Tarzan
Tarzan entered radio early enough to show how quickly a print adventure franchise could adapt to the new possibilities of syndicated sound. The 1932-34 serial follows jungle survival, captivity, shipboard danger, animals and the continuing expansion of Edgar Rice Burroughs's world across daily installments.
Program History
Original American Gold Seal transcribed Tarzan serial distributed station-by-station.
The run breaks into several distinct periods: Tarzan of the Apes adaptation (September 12, 1932 to March 10, 1933) and The Return of Tarzan continuation (March 13, 1933 to March 9, 1934).
The stories often return to survival and physical peril, rescue, capture and escape, ships, sailors, mutiny and shipwreck, wildlife danger and animal encounters, jungle wilderness, and apes and jungle animal society.
The show also sits in a wider radio history that includes Early transcription-disc syndication, Signal Oil sponsorship and radio merchandising, and Print adventure franchise moves to radio.
All Episodes & Recordings
Search this program or browse in its validated catalog order.
Tarzan’s First Birthday
Lord and Lady Greystoke defend their isolated jungle home and infant son from the wild animals surrounding them.
Battle with the Apes
Lord and Lady Greystoke fight for survival against a powerful ape as a brutal jungle struggle begins shaping the destiny of their child.
Tarzan in Young Manhood
A young Tarzan saves a lion cub from a deadly snake, but the rescue places him in immediate danger.
Tarzan Attacked by Tabor
Tarzan confronts jungle dangers and sights a ship offshore just as a violent mutiny begins unfolding aboard the vessel.
Tarzan Sees a Ship
A shipboard mutiny sends men searching for a treasure chart on the African coast while Tarzan watches human beings for the first time.
Tarzan Rescues the Captain
Tarzan intervenes in a violent struggle over a mysterious green bottle, then pursues the thief into the jungle while other members of the expedition remain in danger.
Tarzan Rescues the Captain Again
Tarzan confronts a dangerous jungle predator while Jane and her companions remain trapped aboard a ship where their lives are threatened.
Did the Bottle Really Go Overboard
Survivors struggle aboard a sinking ship while Tarzan races through the jungle to save a man trapped in deadly quicksand.
The Captain Is in Quicksand
Tarzan fights to pull a trapped man from quicksand as another desperate struggle unfolds aboard the steamer.
A Fight Aboard Ship
Tarzan battles rival apes and reacts to strangers entering his jungle while survivors aboard a damaged ship fight to stay alive.
Tarzan’s Shack
Stranded survivors discover an abandoned jungle hut while Tarzan secretly watches them and becomes increasingly intrigued by one of the women as danger gathers nearby.
Mutinous Captain Killed
Tarzan intervenes when ruthless pirates threaten the scientific expedition that has entered his jungle home.
Tarzan Delivers the Sailor
Tarzan intimidates a group of mutineers and hides their treasure again while Professor Porter and Philander unknowingly wander into danger.
Tarzan Rescues Jane’s Father
Tarzan saves his companions from a jungle beast while discoveries inside his hut reveal unexpected clues about his own origins.
Clayton Tries to Rescue the Professor
Clayton becomes hopelessly lost while searching for missing companions, as the rescued party wonders about the mysterious figure who has been aiding them.
Tarzan Saves Clayton
Tarzan confronts an Englishman in the jungle while Jane faces a separate deadly threat at the hut.
Tarzan Saves Jane
Tarzan first saves Clayton from a leopard and then battles a lioness attacking Jane's hut, deepening the group's curiosity about their mysterious rescuer.
Tarzan Reads Jane’s Letter
Tarzan becomes increasingly drawn to Jane while wrestling with his own identity and taking part in an ancient ritual of the apes.
Morning Arrives
Tarzan comes to the aid of an English hunter whose encounter with a dangerous boar has left him in immediate peril.
Tarzan Presides Over Apes
Tarzan manages conflict among the apes and continues helping the stranded explorers, unaware that a rogue ape is creating a new threat to the humans.
Tarzan Rescues Jane from the Apes
Tarzan races through the jungle after Jane is carried off by a powerful bull ape.
The Professor Wants to Search
Professor Porter searches the jungle for Jane while Tarzan helps her adjust to life in the wild.
Rescue
Jane remains lost in the jungle with Tarzan while a French naval party rescues her father and companions and prepares to search for her.
Tarzan’s Hut Afire
After making sure Jane is safe, Tarzan races back toward his burning hut as the search party discovers fresh evidence that he is nearby.
Clayton Hunts Tarzan
The search party looking for Jane encounters a mysterious ape-man and a puzzling theft, increasing suspicion and tension among the rescuers.
Tarzan Fires at Clayton
As the search for Jane continues, a poisoned arrow found near camp raises new questions about the mysterious ape-man moving through the jungle.
The Ship Leaves
Jane Porter confronts a life-changing decision in the jungle as the expedition around her moves deeper into dangerous and uncertain territory.
Search Party Is Attacked
An expedition confronts strange sounds and a rescued native in the jungle while Tarzan begins teaching Jane how to survive in his world.
Philander Is Captured
Lieutenant D'Arnot searches the dangerous jungle for a missing companion and encounters elusive natives while Tarzan follows a separate trail nearby.
Search Party Finds a Clue
Tarzan rescues a captive from hostile natives and later continues teaching Jane about life and language in the jungle.
The Jungle Awakes
As Tarzan learns more English, a search party draws closer to Jane and forces her toward a risky decision.
Jane Is Captured by Cannibals
Tarzan and his companions search a dangerous, apparently deserted cannibal village for Jane after she is taken captive.
Search Party Is Trapped
The explorers are captured by a native tribe while searching for Jane, who continues learning from and teaching Tarzan elsewhere in the jungle.
Tarzan Learns More English
Jane teaches Tarzan new English words while Professor Porter and his companions remain trapped as prisoners of a cannibal tribe.
Jane and Tarzan Go Into the Hut
Tarzan and Tantor rescue Jane from a deadly pit while Professor Porter and his companions prepare a risky escape from their captors.
Search Party Makes Their Move
Tarzan helps Jane understand what happened after her capture while the rest of the expedition struggles to survive its own dangerous confinement.
Cannibals Choose the Professor
Professor Porter's companions attempt a dangerous escape from native captivity as Tarzan struggles with his own identity and Jane longs to find her father.
Second Escape Try
A mysterious explosion leaves Tarzan's friends vulnerable to cannibals while Jane faces a leopard in the jungle.
Jane Is Attacked
Tarzan fights a leopard to save Jane while the explorers elsewhere face a deadly tribal ritual.
The Poison Drink
The Europeans face a deadly poisoning ritual while Tarzan brings Jane into contact with his ape family.