Good story, Not enough for a whole film

From my favorite movies..

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The cast assembled for the proposed "Tarzan" TV series is here, and in color - unlike "Tarzan's Fight for Life", which was apparently cobbled together from a few episodes. Both released in 1958, "Tarzan's Fight for Life" should be considered chronologically before "Tarzan's Fight for Life" as the cast from the feature film was considered attractive and capable enough for the television series. Benefiting from vibrant color photography are muscular jungle king Gordon Scott (as Tarzan), leggy mate Eve Brent (as Jane), and their "Boy" Rickie Sorenson (as Tartu). A hospital has opened in the area, but some African natives regard it with trepidation...**** Tarzan's Fight for Life (8/15/58) Bruce Humberstone ~ Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen, James Edwards

Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958)** (out of 4) In the deep jungles Dr. Sturdy (Carl Benton Reid) is trying to introduce medicines to the local natives but a witch doctor (James Edwards) feels that they are trying to steal his power. Soon the tribes are ready to attack the new hospital but Tarzan (Gordon Scott) and Jane (Eve Brent) know the good that could come from the medicines. This was the third film to feature Scott as Tarzan but this is actually the first I've seen. I think Scott fits the role perfectly as God knows he has the perfect body for the part but I also found him to be quite charming in some of the more comic moments and he also handles the action very well. According to a few posts I've read, Scott was nearly killed by a 18-foot python that he fights in the film. I'm not sure how true this is but the scene here is full of excitement and it's easy to see how that creature, when wrapped around Scott's neck, could cause some major issues. Brent, as Jane, doesn't give an Oscar-worthy performance but she has the right look for the part as that blonde hair and curvy legs look just fine in color. Reid and Jil Jarmyn playing his daughter aren't too bad and Edwards is clearly having fun as the witch doctor. We've also got Woody Strode playing one of the bad guys. While the cast is certainly up for anything the screenplay on the other hand is pretty flat and boring. The first portion of the film has the doctors talking to one another about why this medicine is needed while on the other side of the jungle we get countless scenes with the witch doctor throwing a fit. We then go away from this and visit Tarzan's home where Jane is suffering from an illness that might need the attention of a real doctor. There's way too many dialogue scenes and it's a shame that the filmmakers didn't try to capture more action and scenes in the wildlife. There's no question that this is being filmed on sets but they're well decorated and at least look somewhat real. The countless stock footage is of course cheap but you've got to expect this. Coming in at 88-minutes this thing is just way too long and there's not enough going on to make it one of the better entries in MGM's long-running series.

A lot of critics have panned this movie as a poor Tarzan film ...I totally disagree...Gordon Scott is a magnificent Tarzan with a superman physique - just what the role demanded....Scott must save a tribal village from an evil witch doctor named Futa who hates Tarzan with a passion because Tarzan knows that the witch doctor's medicine is inferior to Dr. Carl Sturdy who is in the jungle trying to develop a serum to fight tropical infections....adding to the film is a romance between Dr. Sturdy's daughter (Jill Jarmyn) and her father's medical cohort. Movie was made in brilliant technicolor with very good lighting effects....Gordon Scott gives the Tarzan yell from a limb on a tree as Futa's henchmen try to attack and kill natives bringing supplies to Dr. Sturday...It should be mentioned that MGM inserted several ft of footage to this film from film from "Tarzan and the Lost Safari" also starring Scott.....Scott is by far the most athletic Tarzan of them all, the handsomest and best athlete for the role... Check out a scene where a 25 ft python is wrapped around Scott who is trying to protect Jane from attack....lots of good action scenes and lions and evil tribesman...standard fare for the day for a Tarzan movie....Scott introduces his son as "Tartu" and not "boy" for some strange reason in the film....James Edwards (the cook in "The Caine Mutiny") gives a good action job as the evil Futa.....I liked this Tarzan film a lot and one year later Scott starred in the classic "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure" with Anthony Quayle and a young Sean Connery of 007 fame.

Tarzan is back, once again, helping a medic fight an evil witch doctor. That's about all for story. The rest isn't very good too. It's obvious that this was shot in studios, mixed with some "jungle shots" of wild animals, all very amateuristic. Gordon Scott is a pretty good Tarzan, though his vocabulary isn't as expanded as in TARZAN's GREATEST ADVENTURE(which is much better). There really isn't much more to it than this, though it isn't entirely unwatchable too. Minor Tarzan adventure, not really worth seeing. 4/10