If you've ever done an impression of Tarzan - whether talking about the Disney film, parody George Of The Jungle, or swinging on ropes in PE assuming you're the funniest person ever born - it'll involve that infamous yodel. Probably coupled with some chest-beating. The King Of The Jungle originated in a series of novels by genre pioneer Edgar Rice Burroughs. Those books included most of the important Tarzan stuff: the loincloth, the raised by apes after getting abandoned by his rich parents, the swinging on vines. But not the howl that has come most to characterise the general public's conception of the guy. That comes straight from actor and expert yodeller Johnny Weissmuller, who played the character starting with 1932's Tarzan The Ape Man. Which is the first time the famous Tarzan yell was heard - the script simply called for a cry to summon his jungle pals, described in the books as "the victory cry of the bull ape." And with that piece of improvisation, Johnny Weissmuller changed popular culture through the whole of the next century. That's a pretty huge deal. Bear that in mind next time you're drunk on a jungle gym. Which other influential movie moments were made up on the fly? Share any examples missed down in the comments.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
