WOLF LARSON’S TARZAN-54-THE ODD COUPLE

 

WOLF LARSON’S TARZAN-54-THE ODD COUPLE

“What does a barnyard hen have that Tarzan doesn’t?”

“The instincts of a mother.”

 

Dan’s journal: Mon the 6^th. Is Dan doing these in his sleep? His voice is low and he sounds tired. 1993: Sept and December. 1994: NONE. 1997: Jan and October. 1998: July and April.

 

Tarzan wakes up and gets out of his hammock and has his boots already on. Jane is in the bush checking out some newborn lion cubs while Roger is filming a hen (Henrietta) hatching an egg to compare domestic motherhood with that in nature. Jane keeps track of all the new additions to the pod. Roger wants Dan to keep his comments to himself and I agree. Jane wants to call the newborns Roger and Dan. Live footage of a cub’s tail hitting a full grown one is cute and another or the same one putting his paw on the nose of the full grown one is also cute. Wolf does some high swinging here. Still, it is unclear if it is he when Jane stumbles into a net trap and a lion, trying to protect the pride paws at her and Tarzan swings and grabs the trap and pulls it down with him safely to the ground.

 

Called Ivan the Terrible, the lion is chewing up Jane’s notes. Every time Tarzan or Jane brings

a baby animal to the compound, Cheetah gets possessive. Dan remembers a baby cub last month. Tantor seems to scare Henrietta and she leaves. WHY is everyone mumbling this episode? Dan and Roger are anyway. I can’t understand half of what they say. Cheetah goes to watch the egg, spreading his legs? Cheetah is, as almost always, said to be a male. Jane and Tarzan run into Roger. Jane tells Roger that Henrietta will turn up. In this dangerous jungle? Tarzan also claims Cheetah will not be upset if the egg does not hatch.

 

The baby is born thanks to Cheetah’s warmth. Roger feels he’s got an imprint process going on. Roger names the baby Junior. Tarzan goes not think it will last that Junior thinks Cheetah is his mother. Now, Jane after Dan wonders if the mother is still alive. Roger promised Cheetah he could take the first stray orphan as his own! Tarzan feels they can track the mother at first light. Hasn’t he tracked at night before?

 

Roger still has scratches from the last time Cheetah had a hissy fit when he couldn’t take care of a baby animal. Dan seems to elude to the fact that Cheetah tried to feed the cub (did he mean or say breast feed?!!?).

 

It seems to be 2:45 am when Cheetah tries to wake Roger.

 

We Dan asleep. Where is he?

 

Later, it is 3: 26 am.

 

In his sleep, Roger seems to say Julie.

 

Tarzan in his hammock looking at the picture of his parents in the locket. Is this what he does at night? “The years have passed but Tarzan still remembers his parents. Tarzan knows what is in Cheetah’s heart.”

 

Morning: when Henrietta returns, Cheetah attacks her with a stick. Tarzan stops him. Roger films this. Is there a plot here?

 

Dan has Henrietta and puts her back in the cage. Why is this cage open? Is it a cage? Tarzan tells Henrietta he will try to find her chick as Junior takes his turn to run off into the jungle when scared by Tantor. He uses some hooting sound. Tarzan asks Dan to stay with the mother.

 

Dan wonders if Junior is still alive and says this out loud to himself in front of Henrietta.

 

Predictably, a horrifying snake slithers toward Junior. Junior gets away. We see, unpredictably, the chick in the same frame as the snake. Dan brings food to Henrietta but she will not eat. Cheetah, earlier, brought milk to the chick or at least something that looked like it was white.

 

Tarzan talks to what looks like a parrot of some kind with different gawks/hoots.  

 

The others find feathers and while Roger voices Junior is dead, Tarzan is sure he is still alive: there is no blood.

 

Next, a croc seems to endanger junior who is near a bank near a river or lake. Sigh.

 

Dan says, “You know, Henrietta, they say a chicken has no real feelings for its young but I guess what they say is wrong.” 

 

Tarzan does not think a croc will bother with a tiny chick and knows the croc has not eaten: his tail does not thrash. Wolf has some scar or mark on the left side of his face near his cheek or on his cheek. “Jane, Roger, Cheetah: stay here.” 

 

Some animals (not sure WHAT they are!?) are running and Junior watches.

 

Roger decides to go off to look for himself. Sigh.

 

Tarzan’s boots look lighter in color in this scene as opposed to the rest of the episode. He goes to get Henrietta. He runs from Dan to the jungle again with the mother…and his boots look dark brown again. Maybe it is the lighting. BTW there is NO headband in this episode either and it is a thing of the past, probably.

 

NOTE: the “incidental”  music in this episode is strikingly good, great even, which is surprising for any series in this era. This might be the only really good thing about this episode to be honest.

 

Tarzan takes a feather from Junior out of his loin cloth so Henrietta can smell it. Roger asks why he didn’t think of that but when Jane moves to tell him he says, “No, never mind, never mind.”

 

Tantor and Dan pace. No, really. They do.

 

I’m not sure how they did the next stunt/scene but Tarzan swoops from a vine, scoops up Junior and swings away from the lion (is this Ivan?) before it can eat Junior. At first, they made it look as if it was after Roger, Cheetah, Jane and Henrietta. The stunt looked dangerous for the chick.

 

As he swings, he does the Tarzan yell.

 

Tarzan says that maybe Junior needs an uncle.

 

Henrietta and Junior bond even though they’ve never really met. Tarzan says, “A mother never forgets her child.”

 

Rogers says, “Guess you’re right, Tarzan, like they say blood is thicker than water.”  Not true but whatever. Well, blood is thicker but there are family members who treated better by  strangers and non family members than their own family members and adopted kids can bond better with non biological parents sometimes. So this is BS.

 

Dan jokes that he has chicken salad sandwiches. “Oh, Dan,” Jane scolds. He has fresh berries and fruit so was only joking. He has a toy duck for Cheetah. Tarzan thinks Dan’s toy has found a new mother. They think this is funny and even Tantor seems to laugh.

 

Production 304. Dan’s a joker here? Roger leaves the cage door un shut (I’d say unlocked but it appears from the many ---MANY!---Dan in the cage scenes that THERE IS NO LOCK) and there is no lock. Thus, Roger causes the problem. He almost feels responsible. Jane tries to not make Roger worry but then moments later thinks that Henrietta could be dead and voices this out loud. This entire thing is repeated with Junior when Junior takes off into the jungle. The night scenes are nice and leisurely but slowly paced. The plot seems bare thin to be honest. I wonder if there is ANY precedent for the hen and chick to bond or for a chimp to imprint on a chick.

 

This seem to be one of those cheaper episodes where there is no guest cast, few stunts (though the one there is IS magnificently done even if the chick looks as if IT is in real danger!), and a threadbare plot.

 

It sort of works but it’s a strange one for Tarzan and action adventure as there’s little of it. It’s almost a comedy. That’s not funny. I mean a comedy that’s not funny.

 

The cinematography and music save the episode which has vivid colors and lively “action” “chase” tunes.

 

Not the best episode.