There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

In Brazil, nasty native Rafer Johnson (as Barcuna) is attacking peaceful tribes and luring survivors into slavery. A widening circle of death and destruction threatens the entire free world. Naturally, the world's secret agent of the jungles, muscular Mike Henry (as Tarzan), is called into action. Donning his action-ready loincloth, Mr. Henry picks up old friends "Cheeta" the chimp and "Baron" the lion. Henry and his pet sidekicks join Captain Jan Murray (as Sam Bishop) and orphaned native boy Manuel Padilla Jr. (as Pepe) on their small boat. Next to join is beautiful blonde doctor Diana Millay (as Ann Philips), who wants to inoculate natives against disease. The three guests offer more characterization than was usual for the "Tarzan" movies...The trigger-happy Tarzan from the last film is gone; he remembers the name of his pet chimpanzee and notes its increased size. The cinematography is good, the dubbing and sound are not - we have a cartoon-like quality. There are some rough transitions and plot concerns - the diamond hunt is cast adrift - but "Tarzan and the Great River" is a good entry in the series. It is interesting and educational to see how the lion "Barron" leaves to hunt for food, in a small segment. The supporting cast is good enough for a series of their own - Murray, Millay and Manuel could have sailed on that boat for weekly TV adventures, without Tarzan. Their appeal was available, separately; at the time, Murray was doing some episodic television, Millay was showing some wicked versatility on "Dark Shadows", and Manuel was a regular on the "Tarzan" TV series starring Ron Ely.***** Tarzan and the Great River (9/13/67) Robert Day ~ Mike Henry, Jan Murray, Diana Millay, Manuel Padilla Jr.

It happens: stuntmen die performing stunts they've meticulously prepared for (BEN-HUR); actors fall victim to inept direction (TWILIGHT ZONE- THE MOVIE); animals lash out at their human co-stars and are murdered (TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER). Granted, Mike Henry had every reason to be upset: chiseled good looks can come in handy when you're auditioning for a role as a leading man; extensive plastic surgery to replace chunks of missing tissue, on the other hand, can complicate matters. Had Jane Goodall (who probably knew more than she ever let on about the feeding habits of chimpanzees) been a bit more forthcoming, maybe the incident that resulted in the "destruction" of Senor Dinky on the set of TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER could've been avoided. Now that we've seen documentaries like THE DARK SIDE OF CHIMPS (which show the cute, cuddly little things mugging, murdering and masticating smaller monkeys), we know that shoving your face too close to a chimp's could have disastrous consequences. The "monkey fever" that Henry is said to have experienced sounds suspiciously like AIDS (which, as we now know, can come from eating "tainted monkey meat"). All of which makes one long for the good ol' days, when Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter (and Jane Goodall) had us all convinced that all apes were vegetarians...

Proof that the "Tarzan" character works best in an African setting, circa 1890s to 1930s, can be found in this mildly enjoyable but undeniably juvenile movie. It tries to "update" and "re-imagine" Tarzan by sending him on a jetliner to Brazil where he arrives wearing a suit and tie. This immediately raises questions. Where does he buy his suits? How does he pay for them? Does he have on a loincloth underneath or does he prefer Jockey-brand briefs?Tarzan soon dons his customary garb and goes off on an adventure where he's involved in the usual vine-swinging, lion-wrestling, blonde-rescuing, villain-bashing, and giving out that Tarzan yell. Much of this action is padded out with wildlife footage which carelessly confuses African with South American zoology. What limits this "Tarzan" is not the character's built-in incongruity but rather the kiddie-matinee nonsense which reverses past efforts to make this series more appealing to adults. Thus we have the cloyingly-cute kid, the chimp shenanigans, the corny dialog, the stereotyped cast members, etc.On the plus side is tall, dark, handsome Mike Henry -- perhaps the only Tarzan with hair on his pecs. Though visually he's almost ideal, with a body by Michelangelo, he has a flat personality and only a minimum of acting ability, but these faults tend to fade away whenever he swings into action.

A really boring film with very little to recommend in it. Only the beautiful scenery and a funny performance by Jan Murray makes viewing this bearable. Mike Henry is OK as Tarzan but he seems much too stiff in the non-action scenes. He doesn't seem at ease in the role like earlier Tarzans Gordon Scott or Jock Mahoney. He is fine in the action sequences but looks out of place otherwise. The pacing in this film is deadly. There are long stretches where not much happens and too little action when something does. Villain Rafer Johnson as Barcuna isn't given much to do except to try to look menacing. The climactic fight between him and Tarzan is not very exciting. Jan Murray as Captain Bishop is the bright spot of the film. His goofy performance is fun to watch. Diana Millay as the good doctor is basically a two dimensional character played without much enthusiasm. Overall this film is not as good as Henry's previous Tarzan outing-Tarzan and the Valley of Gold-which had some exciting action and a much more enjoyable story. Give this one a miss. I give it 3 river-boats out of 10.