Overview

Tarzan Finds a Son! is a 1939 MGM jungle adventure Tarzan movie adapted from the characters and milieu created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is commonly counted as the fourth entry in the series of six MGM films that paired Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. The picture is notable for introducing the child character known simply as "Boy," played for the first time by Johnny Sheffield.

Story and characters

The film's narrative focuses on the domestic side of the jungle hero: Tarzan and Jane encounter and choose to raise a young, orphaned boy who arrives under dramatic circumstances. Rather than presenting only action-set pieces, the movie explores family dynamics and the adjustment of civilized values to life in the wild. The central figures—Tarzan, Jane and the newly adopted child—drive both the emotional core and the sequence of episodic adventures.

Production and release

Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film continues the studio's approach of blending exotic location photography (often shot on studio backlots and second-unit location footage) with staged action and domestic melodrama. As with other adaptations of Burroughs' work, the screenplay translates well-known concepts and concepts from the source material while simplifying or rearranging episodes for film storytelling. The casting emphasized familiar screen personalities to maintain continuity for audiences who had followed earlier Tarzan entries.

Legacy and significance

Tarzan Finds a Son! helped establish the recurring idea of Tarzan as not only an adventurer but a parental figure within the film series. The addition of Boy broadened the franchise's appeal by creating family-oriented plotlines alongside action. Johnny Sheffield's debut in the role proved durable: he returned in subsequent Tarzan pictures and became closely associated with the Boy character in later entries. The film remains a reference point for discussions of Hollywood serial filmmaking and the adaptation of pulp fiction characters to the screen.

Cast and notable facts

  • Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan — the athletic screen Tarzan who defined the part for many viewers.
  • Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane — Tarzan's companion and a regular presence in the MGM series.
  • Johnny Sheffield as Boy — his first appearance in the franchise, introducing a long-running character.
  • The film is an adaptation of the fictional characters and borrows several concepts from the original Burroughs stories.
  • As part of the larger Tarzan filmography, this entry illustrates how studios balanced adventure spectacle with sentimental family themes to reach wide audiences.

For further reading on the Tarzan films and their place in 20th-century popular culture, consult contemporary film histories and archives that specialize in studio-era productions. Additional resources and archival references may be found via databases and filmography collections indicated by studio and fan repositories of classic cinema.

Related links: jungle films, adventure cinema, Tarzan adaptations.