I've always
looked at Maciste flicks as being almost the half-brother of the Tarzan
movies. In the first Golden Adonis strip Vance Capley and I did together
the pro wrestler turned sinew & sandal movie star notices the
script for a movie he's starring in bears more than a slight resemblance
to Burroughs' TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD. TARZAN AND THE LOST EMPIRE
is another Burroughs' tale that reads a lot like a Maciste adventure. And
I can recall once seeing an European poster for a silent Tarzan movie
in which they were selling Tarzan as "America's Maciste".
Probably the most Maciste-like of Tarzan films is TARZAN'S THREE
CHALLENGES starring Jock Mahoney.It's just too bad Gordon Scott was no
longer playing the role of the Lord of the Jungle.
Gordon Scott
who portrayed Tarzan in six movies would go to Europe after making two
of the best Tarzan movies,TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURES and TARZAN THE
MAGNIFICENT,to star in peplum pictures. Most notably DUEL OF THE TITANS
in which he and former Mr.America,Mr.World and Mr.Universe Steve Reeves
play the twin demi-gods Romulus and Remus. Another favorite Scott movie from the genre is GOLIATH VS.THE VAMPIRES a.k.a Maciste contro il Vampiro.
It's just too bad no Italian movie producer got the idea of filming an
adaptation of TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD starring Scott or some other
peplum movie star. And with a Chelo Alonso or Scilla Gabel as
Nemone,Queen of Cathne the titled City of Gold. Or maybe just changing
the hero's name from Tarzan to Maciste.
FOR MORE FUN, GET YOUR COPY OF JUDO COMICS!!!
That figure on the poster to TARZAN'S THREE CHALLENGES looks far more like Gordon Scott than Jock Mahoney.
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