, the opus was a stinkeroo. I emerged with nothing to show for my strenuous effort except being typecast as Tarzan. I was out of a job."

Jim and Joan Pierce starred as Tarzan and Jane in the 1932 radio serial.

Jim and Joan hadn't re-heard their Tarzan radio serial for almost 40 years. After meeting with them in the '70s, Bill and Sue-On sent them the serial on reel-to-reel tapes from their OTR collection.

Jim was anxious to obtain a copy of his Tarzan film but it was thought lost. He even appealed to Joseph Kennedy for assistance in finding it - but with no luck. A copy was discovered in France years after Big Jim's death.

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