The ape lord of darkest Africa gets a change of setting in this globe-trotting adventure yarn. The opening shot sees him literally dumped out of a bi-plane into a lake in India, but from then on the jungle antics are much the same as in previous Tarzan movies, as he battles evil developers and fights the odds by himself. Taking over the role from Gordon Scott (who had relocated to Italy to make a series of sweaty peplum epics by this time) is the lean and lithe Jock Mahoney (who incidentally had played the chief villain in Scott's previous outing, TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT),who, whilst pretty forgettable as screen Tarzans go, proves himself mildly worthwhile in both the acting and action stakes - but he's no Gordon Scott, because he just lacks the muscle and doesn't play to the camera in the same way.

The Indian locations are put to good use, and the movie is well-filmed and always colourful to watch. The film is aimed at youngsters with short attention spans which is why there is a wealth of easy action, including attacks by "rogue" elephants which are filmed in such a way that they resemble attacks by Godzilla or any other large monster, with screaming villagers fleeing for their lives and lots of destructive power. One scene, in which Tarzan dodges bullets from the enemy in a quarry, puts the boundaries of credibility to the edge (I can't believe the bad guys manage to hit both sides of the ground around Tarzan but not actually touch the guy himself) but its all clean fun. Tarzan also gets up to his old tricks by dodging deadly snakes and battling a ravenous leopard. Keep an eye out for the mondo-style sequences in which a ferret (?) ferociously fights a snake and two elephants battle it out, for real. No need to say which film genre those scenes remind me of.

Aside from Mark Dana, and Leo Gordon's dastardly evil turn as the villainous Bryce, the cast is mostly taken up by Indian actors and actresses who acquit themselves well with their roles - especially the singularly-named Simi's turn as Princess Kamara; quite charming. Unfortunately there's a sickeningly cute child actor called Jai around who rides elephants and is required to be rescued and looked after by Tarzan - not only does he drag the pace of the film down every time he appears, but he's really obnoxious too and should have been written out. Also, the sequence in which Tarzan and Bryce fight it out should appear at the end of the film, as its played as the climax, but instead there are another twenty minutes involving a march of elephants which, despite being visually impressive, just aren't really all that interesting. And try and avoid the sentimental ending unless you have a bucket to hand.

According to Pete Tombs' excellent Mondo Macabro book, Tarzan Goes to India inspired a number of low-budget Indian adventure films such as TARZAN AND HERCULES and TARZAN AND KING KONG. I can't help but wonder if these cheap quickies might in fact be more entertaining than the rather predictable and simplistic film which helped inspire them.

With freshly shaved chest and golden tan, Jock Mahoney (as Tarzan) takes over for departing jungle king Gordon Scott. Sporting a more traditional muscular frame than his pumped-up predecessor, Mr. Mahoney had been the main villain in the previous "Tarzan" movie. He would stick around for one more film. Like the title says, "Tarzan Goes to India" where Mahoney must move an elephant herd because a newly constructed dam will flood their valley home. He receives help from an "elephant boy" named Jai (as Jai the Elephant Boy). Filling secondary roles are impressive prince Feroz Khan (as Raju),villainous Leo Gordon (as Bryce),and local princess Simi (as Kamara). The Indian scenery is nice.

**** Tarzan Goes to India (7/62) John Guillermin ~ Jock Mahoney, Jai, Feroz Khan, Leo Gordon

I have a genuine fondness for TARZAN GOES TO India. If you remove the Air India 707 from the opening credits and the early sixties automobiles, it feels like something that Edgar Rice Burroughs would have written, possibly after the Second World War, if declining health hadn't caught with him.

Jock Mahoney gives the legendary ape-man something that the other previous actors had not provided to this part -- a sense of maturity and gravity. Yes, Mahoney is almost too rangy, particularly when compared to his immediate predecessor, the hefty Gordon Scott. But Mahoney makes every scene seem real; with his Midwestern accent sounding neutral, almost international, in tone in keeping with Tarzan's unique origins. The additional kick is knowing that Mahoney does all of his stunts, including an eye-popping dive from an moving airplane into a lake. But his greatest stunt is being able to work with an inexperienced child actor and a four-ton elephant and not get loss in the shuffle. That's charisma!

Yes, the storyline is somewhat juvenile, but there was a definite market in the early Sixties for movies pitched to a pre-teenage audience. Witness such films as CAPTAIN SINBAD, FLIPPER, ZEBRA IN THE KITCHEN, and Disney's output of movies during this time. Robert Harding Andrews does a credible job with the script while John Guillermin provides fast-paced direction although this film lacks the flourishes of his 1959 Tarzan outing, TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE.

Overall, TARZAN GOES TO India is a pleasant diversion well worth checking out.