KING OF THE GLADIATOR MOVIES by Dave Goode

After more than 60 years since HERCULES (1957) was released the actor most identified with the role is Steve (no relation to George) Reeves. Remarkably the Mr.America (1947), Mr.World (1948), and Mr.Universe (1950) winner only played the mythical muscleman in two movies HERCULES (1957) and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959). Though he would play similar characters in other movies.

One of my favorite non-Hercules Steve Reeves' movies is GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS (1959) about the Lombard invasion of Italy. Reeves plays a character named Emiliano a.k.a Goliath who rages a guerilla war against the invading barbarians after his father is slain. Reeves physique never looked better on screen than it does in this flick. Especially in the scene where he is put through a trial of strength. Also appearing in this flick is sultry Chelo Alonso. If Reeves was the king of sinew & sandal flicks then Alonso was the queen.

Another favorite was THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1959) based loosely on
the novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. This one has Reeves playing the Roman legionnaire Glaucus returning home from war. He discovers his father has been murdered and swears vengeance on the killers. Along the way he falls in love with a Christian girl who he will end up defending in the arena.

As I grow older it becomes harder for me to remember what the first Steve Reeves movie I ever saw was. I'm going to go with THE SLAVE a.k.a THE SON OF SPARTACUS (1962). Reeves plays Randus a Roman centurion. This flick is an unofficial sequel to the Stanley Kubrick epic SPARTACUS (1960) that starred Kirk Douglas as the rebel slave leader. Randus upon learning that he is the son of the former gladiator takes up his father's battle against slavery. Interestingly enough Reeves didn't play a super-human hero in any of these films like he did in the Hercules flicks.More of a gladiator hero like the type Richard Harrison would play in later movies in the peplum cycle.

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