When Diana Ross and the Supremes Played Nuns on 'Tarzan'

Ron Ely with The Supremes playing nuns on an episode of Tarzan — Ron Ely and The Supremes on a Jan. 12, 1968 episode of “Tarzan”

*On this day in 1968, The Supremes made their one and only joint appearance playing characters on a scripted television series.

Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong guest-starred as nuns Therese, Martha and Ann, respectively, on an episode of “Tarzan,” with Ron Ely in the title role.

Titled The Convert, the episode had the sisters traveling back to Therese’s ancestral village, where they aimed to build a hospital. Watch below, as they row into the village singing “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.”

Peep Ross on the accordion.

The village leader, played by fellow guest star James Earl Jones, side-eyes Sister Therese’s return because of the way she abandoned their beliefs and way of life for the convent.

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Additionally, the nuns have no idea that the white man claiming to help them with the hospital actually wants to take the village land for his own use.

Below, you can see James Earl Jones eying the sisters suspiciously as villagers gather around to hear them sing, “The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves.”

A 1968 issue of Jet Magazine chronicled the entire filming experience, which took place at the show’s set in Los Estacos, Mexico.

Berry Gordy, founder of their label Motown Records, was on location and “assisted the program’s regular director in working out scenes with the three young women,” Jet reported. The article also noted that the Supremes performed their own stunts, including an underwater rescue scene.

At the end of the episode, the sisters gather before the villagers – including a now content James Earl Jones – for a happy reprise of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore.”

Jet reported the “consensus on the set” was that Ross, Wilson and Birdsong were “real troopers overflowing with sheer talent … absolutely the greatest.”

The magazine went on to say that Ross, “according to reports, has had an eye on dramatic acting for some time.”

Four years later, she would receive an Oscar nomination for her feature film debut as Billie Holiday in the Gordy-produced “Lady Sings the Blues.”