Trees and roofs collapsed, rooms were turned upside down. Home the late American actor JOhnny Weissmüller, the most popular Tarzan interpreter, stands out in between the ruins that were left behind Hurricane Otis in the Mexican port of Acapulco Guerreroa week ago.
When Weissmüller was fascinated by Acapulco recorded Tarzan and the mermaids in 1948, the last film in which he played the King of the Jungle. The film contains a scene in which the hero jumps into the sea from the famous Quebradaa traditional and risky maneuver performed by intrepid divers as a spectacle for tourists.
Weissmüller’s enthusiasm for the spa grew when fellow famous actor John Wayne proposed purchasing the Hotel Los Flamingos, according to the Acapulco Virtual Museum portal. The place soon became a Hollywood paradise Mexican Pacific.
Otis crashed into the port city early on October 25 with winds of 270 kilometers per hour, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. (AFP)
Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Orson Welles and Errol Flynn joined Wayne and Weissmüller and They organized unforgettable parties until dawnhidden from the paparazzi, notes Travesías, another specialized portal.
“The constant noise of the eternal parties was too much for Johnny, so the actor decided to build a house that was separate from the rest of the other rooms,” the virtual publication adds an atmosphere of the hotel in reference to the round house that comes through was badly damaged by the hurricane. Weissmüller died there, whose remains rest in the Valle de la Luz Cemetery in Acapulco.
OTIS PASS EVEN LEFT THE DESTROYED ROOMS OF TARZAN’S HOUSE IN ACAPULCO
For years the house has been a tourist attraction in the port, which enjoyed a golden age, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, when the international scene gathered in its luxury hotels.
However, Otis’ angerwhich hit Acapulco last Wednesday, October 25th, as a hurricane of extreme danger, leaving 46 dead and 58 missing, He took away the house’s stately splendor and destroyed ceilings, furniture and vegetation.
Continue reading the story
That day, “the receptionist and the nightstand were there. They experienced it very badly, they thought it was pure water, and no, it was pure gust of wind,” says Víctor Manuel Hernández, administrative manager of the Hotel Los Flamingos.
People clean at the Flamingos Hotel after Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico, October 30, 2023. Photo: Portal/Quetzalli Nicte-ha (Quetzalli Nicte-Ha / Portal)
“They had to hold the door because it destroyed everything. He knocked down the trees, smashed the windows, destroyed the rooms from the inside. The pool we were rebuilding is destroyed,” describes Hernández.
Debris and fallen trees lie in the empty pool of the Flamingos Hotel after Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico, October 30, 2023 / Photo: Portal/Quetzalli Nicte-ha (Quetzalli Nicte-Ha / Portal)
Mixed debris and vegetation invade the ancient but exquisite hallways and outdoor gardens of the former Weissmüller mansion.who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A porcelain sign that reads “Casa Tarzán” still hangs on the walls in Acapulco. There you can also see a poster of Tarzán and The Amazons, one of the films in the series starring the German-born artist, which were filmed in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the city of 780,000 residents, which depends on tourism, a further 274,000 apartments and 600 hotels were affected by the cyclone. “The round ‘Tarzan House’ was completely destroyed,” adds Hernández.
“The situation is sad, but we have to be positive”
The mesmerizing panoramic views from the hotel, said to be located at the highest point of the cliff, have been ruined by the destruction of neighboring villas and infrastructure in general.
The Acapulco set’s imprint wasn’t just limited to Hollywood stars. United States President John F. Kennedy honeymooned there with Jacqueline and scenes from an Elvis Presley film were filmed, although The King of Rock never set foot in the harbor.
Its beaches also inspired musician and poet Agustín Lara to write love songs to Mexican film diva María Félix, and the sunsets in the main bay are symbolic.
However, the city also experienced a decline as the slum belts around the tourist center expanded and then drug cartels emerged to control the port. Only ten of the nearly 40 employees have been able to return to Los Flamingos so far as mobility and communication continue to collapse.
“The situation is sad, but we have to think positively,” says the hotel manager.