The first-ever Tarzan movie, the 1918 silent classic Tarzan of the Apes , was primarily filmed in Morgan City, Louisiana
. This location served as a stand-in for the African jungle due to its lush vegetation, bayous, and moss-draped cypress trees. Key Filming Locations in Morgan City
While much of the original set was temporary or has since changed, several specific sites in the area were instrumental to the production: Lake End Park
: This waterfront area served as the backdrop for many of the film's "jungle" scenes. The production team built native palmetto huts here, some of which were dramatically burned for the movie's climax. Avoca Island : Located south of Morgan City
, this private island was used for various jungle and wilderness sequences. Atchafalaya Basin
: Aerial shots and wider landscapes were filmed across this massive swamp basin, which is the largest in North America. Shannon Hardware (Front Street)
: Now a local landmark, this downtown hardware store functioned as the film's prop shop and production office. Atchafalaya River Banks
: The untamed riverbanks were used to simulate the African coastline and waterways. Secondary Locations
After five weeks of location shooting in Louisiana, the production moved to California
for the remaining nine weeks to complete the film. These scenes were "stitched together" so seamlessly that audiences of the era reportedly could not distinguish between the two states. Why Morgan City ?
Producers chose this specific Louisiana town for several practical and aesthetic reasons: where was the first tarzan movie filmed top
Exotic Appearance: The moss-covered trees closely matched the "moss-covered branches" described in Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel.
Infrastructure: The town offered necessary amenities for a large film crew, including hotels, a railway-serviced wharf, and local storage warehouses.
Casting: Producers recruited hundreds of local residents as extras, including members of the local Black population to portray natives—marking one of the first times Black actors played Black characters in a major film instead of using blackface. Visiting Today
If you're looking to explore this cinematic history, you can visit the Cajun Coast
, where self-guided movie location driving tours are occasionally organized. While the original sets are gone, Lake End Park
remains open to the public, offering the same mossy vistas seen in the 1918 blockbuster. Expand map Outdoor Filming Sites Production History
Did you know the first Tarzan movie was filmed in Morgan City?
The first Tarzan movie, the 1918 silent film Tarzan of the Apes , was primarily filmed in Morgan City, Louisiana
. While later versions, such as the 1932 film starring Johnny Weissmuller, used locations like Silver Springs, Florida
, the original production transformed the Louisiana swamplands into a stand-in for the African jungle . Primary Filming Locations in Morgan City The first-ever Tarzan movie, the 1918 silent classic
The production utilized several specific sites in and around the city to create the world of Tarzan: Lake End Park
: This waterfront site served as the primary location for "jungle" scenes, where the crew built palmetto huts for the production Atchafalaya Basin
: The vast, moss-draped swamps of the basin provided the "wild" aesthetic required for the film's outdoor and aerial sequences Avoca Island
: Additional jungle and swamp scenes were shot on this island near the city Shannon Hardware
: Located in downtown Morgan City, this local hardware store was used as a prop studio to build sets and costumes . Supplementary Locations California : After filming for nine weeks in , the production moved to California to complete the remaining scenes, including work at Griffith Park and the in Hollywood . New Orleans : Some filming took place at the New Orleans Athletic Club , particularly involving acrobats who played the apes . Why Morgan City Was Chosen Filmmakers selected Morgan City for several practical and aesthetic reasons:
Lincoln, a former bodybuilder and actor, became the first “screen Tarzan.” He returned to Morgan City decades later for a cameo in a 1949 Tarzan serial, proving the location’s lasting connection to the character.
To summarize, the first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes (1918), was filmed in two main locations:
Title: Location as Character: The Filming Sites of the First Tarzan Movie (1918)
Abstract The first cinematic adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes was a silent film released in 1918. While the fictional jungle of “West Africa” serves as the story’s setting, the actual filming locations were confined to the United States. This paper identifies the primary filming site as Morgan City, Louisiana, with additional sequences shot in Chicago, Illinois.
Introduction The 1918 film Tarzan of the Apes, directed by Scott Sidney and starring Elmo Lincoln as the titular character, holds the distinction of being the first Tarzan feature film. Determining its filming location is crucial for film historians, as it marks the beginning of a century-long tradition of using exotic locales (or their substitutes) to represent the African jungle. The Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana: Used for the dense
Main Findings
Primary Location: Morgan City, Louisiana The majority of jungle scenes were filmed along the Bayou Teche and in the swamps surrounding Morgan City. In 1918, this region was selected for its dense, overhanging moss, cypress trees, and murky waterways, which cinematographers framed to mimic a West African jungle. The humid, subtropical environment provided a practical substitute for Africa without the logistical expense of overseas travel.
Secondary Location: Chicago, Illinois Interior scenes, including the cabin built by Tarzan’s parents and certain staged jungle sets, were filmed at the Universal Studios facility in Chicago. At the time, Universal had a major production hub there before shifting entirely to Universal City, California.
Production Context The choice of Louisiana over California or actual African locations was driven by early cinema’s logistical constraints. The filmmakers prioritized:
Conclusion To answer the query directly: The first Tarzan movie was filmed primarily in Morgan City, Louisiana (USA) , with studio interiors done in Chicago, Illinois (USA) . No footage was shot in Africa. This precedent established a trend for early Hollywood jungle films: substituting American Southern swamps or studio backlots for the African continent.
Keywords: Tarzan of the Apes (1918), Elmo Lincoln, silent film, filming location, Morgan City, Louisiana cinema history
Since this was a silent film, there was no need for authentic African animal sounds, but they did need wildlife. The filmmakers brought in trained animals from a California zoo, but for background shots, they used:
The most famous scene filmed in Morgan City is the “ape fight” sequence. The actors playing the Mangani apes (men in hair suits) wrestled in knee-deep swamp mud. Elmo Lincoln, who played Tarzan, later recalled that the mosquitoes were so ferocious that actors had to have smoke pots lit between takes.
When people search “where was the first Tarzan movie filmed top,” they often see conflicting answers. Let’s correct them:
While the deep jungle scenes were shot in Louisiana, the production also utilized the burgeoning film infrastructure in Los Angeles, California. This was the transitional era of filmmaking, where studios were moving from the East Coast to the West Coast to take advantage of the consistent sunlight and varied landscapes.
The "civilized" scenes, such as the interior of the Porter cabin and the early sequences involving Tarzan’s parents, were likely filmed on studio stages or constructed sets in the Los Angeles area. Additionally, certain coastal scenes were filmed along the California coastline, doubling for the African shores where the shipwrecked characters first land.
You will occasionally see references to a much earlier film—a 1912 silent short titled Tarzan of the Apes. However, this is a widespread myth. Burroughs’ story was not published until late 1912, and there is no surviving evidence that a commercial Tarzan film was produced that year. The true first is the 1918 feature.