ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Was Tarzan's famous reputation invented in the books of Edgar Rice Burroughs or by filmmakers?

QUESTION: Was Tarzan's famous reputation invented in the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs or by filmmakers?

Edgar Rice Burroughs described Tarzan’s animalistic cry in his debut film “Tarzan and the Apes” in 1912.

Here a “Belgian” describes it as “the cry of a great bull ape who has made a kill.” In “The Return of Tarzan” (1913), Jane witnesses it: “The man [Tarzan] set one foot on the carcass of his prey, and with his handsome face raised to the full moon, he uttered the most terrible scream that had ever reached their ears.”

However, the famous howl we heard in the schoolyard probably came from Johnny Weissmuller, the actor most associated with the character.

He explained: “My parents came from Austria and I always yodelled with them as a child… And when the cry came, I just yodelled.” Over the years there have been suggestions that the cry was amplified by various animal noises, but Weissmuller vehemently denied this.

The famous howl we used to make in the schoolyard was probably invented by Johnny Weissmuller (pictured), the actor most associated with the character.

Lou Johnson, York

QUESTION: Where does the saying “The world is at your feet” come from?

This comes from William Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor, written around 1602.

The exact line from Act 2 is spoken by the character Pistol: “Why then is the world my oyster?”

Which I will open with the sword.” In this context, Pistol suggests that he can take whatever he wants from the world by force, just as one opens an oyster to get to the pearl inside.

Over time, this expression has come to mean that the world is full of opportunities and possibilities for those who are willing to seize them.

Gillian Short, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

QUESTION: Black Sabbath used to be called Polka Tulk Blues Band. What other famous bands had terrible original names?

In addition to the previous answers, Simon and Garfunkel were originally known as Tom and Jerry and even released a record under that name in 1957.

If they had remained Tom and Jerry, I don't think they would have been taken so seriously.

Janne Kerr, Peterborough