The Legend of Tarzan

The film 'Tarzan of the Apes', with Elmo Lincoln, was released 105 years ago yesterday.

Before I changed my Christian name when I was 28 years old, I was Anthony John and I was always known as 'Johnny'. Given my surname, Weismiller, of course, I was nicknamed 'Tarzan' from the popular actor Johnny Weissmuller who played Tarzan in films from 1932 to 1948.

When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to meet Mr Weissmuller. He was retired from film and was working as a spokesman for Evinrude Outboard Motors. He was at the local mall, touting the company's product. 

I walked up to him, extended my hand, and said, 'How do you do Mr Weismuller? My name is Johnny Weisimiller.' He looked at me, shook his head, and replied, 'You poor kid!'. He knew!

I was often asked if we were related. The different spellings of our surnames give different meanings in German. His means 'a miller of white flour', whilst mine means 'a wise person who grinds grain'. His was originally Weißmüller and mine was Weismüller.

When I was older, I did some research. He was a Banat Swabian, from Hungary (he was born in  Szabadfalva, in the Kingdom of Hungary), whereas my family were Rheinländer from what became the German Empire.

Years later, I was in a pub when I received a phone call. One of the patrons answered the phone. He listened for a moment and then said, 'No. Will Elmo Lincoln do?' He then got a very confused look on his face and called out, 'Is Johnny Weismiller here?' After I finished the call, he turned to me and apologised. He said he'd thought it was a prank call!

The film Tarzan of the Apes was released 105 years ago in 1918. The film represented significant milestones in the film industry, and was emblematic of its times. What’s more, it represents the enduring popularity of a fiction icon that, some say, might actually have been based on a real person.