Ungawa

Just now I could hear the sound of some drums banging away on the TV, and hey presto, the old classic Tarzan featuring Johnny Weismuller (the BEST ever Tarzan) came into my mind.

http://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=2121

And it happened yesterday as well when I was looking at some tree with vines dangling from it. Irresistibly, I grabbed a hold of it and imagined myself swinging through the jungle just like Johnny did, and even though this vine was only about 4mm thick, it didn’t snap off when I increased my pull on it. Damn tough those vines!

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_03_img1265.jpg

Who can forget the all encompassing word ‘Ungawa’ which Tarzan uttered to every animal. Who can forget the fights with the gigantic crocodiles, or the huge lions, or Cheeta’s antics. Even Jane and ‘boy’ when introduced added superbly to the programs.

But I wonder if it displayed racism? The tarzan programs and movies were made in pre-Rosa Parks America. The jungle tribes people were often portrayed as ‘savages’ with no particular respect for human life, On the other hand the white explorers who came into the jungle were correctly portrayed as imperialists who killed the natives with ease also. The whites also were occasionally in the jungle for plunder. e.g. Ivory from the elephants graveyard. Interesting how in 1940’s America the elements of the conservation movement can be seen.

These days in regards to TV programs and movies, you get a lot of people pointing out various embedded symbolology and ‘hidden codes’, but it seems to me these things are put in deliberately because they want people to spot it to generate some controversy for the sake of publicity. The Matrix was clever in this respect. But if you look back at older movies and programs pre-internet, when things like the illuminati were largely unknown and freemasonry was looked upon as some kind of weird adult ‘schoolboy’ private club thing, then it’s doubtful if any such ‘secret society’ symbols were included deliberately. This is definitely the case for sexual imagery embedded in kiddies cartoons etc.

It would be interesting to see if the programs I adored as a kid contained these images. Now that I’m aware of then they should be quite easy to spot. the racism one in Tarzan seems rather neutral, but I wonder if there is any other symbology. I don’t think there was in Tarzan. It seems from memory to be a wholly innocent entertainment program.

Must get a copy of them.

 

Man, just remembered Google… Found this:

Tarzan The Ape Man – Original Trailer 1932:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhddATBzKFc

A TRIO OF TARZAN TRAILERS (1939-42)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsScQm-wLII

Those stunts and acrobatics! – Bloody hell! There amazing! Perfect examples of the usefullness of the excalmation mark! And that aeroplane crash – this was before remote control. Some dude must hae been piloting that plane and crashing it. Holy smoke!

– enjoy

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