The production team chose Louisiana because it offered the dense, humid, and tangled vegetation that the script demanded. At the time, traveling to Africa for a film shoot was logistically impossible and far too expensive for a burgeoning Hollywood studio. Louisiana provided a convincing double for the equatorial regions, with its hanging Spanish moss, cypress knees, and murky waters.
: A waterfront area used for key scenes, including the construction of native palmetto huts. : Another specific location near Morgan City used for exterior jungle shots . Costello Hotel
While Morgan City is the primary answer to “where was the first Tarzan movie filmed,” the production did use for specific sequences:
The film used both costumed actors and real apes and monkeys, which were reportedly brought into the region for the film. where was the first tarzan movie filmed top
Several scenes, particularly those requiring more open space or, in later Tarzan films, a better-managed forest setting, were shot in Los Angeles' Griffith Park.
was originally cast as the lead and filmed several tree-swinging stunts in the Louisiana canopy. However, he was drafted for World War I shortly after production began and was replaced by Elmo Lincoln
large Black population was hired for these parts, making it one of the first films where Black people portrayed Black characters instead of using white actors in blackface . The production team chose Louisiana because it offered
The specific “top” spot within Morgan City was the and the surrounding woodlands near Avery Island . Today, visitors can still take a “Tarzan Tour” through parts of the region, though much of it has been reclaimed by private land or conservation efforts.
The primary filming location was Escondido, a small town in central Florida, about 30 miles northwest of Orlando. At the time, Escondido was a rural area with abundant tropical vegetation, making it an ideal substitute for the African jungle.
The region's dense foliage, towering cypress trees, and murky waterways provided an appropriately wild and primeval backdrop. : A waterfront area used for key scenes,
A prominent, known filming location in Morgan City is Lake End Park, where many iconic, vine-swinging scenes and jungle encounters were captured on film. 2. Why Louisiana? Top Reasons for the Location
Louisiana Tarzan - Home to the First King of the Jungle Movie
The very first Tarzan film to ever hit the big screen, the 1918 silent classic Tarzan of the Apes , was primarily filmed in the lush, moss-covered swamps of . While many modern viewers associate Tarzan with Hollywood studio sets or African landscapes, this original production chose the American South for its distinctive, jungle-like vegetation and accessible infrastructure. The Surprising Birthplace: Morgan City, Louisiana
: This was the first film in the series to actually film portions on location in (specifically Kenya). documentary
Did you know the first Tarzan movie was filmed in Morgan City?