Permanent Exhibition to Honor “Tarzan” Star Johnny Weissmüller

A permanent exhibition is being organized in Timișoara (Temesvár, in Romania) in memory of Johnny Weissmüller, who played Tarzan. The exhibition, presenting the life of the actor born in Freidorf (Szabadfalu), now part of the city of Timișoara, will be housed in the cinema named after him.

The city in Banat County wishes to pay tribute to the memory of its famous native son in this way, reads a press release of the Timișoara government. The “Johnny” cinema, named after Weissmüller, will be transformed into a cultural and community center for the exhibition.

In addition to the legendary swimmer and actor, the exhibition will also commemorate the history and community of the village that once existed as an independent municipality.

An interactive museum for children will also be created in the spaces of the Maria Theresa Bastion, with a focus on play, discovery and creativity.

Timișoara. Photo: Wikipedia

Dominic Fritz, mayor of Timișoara, said that the city needs museums with a modern vision and lively community spaces.

The two new venues will be ready to welcome visitors next year,

he announced.

Johnny Weissmüller was the first swimmer in the world to swim 100 meters in under a minute and won five Olympic gold medals, but the world remembers him best as Tarzan.

He was born into a Swabian family as a Hungarian citizen on June 2, 1904, in Szabadfalu (Freidorf), near Timișoara. His parents emigrated to the United States, where they eventually settled in Chicago. The skinny boy took up swimming on medical advice and immediately stood out for his talent. At the age of 17, he won every event he entered in the American championships and set his first world record.

Johnny Weissmuller at a swim event in 1922. Photo: Wikipedia / Bain News Service

Over time, he grew into a ‘giant’, standing 190 centimeters tall and weighing 95 kilograms. In 1922, he was the first to swim 100 meters in under a minute and 400 meters in under five minutes. He broke his personal best 174 times, was a 52-time American champion, and set 67 world records. He won five gold medals at the 1924 Paris and 1928 Antwerp Olympics, and in 1924 he was also a member of the bronze medal-winning water polo team.

He also became known as a lifesaver, rescuing eleven drowning people from Lake Michigan in Chicago after a boat accident in 1927.

In 1932, he was selected from 50 applicants to play the role of Tarzan. Tarzan the Ape Man was a huge success.

Weissmüller went on to don his leather loincloth eighteen more times, swinging from branch to branch and uttering his famous cry, which he supposedly learned from his mother’ yodeling.

Weissmüller’s last Tarzan film was made in 1948, after which he played the title role in the Jungle Jim series for seven years, with less success, and retired in 1955. He lost his fortune in his old age and lived in complete seclusion in Acapulco, Mexico, from 1977 onwards, wanting people to remember him as the dashing Tarzan.

Johnny Weissmüller as Tarzan on a stamp in Romania. Photo: Wikipedia

Johnny Weissmüller died on January 20, 1984, at the age of 80. At his funeral, in accordance with his wishes, his famous call was played three times, followed by a 21-gun salute befitting a head of state. The swimmer-turned-movie star was inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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