Figure 1.--Johhny Sheffield with his infectous smile had many film roles, often the star of a film as a boy. He will always be known, however, as Tarzan's son 'Boy'. He played the role with the best loved Tarzan--Johnny Weissmuller. Boy was not in the Tarzan books, but included to passify nervous censors. The studio shpt here was probably taken in 1939 just as Johnny was beginning his run as Tarzan films.

Johnny Sheffield was born April 11, 1931, in Pasadena, California. His father was a Hollywood-based actor who had played the title role in the 1923 production of "David Copperfield" and who became a stock character player. Johnny was a sickly child, but his father insisted on exercise, especially swimming, and the boy conquered his health problems. Quite naturally he gravitated toward acting and films. In 1938, Johnny played the grandson in the original cast of the Broadway play, "On Borrowed Time." As the character Pud, which he played in short pants, Sheffield became a Broadway celebrity at the age of 7 years. Back at MGM., the studio was looking for child actor to play a son for Tarzan. "Boy" was actually the result of much soul-searching on the part of the MGM script department. The Tarzan series which had begun in 1932 with "Tarzan the Ape Man" with swim star Johnny Weissmuller. MGM needed some gimmick to help bolster and propel the series forward. A plot line offspring seemed a logical solution. Edgar Rice Boroughs' books, however, had always roused the ire of the censors because Tarzan and Jane were never officially married. As a result MGM decided to introduce Boy into the series as a foundling by a convenient plane crash to avoid the need to explain any unsanctioned child-bearing hanky panky in Tarzan's tree house. Johnny had a problem. He didn't know how to swim. Weissemuller took a liking to him and had Joohnny just grab hold of him during the swim test. Johnny rembers how Weissmuller was always looking fter him on the film shoots. Boy was the first major child star to swing from vines, cavort with apes, dodge rhinoceros - and probably the last. With moppet hair and loincloth, he was instantly popular. The situation was boldly presented to the public in 1939 with "Tarzan Find a Son." So began the cinematic film career of Johnny Sheffield, who would frolic through the African jungles before out growing one Boy, for another--Bomba. In his first outing, Johnny really earned his pay check. He swung from tree to tree, was caught in a tarantula web, was nearly run over by a light footed rhinoceros, and was captured by shrieking natives. As Tarzan aficionados may recall, Weissmuller wanted to call his new son "Elephant" because of his strong grip. In contrast, the final name of "Boy" seemed more refined. Certainly "Boy" was more fitting than the "darling" the English accented Jane called him. Johnny was outfitted in a loin cloth and his impish mischief unlighted the Tarzan series. He played the innocent child with wide-eyed enthusiasm. Because there were often several month shut downs between Tarzan shootings, Johnny worked in several other films where he had small parts. Despite these occasional roles which he played fully dressed, it was in his loin cloth that he was to be the envy of every boy from Pasadena to Rome for more than a decade. Sheffield turned to a new series, featuring Bomba the jungle boy, a low-budget Allied Artist production which began in 1949. Originally conceived for the saturday afternoon double features, the Bomba series proved popular and continued until 1955 with "Lord of the Jungle". Sheffield eventually left his boyhood film career, entered college, and has become a quite beefy real-estate executive.

Parents

Johnny was born April 11, 1931, in Pasadena, California. His father was a Hollywood-based actor who had played the title role in the 1923 production of "David Copperfield" and who became a stock character player.

Childhood

ohnny was a sickly child, surprising considering the role for which he was to become famous. His father, however, insisted on exercise, especially swimming, and the boy conquered his health problems.

Early Film Career

Quite naturally Johnny gravitated toward acting and films. Johnny played the grandson in the original cast of the Broadway play, "On Borrowed Time" (1938) As the character Pud, which he played in short pants, Sheffield thus became a Broadway celebrity at the age of 7 years old. At about the sane time that Johnny was beginning his Tarzan run, he played a brief scene in "Knute Rockne, All American" (1940). He plays Rockne at age 9 years after the family had immigrated from Norway. He pesters the big boys to let him play football. He is run over two times, but makes the tackle. The second time he is knocked out. As a result he is late to dinner which upsets his father who lectures him in Norwegian. There follows a great line. "Speak American papa. We're all American now. Especially me--I'm the left end." He tells his parents that he has been playing a most wonderous game. His mother asks why his nose is bleeding. He replies nonchalantly, "Some one must have stepped on me." He had a staring role that same year--"Little Orvie" (1940). RKO had planned to make a series of 'Orvie' films. When 'Little Orvie' did not do well at the box office, they dropped the idea.

Tarzan

Back at MGM., the studio was looking for child actor to play a son for Tarzan. "Boy" was actually the result of much soul-searching on the part of the MGM. script department. The Tarzan series which had begun in 1932 with "Tarzan the Ape Man" needed some gimmick to help bolster and propel the series forward. A plot line offspring seemed a logical solution. Edgar Rice Boroughs' books, however, had always roused the ire of the censors because Tarzan and Jane were never officially married. As a result MGM. decided to introduce Boy into the series as a foundling by a convenient plane crash to avoid the need to explain any unsanctioned child-bearing hanky panky in Tarzan's tree house. Once that decision was made, the next step was to find an athletic child actor. The MGM. Tarzan movies were grueling exercises and encompassed months of shooting time. Even the normally healthy co-stars were exhausted by the shooting schedule. Sheffield's acting experience and athletic ability gave him an advantage over scores of other contenders. After approval from Weissmuler, Johnny joined the series in California where all the footage was shot. So in 1939, Maureen O'Sullivan, in a skimpy costume and teased hair, looked over the jungle sector of the MGM. backlot and exclaimed for the grinding cameras, "The King has a son!" Boy was the first major child star to swing from vines, cavort with apes, dodge rhinoceros - and probably the last. With moppet hair and loincloth, he was instantly popular. The situation was boldly presented to the public in 1939 with "Tarzan Find a Son." So began the cinematic film career of Johnny Sheffield, who would frolic through the African jungles before out growing one Boy, for another--Bomba. In his first outing, Johnny really earned his pay check. He swung from tree to tree, was caught in a tarantula web, was nearly run over by a light footed rhinoceros, and was captured by shrieking natives. As Tarzan aficionados may recall, Weissmuller wanted to call his new son "Elephant" because of his strong grip. In contrast, the final name of "Boy" seemed more refined. Certainly "Boy" was more fitting than the "darling" the English accented Jane called him. Johnny was outfitted in a loin cloth and his impish mischief unlighted the Tarzan series. He played the innocent child with wide-eyed enthusiasm. Because there were often several month shut downs between Tarzan shootings, Johnny worked in several other films where he had small parts. Despite these occasional roles which he played fully dressed, it was in his loincloth that he was to be the envy of every boy from Pasadena to Rome for more than a decade. His next Tarzan adventure was released in 1941. He had become accepted as part of the jungle landscape, every bit as important as Chitta in "Tarzan's Secret Adventure". He rejoined Tarzan in 1942 for "Tarzan's New York Adventure" where he, Tarzan, and Jane confront the rigors of civilization. MGM. then sold the Tarzan series to RKO. Johnny began to mature the series did not. The RKO movies lacked the glorious savagery of the MGM. movies. Sheffield's last performance as boy was "Tarzan and the Huntress" in 1947.

Bomba

Sheffield turned to a new series, featuring Bomba the jungle boy, a low-budget Allied Artist production which began in 1949. Originally conceived for the saturday afternoon double features, the Bomba series proved popular and continued until 1955 with "Lord of the Jungle".

Later Life

Created: June 12, 2003
Last updated: 1:30 AM 12/14/2018