The original Tarzan radio adaptation was regarded as the first major syndicated serial, heard widely over WOR, New York. Tarzan was originally played by James Pierce, Jane was played by his real-life wife, Joan Burroughs, who was also the daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of Tarzan. The story begins with Lord and Lady Greystoke and their young son marooned on an African coast. The young boy's parents are later killed by the apes and Tarzan is raised by them.
Radio broadcasting was the cheapest form of entertainment, and it provided the public with far better entertainment than most people were accustomed to. As a result, its popularity grew rapidly in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and by 1934, 60 percent of the nation's households had radios.