cult film freak: GORDON SCOTT VS JOCK MAHONEY 'TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT'

Year: 1960 Rating: **1/2

TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT is mostly known for, in the following film, having the villain, Jock Mahoney, replace Gordon Scott in the Tarzan role... but it's really a cross between the John Ford Western STAGECOACH... with Tarzan traveling with a group of bickering characters... and William Shakespeare's family-quarrel saga KING LEAR...

Enter the criminal clan, with patriarch John Carradine but it's oldest son Mahoney really in charge: he led a local store robbery and, captured by Tarzan, is being brought to authorities for the reward money to help a native village... All while his vengeful father and brooding brothers (including LOLITA actor Gary Cockrell) are on their trail and, along with Tarzan's group there's a great cast including Lionel Jeffries as a jealous husband, whose wife has a thing for the captured heavy yet MAGNIFICENT is a mostly hi/miss adventure that relies on random bursts of action while the characters (far too many here) never really gel... Leaving Scott's final TARZAN role more a whimper than bang until a QUIET MAN style fist-fight with Mahoney that should have not only happened sooner... but a lot more throughout.