Gene Pollar
Encyclopedia
Gene Pollar was the screen name of New York City
firefighter
Joseph Pohler, who in his very brief movie career played Tarzan
.
' novel The Return of Tarzan
, and also changed his name to Gene Pollar.
just two weeks prior to its opening on July 20, 1920. The film was a success, but Numa refused to release Pollar to accept a contract from Universal Pictures
.
.
Pollar emerged briefly from obscurity in 1966, at age 73. That year, a publicity event surrounding the premiere of NBC's Tarzan series brought together several actors who had played the apeman, and the guest of honor was James H. Pierce, then 66, who was dubbed the "oldest living Tarzan". Pollar contacted the media and declared correctly that he himself was the oldest. "Pierce is just a kid compared to me", he joked. Pollar blamed the mix-up on a New York City paper's erroneous report of his death a few year earlier.
Pollar died in 1971 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, at age 79.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
Joseph Pohler, who in his very brief movie career played Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
.
Background
At age 28, the 6'2", 215 pound Joseph Charles Pohler became the second actor to portray Tarzan in films. When Numa pictures tried to contract Elmo Lincoln for another film about the apeman, he declined, so one of the Weiss brothers, while on a visit to New York, signed Pohler to a contract to star in The Return of Tarzan, based on Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
' novel The Return of Tarzan
The Return of Tarzan
The Return of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine New Story Magazine in the issues for June through December 1913; the first book edition was published in 1915 by A. C....
, and also changed his name to Gene Pollar.
Production
Pollar was paid $100 per week. The production was sold to Goldwyn Distribution Corporation in April 1920. As a precautionary measure, since it featured a new star, the film was retitled The Revenge of TarzanThe Revenge of Tarzan
The Revenge of Tarzan is a silent adventure film, and the third Tarzan film produced. The film was produced by the Great Western Film Producing Company, a subsidiary of Numa Pictures Corporation. It was sold to Goldwyn Distributing Company before release...
just two weeks prior to its opening on July 20, 1920. The film was a success, but Numa refused to release Pollar to accept a contract from Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
.
Later life
The disgruntled Pollar ended his acting career and returned to firefighting under his original name, Joseph C. Pohler. In 1944, he became a purchasing agent for a retail store chain, for which he worked until his retirement to West Hollywood, FloridaWest Hollywood, Florida
West Hollywood is a neighborhood in Broward County, Florida, United States. The ZIP code for the community is 33023. The community is within the city limits of Hollywood. The latest population for the area recorded was 60,806. West Hollywood reported as an "unincorporated place" by the U.S...
.
Pollar emerged briefly from obscurity in 1966, at age 73. That year, a publicity event surrounding the premiere of NBC's Tarzan series brought together several actors who had played the apeman, and the guest of honor was James H. Pierce, then 66, who was dubbed the "oldest living Tarzan". Pollar contacted the media and declared correctly that he himself was the oldest. "Pierce is just a kid compared to me", he joked. Pollar blamed the mix-up on a New York City paper's erroneous report of his death a few year earlier.
Pollar died in 1971 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, at age 79.