Glenn Morris (1912-1974)

biography

Born in Denver, Colorado, on June 18, 1912, 6'2" Glenn Morris is best known as a Decathlon gold medalist in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. As a student at the Colorado State College of Agriculture, Morris played football and was inspired to try the decathlon after traveling to Los Angeles to see the 1932 summer Olympics. After college, Morris became a car salesman, but by the time the 1936 summer Olympics took place, Morris had taken a job at NBC radio in New York as an announcer.


Much like Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe had parlayed Olympic medals into Hollywood fame, Glenn Morris was signed as an actor. However, he made only a few films, including the 1938 features Tarzan's Revenge and the comedy Hold That Co-ed. Sol Lesser, who at the time was a producer of low-budget films, cast Morris in the role of Tarzan over baseball player Lou Gehrig. Lesser had tried once before to cast a popular Olympic athlete in the role of Tarzan; in 1933, Lesser signed Buster Crabbe to portray Tarzan in Tarzan the Fearless. Although this film suffered poor box office receipts, Lesser attempted a Tarzan film with Glenn Morris, titled Tarzan's Revenge. In the 1940s and 1950s, Lesser produced the Tarzan series of films with Johnny Weissmuller, Lex Barker, and Gordon Scott.


When Tarzan's Revenge was released in January 1938, it failed to make box office impact and slid into obscurity. As a result, Sol Lesser dropped Morris' contract in May 1938. On a personal front, things weren't much better; Morris married his first wife, Charlotte, in 1936, but the union began unraveling in 1938. In November of that year, Morris abandoned his acting career in favor of playing football for the Hollywood Stars of the California Pro Football League, but the team folded shortly thereafter.

the films of glenn morris

Tarzan's Revenge (1938)

later years

Upon the release of Tarzan's Revenge in early 1938, critics were unmerciful in their condemation of the film, in part because of the success of Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan films. Weissmuller's films were also of a much higher production quality than Revenge, which was shot on a miniscule budget and released by 20th Century-Fox. In truth, Morris's performance in the film is pretty solid; however, the film's failure compelled Morris to quit acting.

After the collapse of his film career, Glenn Morris became an insurance agent, but he enlisted in the Navy with the start of World War II. During the war, Morris suffered severe psychological trama, and he spent a lot of time recovering in the San Francisco Navy Hospital. After years of poor health, Morris passed away on January 31, 1974, at the age of 61. Morris left no immediate survivors.

glenn morris films available from movies unlimited

Tarzan's Revenge [DVD](1938) DVD
Decathlon champ Glenn Morris takes over the reins as Tarzan, rescuing a young woman from the evil clutches of a demented ruler, who has designs on keeping her for himself in his hidden fortress. Co-stars Eleanor Holm and C. Henry Gordon. 70 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Olympia, Parts I & II [DVD](1938) DVD
Commissioned by the Nazi government to film the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, documentarian Leni Riefenstahl fashioned a mesmerizing tribute to athletic grace and beauty, while juxtaposing the Olympian spirit of Ancient Greece to "the ideals of National Socialism." Part one features the opening ceremonies, marathon, high dive and more; part two covers events around the stadium and Olympic village, as well as swimming, equestrian, the Pentathlon, the Decathlon, and more. 163 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; biography.

glenn morris posters available

glenn morris books available

Mike Chapman's The Gold and the Glory: The Amazing True Story of Glenn Morris, Olympic Champion and Movie Tarzan is the only biography of Glenn Morris, 1936 Olympic champion and Tarzan actor. Illustrated with 125 rare photos. 144 pages; softcover. Published by Culture House Books, March 2003.

filmography

Tarzan's Revenge (1938) with Eleanor Holm, Hedda Hopper, and George Meeker
Hold That Co-ed (1938) with John Barrymore, Joan Davis, and Ruth Terry
Olympia Part Two (1938)
She Married an Artist (1937) with John Boles, Alexander D'Arcy, and Albert Dekker
Decathlon Champion (1937) a short featuring Glenn Morris

glenn morris film now showing

Watch Glenn Morris in the 1938 film Tarzan's Revenge