Mike Henry Tarzan's Knife

[Kentuckylongrifle]

I grew up watching all the Tarzan movies but Mike Henry was my favorite. Apparently my wife's as well when she walked in the other day while I was watching one and said "Woah, who's that?!", and proceeded to watch the rest of the movie with me.

Over the last few decades, whenever at a gun or knife show, I've always looked around as I thought I might like one for a display. It never dawned on me till now to post about it and see if anyone knew what type of knife it might be. It is big, Based on his height I'd say the overall length is 18 inches or more. Any thoughts?

FLIKR Photo's https://www.flickr.com/photos/192085383@N05/albums/72157718246414101

 

[Lee D]

If you had the specs, you could always have one made.

 

[Bastler]

Welcome to the forum. Can you find a picture that shows the blade?

 

[Kentuckylongrifle]

Welcome to the forum. Can you find a picture that shows the blade?

Here's a link to my FLIKR album with them. I'm not having any luck linking the photo's from it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192085383@N05/albums/72157718246414101

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Idk if there needs to be a warning for those opening Your link at work?

Lots of Tarzan "crotch shots" and not enough knife pics..... :/
Just saying....

 

[Kentuckylongrifle]

Idk if there needs to be a warning for those opening Your link at work?

Lots of Tarzan "crotch shots" and not enough knife pics..... :/
Just saying....

Well, it is Tarzan, LOL
Reminds me of a couple of quotes he said in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold.
1. "I'll need a good rope, a hunting knife and a soft piece of leather"
2. "The outfit is casual, but practical"

His idea of practical in the jungle and my idea or practical are worlds apart. Along with just what do they consider a "hunting knife" in that part of the world because that knife looks more like a short sword. I just chalk it up once again to Hollywood make-believe.

 

[tltt]

Looking at it, it was based on the English bayonets of the late 1800s, or perhaps the large English Bowie style hunting knives of the late 1800's - 1st quarter of the 1900s. It looks closer to a reworked bayonet though. The scabbard, length, etc.... all say bayonet, and the ears on the guard and shape say English.

Another lead is to maybe track down Joe Musso, he collected movie props for years (he was in the business), and did own some of the knives used in Tarzan.

Here's a look at two of the fake knives used in later films -

.

 

[not2sharp]

Looks like a typical European hunting knife c. 1880-1910

n2s

 

[Velitrius]

I'm gonna say bayonet.

Scabbard, length, guard, long handle without any real shape or taper...

Just screams bayonet to me.

 

[Barman1]

It looks like a Sheffield style bowie variation with a leather strapped handle to me.
Not that Hollywood would care about historical accuracy but a Victorian era Sheffield bowie would fit in the era and locale Burroughs imagined.

 

[cbach8tw]

I was fond of Gordon Scott’s dagger type knife. There are pictures in the forum here somewhere about Tarzan’s knives and the then “what would Tarzan’s knife be” discussions.

 

[Arathol]

It looks like a Sheffield style bowie variation with a leather strapped handle to me.
Not that Hollywood would care about historical accuracy but a Victorian era Sheffield bowie would fit in the era and locale Burroughs imagined.

Not only that, but its what ERB described in the books. Tarzans knife was said to be an "American style" bowie type knife. It was found by a young John Clayton among his parents possessions after their death. Being that his father was Lord Greystoke, an English aristocrat, the knife was almost certainly a higher end piece from Sheffield or the like.
The Mike Henry knife is most likely just a movie prop based on some generic large English bowie type knife made to fit the character origin story, designed and built for on-screen appearance, nothing more.

 

[Pilsner]

Not only that, but its what ERB described in the books. Tarzans knife was said to be an "American style" bowie type knife. It was found by a young John Clayton among his parents possessions after their death. Being that his father was Lord Greystoke, an English aristocrat, the knife was almost certainly a higher end piece from Sheffield or the like.
The Mike Henry knife is most likely just a movie prop based on some generic large English bowie type knife made to fit the character origin story, designed and built for on-screen appearance, nothing more.

Although, on the other side of the coin, I am not aware that ERB ever visited England, whereas his notion that the English aristocracy were the ultimately refined bloodline was informed by his views on eugenics. I don’t think historical accuracy mattered very much to him.

Tarzan was seen by critics as one of a clutch of books that surfaced after the popularity of the Jungle Books. Kipling wrote,

“I read it, but regret I never saw it on the films, where it rages most successfully. He had 'jazzed' the motif of the Jungle Books and, I imagine, had thoroughly enjoyed himself. He was reported to have said that he wanted to find out how bad a book he could write and 'get away with', which is a legitimate ambition."

Incidentally, those Sheffield Bowie’s were really for export only. England was rather tame, long before the 19th century. Those who hunted did so accompanied by servants, or if shooting deer in Scotland, gillies. Those without servants, who might dress their own game, or ‘gralloch’ their own deer, were almost invariably poachers, and certainly none of these people would have had any use for a huge fixed blade knife!

 

[Hal]

Wait - - what - - ??!! Tarzan (Weissmuller) carried a rubber knife?
Is there nothing sacred?
Oh, the humanity......

There goes another one of my childhood icons.....
Tarzan & his rubber knife is now right up there with Jim Bowie (as played by Allan Ladd - who is closer in stature to one of the Lollipop Guild than the real Jim Bowie)

 

[midnight flyer]

Wait - - what - - ??!! Tarzan (Weissmuller) carried a rubber knife?
Is there nothing sacred?
Oh, the humanity......

When I was a kid, somewhere around 1962 or so, the Houston Zoo opened up a new section of the venue. They were particularly focusing on the alligator exhibit and Johnny Weissmuller was invited as a guest to marshal and open up the new sections and exhibits to the public.

I though I was going to meet Tarzan. In my group of buddies, we convinced ourselves that he was going to "suit up" (suit down?) and actually wrestle an alligator. So the big Saturday came, and we were finally going to meet Tarzan. We thought we would see some variation of this:

We got was a little younger version of this, ascot and all:

There goes another one of my childhood icons....

I was crushed. I knew that Tarzan wasn't real, but I had only known about him at that time for a couple of years from Saturday morning movies. He was a hit, took and signed a ton of pictures, but I was so heartbroken I didn't even go shake his hand. I literally couldn't figure out what happened. He looked like my grandfather.

Tarzan & his rubber knife is now right up there with Jim Bowie (as played by Allan Ladd - who is closer in stature to one of the Lollipop Guild than the real Jim Bowie)

So, later on in my disillusioned childhood, we moved to San Antonio, Texas, about 1966 or so. Now we had time to really explore the Alamo and some other venerated Texas historical sites. I was stunned after spending the day at the Alamo to find as a "point of interest" that no one knows EXACTLY, definitively, surely, what the Bowie knife looked like or was made of. Without any regards for a young man's feelings, they explained that it was probably a well made knife, probably a little larger than the norm used at that time as a utility knife, and there were probably more than one model that was owned and used by Bowie. (Apparently he was a knife guy.) But no one knows for sure, and no pictures exist of an actual Bowie made for and used by Jim Bowie. They had all the cites, quotes, and references to back it up. I couldn't believe it. I thought the big CASE Bowie with the brass spine was an authentic Bowie. What???

Not sure how I got through those tough episodes of knife history, but pretty sure they left a mark!

Robert

 

[Pilsner]

When I was a kid, somewhere around 1962 or so, the Houston Zoo opened up a new section of the venue. They were particularly focusing on the alligator exhibit and Johnny Weissmuller was invited as a guest to marshal and open up the new sections and exhibits to the public.

I though I was going to meet Tarzan. In my group of buddies, we convinced ourselves that he was going to "suit up" (suit down?) and actually wrestle an alligator. So the big Saturday came, and we were finally going to meet Tarzan. We thought we would see some variation of this:

We got was a little younger version of this, ascot and all:

I was crushed. I knew that Tarzan wasn't real, but I had only known about him at that time for a couple of years from Saturday morning movies. He was a hit, took and signed a ton of pictures, but I was so heartbroken I didn't even go shake his hand. I literally couldn't figure out what happened. He looked like my grandfather.



So, later on in my disillusioned childhood, we moved to San Antonio, Texas, about 1966 or so. Now we had time to really explore the Alamo and some other venerated Texas historical sites. I was stunned after spending the day at the Alamo to find as a "point of interest" that no one knows EXACTLY, definitively, surely, what the Bowie knife looked like or was made of. Without any regards for a young man's feelings, they explained that it was probably a well made knife, probably a little larger than the norm used at that time as a utility knife, and there were probably more than one model that was owned and used by Bowie. (Apparently he was a knife guy.) But no one knows for sure, and no pictures exist of an actual Bowie made for and used by Jim Bowie. They had all the cites, quotes, and references to back it up. I couldn't believe it. I thought the big CASE Bowie with the brass spine was an authentic Bowie. What???

Not sure how I got through those tough episodes of knife history, but pretty sure they left a mark!

Robert

Great post - many thanks.

 

[Hal]

Robert - I feel your pain. Good post - love the picture of Cheeta!

I did have the good fortune to see The Lone Ranger & Tonto at a parade at some park outside of Pittsburgh (South Hills maybe?)in the late 1950s.
Thankfully - they were in full costume & riding horses too!

 

[Pilsner]

Robert - I feel your pain. Good post - love the picture of Cheeta!

I did have the good fortune to see The Lone Ranger & Tonto at a parade at some park outside of Pittsburgh (South Hills maybe?)in the late 1950s.
Thankfully - they were in full costume & riding horses too!

That, sir, is bloody marvellous.

 

[AndrewH60]

Welcome to the forum. Can you find a picture that shows the blade?

Agree that it looks bayonet like. Even the sheath could be a leather covered war time one. The double guard is the only thing that not many had in that style.

 

[AndrewH60]

I was fond of Gordon Scott’s dagger type knife. There are pictures in the forum here somewhere about Tarzan’s knives and the then “what would Tarzan’s knife be” discussions.

His was my favourite if I remember correctly. Though looks like he had a couple to choose from.