SUPERARGO UNMASKED by Dave Goode

As I've mentioned before Superargo vs. Diabolicus is one of my favorite masked wrestler movies. And I like the sequel Superargo and the Faceless Giants as well. Just not as well. What makes both of these movies for me are the athletic performances of actor Ken Wood who portrays the masked grappler. The way he moved , especially in his scenes in the squared circle , I imagined that he was a professional wrestler. Like Blue Demon , Mil Mascaras or any other star from the Mexiluchahero film genre. It wasn't until later that I found out he wasn't a pro wrestler. Nor was his name Ken Wood. He was in fact Giovanni Cianfriglia.

Giovanni Cianfriglia is a name that's familiar to fans of European costume melodramas. But at the same time he might be considered an unsung hero of the peplum film genre. In a film career that spanned decades he appeared in many sinew & sandal flicks as an extra, stuntman and even Steve Reeves body double. His two best known roles outside of the costumed crime-fighter Superargo might have been in Maciste vs.The Vampires a.k.a Goliath vs. The Vampires ( 1961 ) and Hercules the Avenger ( 1965 ).

In Goliath vs. The Vampires he appears in the movie's climax as Goliath's evil twin and they fight an epic battle. It had been rumored for years that it was Steve Reeves himself that appeared as the evil twin in long shots. But it was Cianfriglia who you'll remember was Reeves' body double in several movies including Hercules ( 1957 ).

In Hercules the Avenger Cianfriglia portrays the demi-god Antaeus. The highlight of this film has Hercules , played by multiple Mr. Universe - winner Reg Park , looked in a life or death struggle with Antaeus. It's Cianfriglia who makes this fight acting like a professional wrestling "jobber" making the much more muscular Park look good.

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 At the time of writing this weeks blog we learned

of the passing of legendary artist Russ Heath

 Russ Heath - September 29, 1926 – August 23, 2018 RIP