Tarzan Swings Again in Louisiana

New film documents Louisiana’s first blockbuster production, 1918’s
“Tarzan of the Apes.”

In August of 1917 an eclectic band of filmmakers, actors and circus
acrobats fought malaria, unbearable heat and the swamp of the Louisiana
Atchafalaya River Basin to bring to the silver screen the best-selling
book “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  It was an instant hit
with audiences, considered one of the top six motion pictures of the
silent era, and one of the first 10 films to earn over one million dollars
at the box office.  The film was shot in Morgan City, Louisiana.

The character of Tarzan turns 100 years old this year.  In celebration of
that milestone,  Bossier City’s Al Bohl and his daughter, filmmaker
Allison Bohl now of Lafayette, have teamed up to produce a feature-length
documentary entitled, “Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle.”

“My interest was first peaked when I was told many years ago that after
making the movie the monkeys and apes refused to get back in the cages, so
they left them,” said Bohl.  “After research, I found out that the making
of the film was as amazing as the movie itself.”

Over a period of four years, Al and his daughter combed through hundreds
of photos and documents and videotaped up to seventy hours of interviews
and locations.  They interviewed scholars, authors, historians, fans,
experts in merchandise, actors, an expert in primates, the curator of the
Burroughs’ collection and the family of Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Their
travels in Louisiana included Morgan City, New Orleans, Patterson and
Baton Rouge.  They also gathered interviews in Los Angeles and Tarzana,
California.  More footage was taped in Ohio, Kentucky and Chicago,
Illinois.

Bohl said, “Besides the ape question, our documentary investigates many
things such as the claims of the killing of a lion on screen, the use of
African Americans as natives and the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs who many
feel is the father or grandfather of American science fiction.”
In addition, the Bohls re-edited the original “Tarzan of the Apes” silent
film and added an entirely new orchestral musical score written by Kermit
Poling of Shreveport.

The documentary and new version of the silent Tarzan film will be
premiered on April 13 and 14, 2012 in Morgan City during the first Tarzan
Festival in the character’s history.  For more information on the festival
contact: http://www.cajuncoast.com/.

The Louisiana State Museum in Patterson, LA opens a year-long exhibition
entitled “Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle.” It features a wide
variety of Tarzan memorabilia from the last one hundred years.  “Tarzan
continues to be famous on an international scale,” said Bohl, “I believe
people will be absolutely amazed by the very large display of Tarzan books
and merchandise in this exhibition.”  One item of note is an actual
painting done by the chimpanzee that died recently who was believed to be
the oldest living “Cheetah” from the Tarzan movies. For more information
about the exhibition contact::
www.louisianatravel.com/louisiana-state-museum-patterson.
                         
For more information about the original “Tarzan of the Apes” motion picture and the making of the documentary may contact Al Bohl at al@albohl.com or (318) 426-8530.   The documentary trailer can be viewed at http://www.albohl.com/