Jungle Woman: Jane Porter (Tarzan)

Jungle Woman: Jane Porter (Tarzan)

Name meaning: Hebrew, “God’s grace”

I much prefer the Jane Porter of The Legend of Tarzan TV series than the film version. She is knowledgeable, creative, and mature, as opposed to the clumsy, prissy girl she was when she first arrived in Africa, gussied up and scared of chimps. The TV Jane is streamlined, self-assured, and even a little conceited—she resents it when Bobby Canler mocks her dancing (“Tarzan and the Flying Ace”) and when Terk belittles her ‘unusual’ human behavior and feminine habits. I think her camisole and sarong suit her much better than that frilly yellow ensemble. She bravely stands up to Col. Stockade and Clayton, negotiates with the tribe members, miners, fights Queen La, rebuffs Monsieur Dumont while remaining perfectly polite, and, thanks to Tarzan, knows jungle survival skills, and can climb, swing, and run with the best of them. She claims she is “an accomplished dancer”, is a fair artist and painter, is well-read, can discuss her father’s experiments knowledgeably with him, throws a hell of a picnic (“Anyone who was anyone in English society always looked forward to a Porter picnic”) and flew a plane by following her father’s instruction via radio—with her hands bound. That finishing school she went to must have really been something.

Jane Jargon
Professor Porter: Oh, Janie Jane! What an amazing discovery! A man with no language, no human behavior...
Jane Porter: And no respect for personal boundaries.
Professor Porter: How do you mean?
Jane Porter: [gets extremely close to Professor Porter] He was this close to me, daddy, just staring at me. [Goes back to blackboard and finishes drawing of Tarzan] He was confused at first, as if he had never seen another human before. His eyes were intense...and focused, and...I've never seen eyes like those before.
Professor Porter: Oh. Shall I-ahem-leave you and the blackboard alone for a moment?
Jane Porter: Oh, daddy, stop it.

Jane Porter: Oh, Tarzan, you have no idea what's in store for you. You're going to see the world, and all kinds of people will want to meet you. Leaders, scientists, writers.
Professor Porter: Yes. Darwin, and Kipling. Queen Victoria.
Jane Porter: I haven't met her, but I hear she's awfully nice.

Jane Porter: Daddy, they took my boot!

Tarzan: Tarzan. Tar-zan.
Jane Porter: Tarzan. Oh, I see!
Tarzan: Oh, I see!
Tarzan: [points at himself] Tarzan.
Tarzan: [points at Jane] Oh, I see.
Jane Porter: No, no, no. No.
Jane Porter: [clears throat, points at herself] I'm Jane.
Tarzan: No, no, no. No.
Tarzan: [clears throat, points at himself] I'm Jane.
Jane Porter: No, no.
Jane Porter: [points at herself] Jane.
Jane Porter: [points at Tarzan] Tarzan.
Jane Porter: [points at herself] Jane.
Tarzan: Jane.
Jane Porter: Exactly.

Jane Porter: Oh, look! Bananas!

Jane Porter: [Hanging from a tree] It can't get any worse, can it?
[it starts to rain]
Jane Porter: Obviously, it can.

Jane Porter: [Describing how Tarzan walks] He bent his elbows out, and he walked like this.
Professor Porter: Oh, I see! Just like Aunt Isabel.