Yesterday the ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ television broadcast had a segment on the Tarzan movies, focusing in on Johnny Weissmuller, the most famous of the actors who played Tarzan. It reminded me of an incident that happened back in the ‘50s when I was a patrol officer with the Riverside County (California) Sheriff’s Department.
I liked to work the graveyard shift and was on patrol in the Rubidoux area of Riverside. I believe it was around 3 a.m. when I passed a closed service station. I observed a man and woman fighting outside a car parked by the station’s gas pumps. I immediately pulled in and found a sloshed Johnny Weissmuller bleeding from a gash on his cheek. The wound was caused by a large diamond ring his equally sloshed wife was wearing when she slugged him. Weissmuller was a huge man, but age had made him flabby. His wife was tiny by comparison.
When I pulled into the station, they were shouting at each other and Tarzan was holding his Jane’s wrists trying to keep her from slugging him again. I got out of my patrol car and told them to cut it out and asked what was going on. They were both very cooperative, unlike most drunks when confronted by the police. Tarzan and his Jane were in Riverside to attend an automobile race near March Air Force Base. The raceway was on the other side of Riverside from Rubidoux. They both admitted that, because they were drunk, they got lost trying to find the way back to their motel. Unfortunately for Tarzan and Jane, this time Cheeta wasn’t around to help them out.
I could have had my 15 minutes of fame had I arrested Weissmuller and his wife. . Just think of the worldwide news headlines their arrest would have garnered: Tarzan and his Jane locked up, Cheeta nowhere in sight
Instead of busting them, I moved their car to a parking area at the station, locked it up and gave the keys to Weissmuller. I drew him a map of the location so that he could retrieve his car after he had sobered up. Then I took a chance by leaving my assigned beat and drove both of them to their motel in Riverside.
My 15 minutes of fame went down the drain at the moment Tarzan and Jane staggered back into their tree house … err, I mean motel room.
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