Fans of E.R. Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes and FANS OF " gladiator movies " probably can't help but notice that there are characters that are familiar to both. Beyond Tarzan and Maciste. I'm talking about the seductive queen/high priestess of some lost city or civilization. Modeled more or less after H.Rider Haggard's Ayesha a.k.a She Who Must Be Obeyed. You can find them in all manner of pulp fiction. Mostly in tales of barbarian heroes like Robert E. Howard's
Conan.
Another place where you found them was in Tarzan comic book knock-offs. They were all based on Burroughs' La of Opar and Nemone of Cathne.
Lillian Worth played La in the silent film THE ADVENTURES OF TARZAN opposite Elmo Lincoln. The 1921 movie was based on Burroughs' story THE RETURN OF TARZAN. In the 1929 movie TARZAN THE TIGER La was portrayed by Mademoiselle Kithnou. In the 1946 movie TARZAN AND THE LEOPARD WOMAN starring Johnny Weissmuller cult movie star Acqunetta played a character named Lea,the leader of a leopard cult. But she could just as easily have been playing La.
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| WANDISA GUIDA |
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| CHELO ALONSO |
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During the 1960s during the peplum movie craze any number of actresses from the sinew & sandal genre were more than capable of playing La or Nemone. Wandisa Guida , Helga Line , Gianna Maria Canalle all would have been great. Chelo Alonso,the undisputed queen of sinew & sandal flicks, would have made a great La. Perhaps opposite Gordon Scott as Tarzan. And then you had Nemone of Cathne from Burroughs' TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD. This was the most Maciste-like of Tarzan adventures.
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I easily imagine Steve Reeves as Tarzan in a movie adaptation with his
co-star from HERCULES UNCHAINED, Sylvia Lopez playing the mad queen
Nemone. |
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| MIKE HENRY |
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Former NFL linebacker Mike Henry portrayed Tarzan in three movies in the mid-60s. I think he should have starred in at least one more. An adaptation of TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR with cult movie star Martine Beswicke as La , the high priestess/queen of the lost city of Opar.
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| Martine Beswicke |
It would have been cool to have had Martine play a La-like character on the Ron Ely television series.
ReplyDeleteChelo Alonso would be perfect as Nemone. She has that crazy edge to her that fits the mad queen.
ReplyDeleteOr how about Chelo as Belit in an adaptation of QUEEN OF THE BLACK COAST?
DeleteWeissmuller and Acquanetta in Tarzan and the Leopard Woman was probably as close to pulp erotica as the studios could do without arousing the censors.
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