Producer Sy Weintraub did not stop with the renovation of the Tarzan franchise after Tarzan the Magnificent as he should have. Starting with this series entry, he made several mistakes, the first and foremost being the recasting of the title character. Gordon Scott, one of the greatest screen Tarzans ever, probably would have done more, but Weintraub wanted a taller, leaner Tarzan, and found what he was after in the villain from the previous film, Jock Mahoney. Mahoney's Tarzan isn't bad, but it's bland and can't hold a candle to Scott's. The second mistake was yet another futile attempt to fill the shoes vacated by Johnny Sheffield, who played Boy opposite Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan starting in 1939. Here, Tarzan's young co-star is Jai, the Elephant Boy, and adds very little to the film.

True to its title, the story has Tarzan visiting India (why, I'm not sure) and saving a herd of elephants who live in an area soon to be flooded by a new dam. But moving them to a safe location would mean a delay in the dam's construction, which doesn't bode well with the villains, who are in charge of the project. The villains aren't particularly believable, and the film drags in spots, but it compares favorably with most of the Tarzan films made throughout the fifties. It was shot on location, which is one plus, and the color and cinemascope frame are put to good use. Even better, Tarzan uses his head, which, even though Weintraub made the character smart two films ago, is still a refreshing sight.