The 20 Jan 1965 LAT announced that Mike Henry, linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams football team, would be “the next screen Tarzan.” Henry was the fourteenth actor to portray Edgar Rice Burroughs’s character since 1918. His first picture was provisionally titled Tarzan ’65, to be filmed in Mexico. The 24 Jan 1965 NYT noted that Henry was one of several athletes known for playing Tarzan, along with Elmo Lincoln, Johnny Weismuller, Buster Crabbe, and Bruce Bennett. Principal photography began 25 Jan 1965, according to 12 Feb 1965 DV production charts. Producer Sy Weintraub told the 18 Jul 1965 LAT that Henry was chosen from among 400 candidates, whom he auditioned over the course of a year. Although the producer considered Henry the ideal Tarzan, the actor was required to lose twenty pounds, particularly in his waist.
       Weintraub went on to say that he purchased all motion picture and television rights to the Tarzan franchise for $3 million. His goal for his fifth film in the series, re-titled Tarzan ’66, was to model the title character after Ian Fleming’s “James Bond,” reconceiving the ape-man as “the embodiment of culture, suavity, and style.” The producer claimed that every scene in the $1.25 million production would be filmed “out of doors.”
       The 24 Feb 1965 Var reported that the Mexican Department of Tourism assigned Alfredo Berriatua as “special representative and liaison man” to the production. In addition to having Berriatua on set throughout filming, Weintraub was also required to hire a censor. The position was filled by a woman known as Madame LaFarge, who also served as “standby Mexican director.” Although the Department of Tourism enabled the production company’s access to such iconic sites as Acapulco Harbor and the Pyramids of Teotihuacan, it was forbidden to identify them on screen, lest the film be perceived as “a commercial travelogue.” Weintraub was currently in the process of hiring approximately seventy-five Mexican actors and crewmembers.
       Nine weeks later, the 31 Mar 1965 Var noted that filming was recently completed at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. The article quoted Mexican playwright and poet Salvador Novo, who denounced the use of the pyramids in the film as “degrading to a national monument.” The Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History responded by requesting that the film be “submitted for censorship or confiscated.” The director of the Institute later blamed the Department of Education for the request. Mexico’s “Technicons” union argued that the site had already appeared in several domestic productions without controversy, and accused critics of prejudice toward U.S. filmmakers. Weintraub and director Robert Day stated that they were in full compliance with government regulations, adding that use of the pyramids cost the production $400 per day. They also revealed plans to shoot another Tarzan picture in Mexico, as well as a weekly television series. As a result, the Department of Tourism reversed its previous order by asking that Mexico be identified in onscreen credits. The Mexican Department of Motion Pictures tried to quell the controversy by claiming the entire affair was a “misunderstanding,” while promising to remove any offensive sequences. Robert Day agreed to changes in the pyramid sequence, but was openly displeased with recent events. On 28 Apr 1965, Var reported that Weintraub chose Spain as the location for his next Tarzan picture. By early summer, Weintraub was negotiating with prospective distributors, according to the 23 Jun 1965 Var. Several months later, the 2 Mar 1966 DV and 5 Mar 1966 LAT reported that the film, officially titled Tarzan and the Valley of Gold, was scheduled for a 28 May 1966 release, the first through Weintraub’s distribution deal with American International Pictures (AIP).
       Tarzan and the Valley of Gold opened during Jul 1966 in New York City, double-billed with the Japanese feature, Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965). A Los Angeles, CA, debut followed in Sep 1966. Reviews were tepid. The 17 Jun 1966 DV reported that the main title sequence, produced by Cinefx, earned the company a “certificate of merit” from the Art Directors of Los Angeles Association.
       Although the 16 Sep 1965 LAT announced Mike Henry as star of the upcoming television series, Tarzan (NBC, 16 Sep 1966 – 29 Mar 1968), the role ultimately went to actor Ron Ely.