After the conquest of five golden Olympic medals, the American swimmer of German descent Johnny Weismuller began an acting career. Films about Tarzan with his participation were popular not only in the West, but also on the other side of the Iron Curtain. As some assure, so much so that on the day of his death on Red Square, Tarzan's branded cry sounded throughout the day. We find out how everything was really.

From 1932 to 1948, Weissmuller starred in 12 films About the young man who grew among the monkeys and his adventures. The first paintings became popular in Europe, and after the war, the films hit the USSR. In the early 50s, trophy cinema was shown throughout the country, including films about Tarzan. A half -naked athletic man traveling along the jungle with his beloved Jane and Chimpanzee Chita plunged the audience not accustomed to such films and at the same time fell in love with thousands of Soviet spectators. But was this enough to organize such a bright “tribe” on the deceased idol after 30 years?

The story of the cry of Tarzan, who sounded on Red Square during the day in January 1984, said the son of actor Johnny Weismuller Jr.. In his book of memoirs “Tarzan, my father”, published in 2002, he Writes: “Erlin Muller, who worked in Moscow on an article for Sports IllustratedWhen he [father] died, she said that the Russians included the record of Klich Tarzan on Red Square for 24 hours without a break. ” Subsequently, the journalist published article About Weissmuner in one of the August numbers of the publication. Surprisingly, the article about the action in memory of the deceased star does not say anything.

Doubts about the authenticity of this story intensify if you turn to other sources. Researcher Frederick White Writesthat in the 1970s and especially in the 1980s, the popularity of films about Tarzan in the Soviet Union fell significantly. Weissmuller died in Mexico on January 20, 1984-respectively, in the USSR they learned about this on the morning of January 21, on the day of the 60th anniversary of Lenin's death. It is not surprising that on Red Square there was a queue from those who wanted to visit the leader of the leader in connection with the anniversary. This line captured Photographer Boris Kaufman.

Most likely, the story from and to invented Weismuller Jr.. Even if it were real, at least two factors would prevent it from believed in this, of course, a beautiful story: the peak of the popularity of Tarzan films and employees of special services who guarded the area that had been so responsible from an ideological point of view of the day.