Temesvár Tarzan and his return to the local spotlight

Before taking the Tarzan role on the silver screen, Weismüller was an Olympic swimmer and water polo player. He is also known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of all time, setting world-beating times alongside winning five gold medals in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.

Following his retirement from water sports, and having a physique that easily passed with honours at his Hollywood audition, the already very fit and able athlete soon took to playing author Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan in twelve black and white fantasy feature films from 1932 to 1948. Starring alongside Weismüller was Maureen Paula O’Sullivan (1911-1998), an Irish-American actress who played “Jane”. A short while later they were joined by Johnny Sheffield (1931-2010), an American child actor who came as “Boy” between 1939 and 1947.

After his debut in “Tarzan of the Apes” in 1932, Weismüller became an international movie star. Despite a troublesome personal life and becoming typecast, Weismüller still maintained his profile and featured in a total of 37 films. His finale was “Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood” in 1976.

Weismüller died aged 79 in Acapulco, Mexico, on January 20, 1984. His remarkable life on screen earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a spot on the cover of the Beatles’ “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album sleeve. Tarzan films still play out today, largely due to his appeal. Unfortunately, Weismüller never returned to his original roots.

It was not until twenty years after his passing, in 2004, that his son, Johnny Weismüller Junior, flew from the US and made his way to Timișoara to retrace his father’s background. This was a big media event and sparked a new interest in this quiet but now distinguished locale.

But the Weismüller original family home, at what was known as 6 Liberation Street, was destroyed during the 1980s. Rebuilding also came with a new street name, and the site now can be found within the outer reaches of the triangular and renamed Piața Petőfi Sándor park. Seekers of this historic spot would need local information.

Retracing Johnny

After considerable absence, as well as considerable nostalgia for a former cinema and abandoned 1950s premises, this neighbourhood now has a new cinema once again, the appropriately named “Cinema Johnny” that recently re-opened its doors to much cheer. I was honoured to be a guest at the three-day opening ceremony on November 21, 22 and 23 this year, and the excelling “The One, The Only, The Real Tarzan” film documentary screened to a full house. This compelling and insightful film produced by Florian Iepan in 2013 can be seen online. Iepan was there in person and made a presentation alongside  Christine Cizmaș  and Cristina Băldău –  the venue hosts. Further cinematic tributes were paid to Weismüller and Tarzan throughout the inauguration and more will follow.

This brand-new modern complex comes with a permanent Tarzan exhibition and will also feature as a cultural centre. In addition to film screenings there will be independent shows, contemporary acts, workshops and educational and social activities. The all-in-one artistic venue can also be used as a rehearsal space for live theatre, dance and music performances.

Remarkably, in addition to Johnny Weismüller another film legend, Béla “Dracula” Lugosi, came from close by. His former home-town is Lugoj (also known as Lugos), 60 kilometres east of Timișoara. Both these actors had similar paths and troubles in Hollywood. Even so, it remains unclear whether they ever met or had anything to do with one another while there.

Finally, continue watching their classic films that can still “swing” and “bite” at all times from here onwards.