Tarzan and the Missing Element: Tarzan (March 27, 1952)

Tarzan, old-time radio on Stupid Potato

“Tarzan and the Missing Element” is an episode of Tarzan, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 27, 1952. Listen free on Stupid Potato: no sign-up, no app.

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What happens

Tarzan helps the Wacunori tribe when a drought dries up their water supply and the land around their village. The tribe's witch doctor, Locomoco, insists that the gods forbid them to leave, while the trader Rudeck profits by selling food and water at a fortified post. Tarzan must find a way to save the people, including Manu and her baby, from thirst and famine. The story is part of the Tarzan series, based on the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and was first broadcast on March 27, 1952.

The jungle of Africa, including the Wacunori village, a trading post near the Mirzari Mountains, and a green valley to the north.

Characters: Tarzan, Manu, Locomoco, Rudeck, Leslie Trident, Craig

Listen for: Tarzan's effort to find water for the tribe and the tension between the witch doctor Locomoco and the trader Rudeck.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.