By William “Skip” Deegans
Appearing “in person” on Lewisburg’s Lewis Theatre’s stage in 1950 was Cheeta (Cheetah), one of the most famous actors of the day. Cheeta, a chimpanzee, was the comedic sidekick of Tarzan. Based on Edgar Rice Burrough’s best selling 1914 novel, Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan was the son of aristocratic parents who died in Africa. The infant boy was raised in the jungle by apes.
The first film adaptation of the novel was a silent one in 1918 that starred Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan. It was one of the first films to gross over $1 million. Since then more than 50 films and 250 television episodes have been produced. Actor Johnny Weissmuller was the first speaking Tarzan and starred in 12 films, the last in 1948. There were several Cheetas, and the one who appeared at The Lewis Theatre was probably the co-star with Lex Barker who played Tarzan from 1949-1953. Other popular actors who played Tarzan include Buster Crabbe from the 1930s and Gordon Scott from the late 1950s. Disney’s first animated version of Tarzan was released in 1999.
A distinguished feature of the Tarzan films was Tarzan’s yell that can be heard at www.tarzan.com.
Sources: NPR, CNN, The West Virginia News, www.tarzanmovieguide.com, www.tarzan.com.
