Photoplay Editions & Movie Tie-Ins
The Golden Years [1912-1969] ... Juvenile Films

From the classics to adventurous tales from the prolific pens of Horatio Alger, Oliver Optic, Edward Ellis and Henty, the field of juveniles would become an ever growing market into the 1930s and beyond.  Capitalizing on the popularity of a wide and growing audience, publishers would cater to many genres from the classics of Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland and Moby Dick ... to adventures in the American West with the Lone Ranger ... to far away lands with Tarzan and Bomba the Jungle Boy.

After his golden, record setting Olympic swimming career, Johnny Weismuller would star in 12 Tarzan feature films between 1932 and 1948 [six with MGM and six with RKO] along with gracing the cover of two Whitman Big Little Books, The Tarzan of the Screen ["with summaries of Tarzan the Ape Man and Tarzan and His Mate], and Tarzan Escapes [1936 MGM film as a movie tie-in to Tarzan Triumphant].  These Whitman editions were lavishly illustrated with several dozen movie stills.  
By 1949, Johnny Sheffield would step up from the role of Boy [son of Tarzan] in 8 of the former films to a starring role as Bomba the Jungle Boy in 12 feature films from 1949 through 1955.  Bomba the Jungle Boy had begun as a popular juvenile series of 20 titles published by Cupples & Leon over a dozen years [1926-38].  The U.S. publisher decided to add a photo wraparound band as they reissued the books in 1949 with a new dustjacket design.  Across the pond, there was also a PhotoPlay edition issued by Ward, Lock.

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Last Revision:  February 11, 2021 7:27 PM