Quote:
Originally Posted by Easy 6
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He was no Johnny Weissmuller
but he was the TV Tarzan I grew up watching.
Ely was cast at the last minute after the original choice, Mike Henry, was injured by a chimpanzee on the set of the pilot. Ely was initially reluctant to take the role, but his agent convinced him it was a quality show.
Ely did almost all of his stunts. He suffered two dozen major injuries, including two broken shoulders and various lion bites. (ouch)
A remote village in Mexico stood in for an African village in the series. In one instance, Ely taught children how to catch and throw baseballs.
The Tarzan series ran for two seasons (1966-1968) and 57 episodes.
Ely's wife, Valerie Lundeen, who was Ms. Florida 1981, was found stabbed to death in their residence in Santa Barbara, CA. The police were called to the scene for a "family disturbance" and killed a suspect identified as the couple's son, Cameron. An autopsy found that Cameron was suffering from the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.