This legendary shoot did more than just introduce Edgar Rice Burroughs’ iconic character to the silver screen. It marked a historic milestone as the , laying the foundational stones for the state's modern film industry. Key Filming Locations in Morgan City

A: The first Tarzan movie was filmed in Southern California, USA, with Lake Piru serving as the primary filming location.

The story of Tarzan's cinematic origins reminds us that big-screen magic can be found in the most unexpected places. The Louisiana bayous, with their unique beauty, played a pivotal role in launching one of Hollywood's longest-running and most beloved franchises. Next time you're watching a Tarzan movie, take a closer look at the scenery—it might just be a little bit of Louisiana, Florida, England, or even Hawaii, adding to the timeless allure of the Lord of the Apes.

: The city offered a , making it easy to transport heavy film equipment and exotic animals from California.

You will occasionally see references to a much earlier film—a 1912 silent short titled Tarzan of the Apes . However, this is a widespread myth. Burroughs’ story was not published until late 1912, and there is no surviving evidence that a commercial Tarzan film was produced that year. The true first is the 1918 feature.

So, the next time you picture Tarzan swinging through the jungle, you can thank the unlikely setting of . The first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes (1918), chose the mossy bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin over an African backdrop, launching a century of cinematic adventure.

Many of the film’s iconic "hut scenes" were shot at this waterfront site, where the production team built a primitive village of palmetto huts.

| Film | Primary Filming Location | Significance | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Morgan City, Louisiana, USA | First-ever Tarzan film, one of the first major on-location shoots | | Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) | Hollywood, California, USA (studios) & stock Africa footage | First successful sound Tarzan, first appearance of Johnny Weissmuller | | Tarzan's Peril (1951) | USA (most) and Kenya, Africa | First Tarzan film to shoot scenes in Africa | | Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) | Nairobi, Kenya & Elstree Studios, England | First Tarzan film shot in color and widescreen | | Greystoke (1984) | Kauai, Hawaii, USA & Cameroon, Africa | Used real African locations for authenticity | | The Legend of Tarzan (2016) | Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, England & Gabon, Africa | Recreated jungle on soundstages with authentic backdrop footage |

The film starred as Tarzan and Enid Markey as Jane Porter. Lincoln, a former bodyguard and actor with a powerful physique, was chosen because he resembled J. Allen St. John’s original illustrations of the character.

Louisiana Tarzan - Home to the First King of the Jungle Movie

Early 20th-century filmmaking presented immense logistical challenges. Shooting on location in Africa was nearly impossible due to:

The production utilized the region's unique landscapes to simulate the African jungle:

The towering cypress trees covered in Spanish moss created an eerie, dense canopy that mimicked an unexplored jungle on black-and-white film.

This choice, born of necessity and practicality, gave the first cinematic Tarzan an authentic, gritty, and dangerous feel—one that remains a fascinating footnote in both film history and Louisiana’s cultural heritage. The next time you watch a Tarzan movie, remember: the very first vine he swung from was likely dangling over a Louisiana bayou.

While Morgan City holds the title for the first film, subsequent early Tarzan movies explored other "jungles":