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chernobog13 · 2 months

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Ron Ely as Tarzan, and his chimp co-star Cheeta. Though they look like best friends, Ely suffered several bites from the little guy during the course of their two years working together.

For kids in the mid-to-late 1960s, Ron Ely WAS Tarzan.

Ely was the star of the 57-episode Tarzan TV series that ran two seasons, from 1966 to 1968, and then in near continual syndication for several years afterward.

The television series was executive produced by Sy Weintraub, who had been producing the Tarzan films since 1958. Weintraub was responsible for replacing the monosyllabic persona of Tarzan, made popular by the Johnny Weissmuller films of the 1930s and40s, with the educated, well-spoken character from Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels. True Trazan fans were delighted with this move, and I'm sure Burroughs himself would have been as well had he lived to see it (he died in 1950).

Tarzan about to demonstrate his vine swinging skills.

Weintraub also filmed his Tarzan movies on location, as opposed to in a studio with stock jungle footage. This made for some spectacular scenes, but it was rough on both the crew and his Tarzan actors: Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, and Mike Henry.

When he decided to make the Tarzan television series, Weintraub wanted Henry to continue in the role. However, Henry had made 3 Tarzan films back-to-back in 1965 and was physically exhausted. Thus the TV role eventually was awarded to Ely.

Like the Mike Henry films, the TV series was filmed in Brazil (first four episodes) and Mexico (the remainder of the series). This explains why the scenery, while lush and exotic, sometimes doesn't quite gel with images we'd seen of the African wilderness. It also explains why many of the extras appeared Latin as opposed to African.

Ely insisted on doing his own stunts for the series, a decision later on he would come to regret. He suffered more than two dozen serious injuries, which included two broken shoulders, lion bites, and several bites from his co-star, Cheeta the chimp. Allan Sherman, in an issue of the Tarzan comic book when it was published by DC, wrote an article and chart detailing all the injuries Ely incurred in the two years of production. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the article to include here.

The one thing Ely could not do: the famous Tarzan yell. The production ended up using a recording of Johnny Weissmuller's version of the yell.

Ely's other co-star in the series was Jai, an orphaned boy (played by Manuel Padilla, Jr). Jai took the place of Boy, Tarzan's son from the Weissmuller films, and gave the ape man someone to protect and/or rescue every episode.

Manuel Padilla, Jr. as Jai, Tarzan's companion throughout the TV series, with Ron Ely as Tarzan.

As in Weintraub's films, the character of Jane was not present. Weintraub preferred a Tarzan who was a lone adventurer. The TV Tarzan was not a globetrotter like his film counterpart; his adventures were limited to a fictional African country.

The Tarzan series had several high profile guest stars including, believe it or not, Diana Ross and The Supremes: Cindy Birdsong, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross as a trio of nuns.

The series got off to an uneven start, as the location shooting took longer than anticipated. Early episodes show signs of hasty, almost haphazard editing as they were assembled at a breakneck speed to meet NBC network's broadcasting schedule. Luckily, the production eventually found its footing, and things smoothed out quickly.

For a brief time Tarzan's TV adventures took over the cover spot on the Tarzan of the Apes comic book.

Warners Brothers has released the series on DVD back in 2012 and 2013. To my knowledge (which, admittedly, is faulty) it is not currently streaming or available on any cable channels.

#Tarzan #Tarzan of the Apes #Ron Ely #Cheeta #Jai #Manuel Padilla Jr.#Sy Weintraub #Edgar Rice Burroughs #Diana Ross and The Supremes

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dior-addict · 16 days

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#diana ross #the supremes #diana ross and the supremes #60s makeup #60s mod

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lisamarie-vee · 1 year

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#diana ross #the supremes #diana ross and the supremes #soul music #women in rock #heart shaped #1960s #rock and roll hall of fame #b&w

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wildandmoody · 1 year

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I know that people, including Christmas enjoyers like me, get tired of hearing the same songs over and over during this season. This is where I introduce to you all 1973's A Motown Christmas, a compilation of original, reworked and re-arranged songs recorded in 1967-73 by Motown's classic all-Black lineup including The Temptations, J5, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and more. I'll share a few examples of absolute favorites that many people probably don't know because they don't get played as often!

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

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Stevie Wonder - One Little Christmas Tree

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Jackson 5 - Give Love On Christmas Day

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Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Deck The Halls / Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella

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Michael Jackson - Little Christmas Tree

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As for some songs that people may already know:

Diana Ross & The Supremes - My Favorite Things

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The Temptations - Rudolph

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Jackson 5 - Up On The Housetop

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#motown #christmas #christmas music #1960s #1970s #1973 #compilation #black music #the temptations #smokey robinson #jackson 5 #j5 #smokey robinson and the miracles #stevie wonder #diana ross and the supremes #michael jackson #music #Youtube

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citizenscreen · 2 years

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Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson, The Supremes, circa 1967

#the supremes #diana ross and the supremes #diana ross #mary wilson #florence ballard

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thegroovywitch · 1 year

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Diana Ross on the cover of Ebony magazine, 1975.

#diana ross #diana ross and the supremes #1975 #70s #70s singer #70s actress #70s icon #1970s #70s vintage #retro #vintage magazine #vintage #icons #by dee dee 🌺🕯️

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heavenboy09 · 1 month

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Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The 1 Of The Most Iconic & Legendary Black American 👩🏿🤎🖤 Female Singer / Actress Of All Times 🎶

Diana Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 26, 1944. She was the second of six children born to Ernestine (née Moten; January 27, 1916 – October 9, 1984) and Fred Ross Sr. (July 4, 1920 – November 21, 2007). Her mother named her Diane, but the birth certificate was mistakenly filled out with the name Diana. Her family and Detroit friends called her Diane all her life. Ross grew up with two sisters (Barbara and Rita) and three brothers: Arthur; Fred Jr.; and Wilbert, also known as Chico. Ross was raised Baptist.

She is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of twelve number-one hit singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", and "Love Child".

Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo music career with the release of her eponymous debut solo album and its singles, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" – her first solo U.S. number-one hit – and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". Her second solo album, Everything Is Everything (1970), spawned her first UK number-one single "I'm Still Waiting". Ross continued her successful solo career by mounting elaborate record-setting worldwide concert tours, starring in highly watched primetime TV specials, and releasing hit albums, such as Touch Me in the Morning (1973), Mahogany (1975), Diana Ross (1976), and Diana (1980), as well as their number-one hit singles – "Touch Me in the Morning", "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", "Love Hangover", and "Upside Down", respectively. "Endless Love", a 1981 duet with Lionel Richie, made her the female solo act with the most number-one songs in the United States at the time. Her commercial success continued throughout the '80s and '90s with global hits, including "I'm Coming Out", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", "All of You", "Chain Reaction", "If We Hold on Together" and "When You Tell Me That You Love Me".

In 1988, Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes, and is one of the rare performers to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was the recipient of a Special Tony Award in 1977, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and 2023 (becoming the first woman to win the award twice, the latter as a member of The Supremes), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

PLEASE WISH THIS LEGENDARY ICON IN MUSIC 🎶 & MOVIES 🎥 OF THE 1960S, 70'S 80'S & 90'S A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU ALL KNOW HER & IF YOU DONT. LOOK HER UP OR TALK TO YOUR PARENTS

HER MUSIC 🎶 HAS STANDING THE TEST OF TIME & WILL CONTINUE ON FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

& HER LEGACY IS NOT EASING ON UP ANYTIME SOON

THE 1

& ONLY

MS. DIANA ROSS 👩🏿🖤🤎 OF THE SUPREMES

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MS. ROSS 👩🏿🖤🤎& HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#DianaRoss #DianaRossandTheSupremes #Motown #Legend

#Diana Ross #Diana Ross and The Supremes #Motown #Legend #Spotify

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myvinylplaylist · 1 month

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Diana Ross And The Supremes With The Temptations: The Original Sound Track From TCB (1968)

*Takin' Care Of Business

This is the original sound track of the NBC-TV Special, 'TCB' starring Diana Ross and The Supremes with The Temptations sponsored by Timex, the world's largest manufacturer of watches.

Motown Records