What does Tarzan have to do with Cryptozoology?

In South Louisiana, it is still common practice to live close to and see a lot of the older generations--4 generations together, too much of the time--and a large connection with cousins more generations apart than are still living. So a lot of our 1st-2nd had stories have their roots in the earlier part of the 20th century. This is certainly true for something as simple as strange facts surrounding silent films made in Louisiana. The strangest thing I've heard, so far, is that it's possible that we have a breeding population of Apes down here, due to the silent film version of: Tarzan of the Apes film.

Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle

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.

Morgan City is on the route of Hwy 90, SW of my hometown about as much of a distance as my hometown is SW of New Orleans--around a total of 2 hours away from New Orleans. It is the Southernmost part of the Atchafalaya flood basin, and is part of a large coastal chain of swamps that far outnumber the acres of populated land.

The documentary that is being put together came across a fascinating claim: Here:

In Morgan City we interviewed a man named Glen Fusilier. His testimony said that he had been fishing with his wife near one of the areas where the Tarzan film had been made. Near sunset he heard a terrible scream or cry from an animal that he had never heard before. A year or so later, while enjoying the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, he heard the same scream when he was walking through the vicinity of the primates.

(There's even a comment on the zoo's Silverback liking blondes, go read it!)

From the documentary information online:
About half the original film's footage is missing, and there are very few items left that had anything to do with the movie: Here Louisiana was chosen because it met the parameters needed to film: African Americans, Jungle, Railway: Here. There is a book out about the original man who played Tarzan called My Father, Elmo Lincoln: The Original Tarzan . I could make a separate thread on the differences between how Blacks are treated now, here, and at the time of this movie: Here.

Elmo Lincoln who is credited for playing the Tarzan character had said that he liked the area because due to hurricanes, many of the giant trees were bent over. Instead of climbing, he could run up the slanted trunks.

(Have quite a few trees like that, still.)


So, what is left at this point:

1. The documentary is finished as of a few months ago. I have not found any information about a DVD being ready to buy yet.
2. Need to figure out how many species were let loose with breedable pairs, then figure out how many of them there could be on the loose, out there. What complicates matters is that I know of several large apes and monkeys that are still privately owned, and am wondering how many of those get loose and are unreported.
3. Need to do some research on Lougaroux/Rougarou/Loup Garou sitghtings both before and after this film in the potentially habitable areas, to see if there is any change to the legends that could be from actual apes living here--and that's not easy, although I live in the right area to do this.
4. Check into how hard it is to track Apes and other animals (both real and possibly non-existant) in the Congo, since this would be dealing with a fairly similar region to down here.

Still a lot of work.

in rachel montana mexicans have been sleeping with the enemy

reply to post by CynicalDrivel


Interesting, are you planning on researching the rest of the unanswered questions you have presented? Also, have you seen one of these apes?

reply to post by immortalcamel

Eventually. I plan on contacting the guy with the documentary, for starters.

I've never gone through that end of the Atchafalaya basin. I've been more in Eastern Terrebonne parish, where they're not likely to have made it yet. I've got friends that have lived out there, and I could ask around, but I don't know what a bell diver would have come across. Maybe look for some tours or something.