Where Was The First Tarzan Movie Filmed Top Jun 2026

The first Tarzan movie ever made, the 1918 silent film masterpiece Tarzan of the Apes , was filmed on location in the lush, moss-draped bayous of . While audiences on Broadway believed they were looking deep into the untamed jungles of equatorial Africa, they were actually seeing the primeval backwaters of the Atchafalaya Basin.

[Morgan City, Louisiana] │ ├─► Lake End Park (Waterfront & Native Village Scenes) │ ├─► Atchafalaya Basin (Swamps standing in for African Jungle) │ └─► Lake Palourde (Deep Jungle & Waterway Sequences) Specific Filming Spots in the Bayou where was the first tarzan movie filmed top

: It was one of the first major motion pictures to film on location outside of the Los Angeles or New York areas. Casting Milestones The first Tarzan movie ever made, the 1918

The moss-covered cypress trees and bayous provided the "jungle" atmosphere. Lake End Park: Used for many of the village and hut scenes. Avoca Island: Another key wilderness location used for outdoor filming. Shannon Hardware: Casting Milestones The moss-covered cypress trees and bayous

Trained circus animals were shipped to Morgan City via train cars.

| Film | Year | Primary Filming Location | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 1918 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana (swamps & Ramshorn Plantation) | | First Sound-Era Tarzan (Weissmuller) | 1932 | Hollywood, California & Sherwood Forest, CA |

Local lore even suggests that during filming, monkeys escaped into the swamps; while there is no scientific evidence of a breeding population today, the story remains a popular part of Morgan City's "Tarzan" identity. Following nine weeks in Louisiana, the production shifted to California to complete filming at Griffith Park and the Selig Zoo in Los Angeles. Expand map