The Lex Barker Tarzan Films Ranked

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Lex Barker starred as Tarzan in five films produced by RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, taking over the role from Johnny Weissmuller. Barker’s portrayal marked a shift in the series’ tone: his Tarzan was leaner, more athletic, and less reliant on broken English, reflecting a slightly more sophisticated image of the character. His first film, Tarzan’s Magic Fountain (1949), introduced him to audiences and paired him with Brenda Joyce as Jane. Over the course of his tenure—films such as Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950), Tarzan’s Peril (1951), and Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)—the productions retained the classic jungle adventure format but began incorporating more exotic locales, new animal footage, and heightened action sequences to appeal to postwar audiences.

Barker’s Tarzan films are often praised for revitalizing the franchise during a transitional period in Hollywood. They maintained the family-friendly adventure tone while subtly modernizing the character, making Tarzan seem more intelligent and worldly. Though Barker’s time as Tarzan was relatively short compared to Weissmuller’s, his performance helped sustain the series through the early 1950s and influenced later interpretations of the character. Today, Barker’s Tarzan films are remembered for their energetic pacing, colourful villains, and for bridging the gap between the golden-age jungle adventures and the more contemporary Tarzan adaptations that followed.

Here are our rankings for Barker’s Tarzan films.