DOUBLE DUTY PEPLUM POSTERS by Dave Goode

As someone who "likes movies about gladiators" I've imagined for years comic book adaptations of Hercules and Maciste movies with cover art by Frank Frazetta and interior art by Wally Wood. An alternative to Frazetta paintings for the covers would have been the posters from the movies themselves. In fact the poster for the Steve Reeves flick HERCULES UNCHAINED was used as the cover for the Dell comic book adaptation of that movie.

One of my favorite sinew & sandal sagas was the movie best known to American audiences as ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi). The flick stars Gordon Mitchell and the incredible Chelo Alonso. Sadly it's one of the few films from the genre where La Alonso doesn't perform an exotic dance.

In any case several posters for the movie would have made great comic book covers. MACISTE EL COLOSO reminds me a bit of one of those Will Eisner splash pages where he incorporates the logo into the illustration.

These posters would have made great covers for novelizations of these movies as well. Or even for new stories. I'm surprised there weren't more paperbacks about gladiators during the peplum movie cycle. Considering the implied sexual going ons in these films, it's remarkable how Midwood Books never published a paperback or two on the subject.

ELVIS WITH MUSCLES!!! by Dave Goode

ELVIS WITH MUSCLES!!!  by Dave Goode

Kirk Morris has been one of my favorite sinew & sandal stars from the time I discovered the genre as a preteen back in the 60s. Years later it hit me that he bore a slight resemblance to Elvis Presley. I can imagine a movie producer seeing his screen test and saying " He looks like Elvis with muscles. The girls will love him. "  Not an American import from Muscle Beach like a lot of the other stars from these flicks. He was a home grown talent. Born Adriano Bellini he was the winner of the Mr. Italia competition in 1961. And was discovered while working as a gondolier. Standing 6' 1" Morris was one of those peplum movie heroes who might have made a good Tarzan. Physique wise at least. Muscular. But not overly bulky.

His first movie TRIUMPH OF MACISTE (1961) a.k.a TRIUMPH OF THE SON OF HERCULES was one of my favorites. It's the old hero saves kingdom and girl friend from evil queen story. What makes it stand out are two feats of strength scenes. In one Morris arm wrestles 5 men at once. And wins. In the other he does the "Hercules Hold" resisting the pull of two horse drawn chariots. This was one of the better versions of this particular feat of strength.

Another favorite from 1961 was HERCULES VS. MACISTE IN THE VALE OF WOE. Morris once again plays Maciste. And Frank Gordon portrays Hercules. The story has two time traveling 2oth century wrestling promoters in ancient Greece trying to set up a match between the two strength heroes.

Morris portrays Maciste again in THE WITCH'S CURSE (1962). This was more or less a remake of MACISTE IN HELL (1925) that starred the original screen Maciste , Bartolomeo Pagano. This flick has the seemingly immortal strongman saving a 17th century Scottish village from a witch's curse by entering through the gates of Hell and battling the forces of evil.

One of Morris' best known movies is HERCULES, SAMSON, & ULYSSES (1963). In this one, which is a favorite of fans of the genre, Morris portrays Hercules. It's famous for the fight between Hercules and Samson. The biblical strongman is played here by Richard Lloyd.

After the peplum movie cycle came to an end Morris would star in a number of other adventure flicks. But he would be better known as the star of a series fumettis.

This week's blog features a new Golden Adonis comic by Dave Goode & Vance Capley inspired by the gladiator movies of the 1960s.

Dave and Vance make comics and you can get these comics here:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/VanceCapley

Tarzan, The Jungle Gladiator by Dave Goode

As someone who "likes movies about gladiators" TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD has always been one of my favorite Edgar Rice Burroughs tales. I first came across the story as a two-part comic adaptation from Gold Key in TARZAN OF THE APES No.186 (Aug 1969) and TARZAN OF THE APES No.187 (Sept. 1969). In this story, illustrated by Doug Wildey, I found a Tarzan that I didn't know from watching the movies of Johnny Weissmuller, Lex Barker, and Gordon Scott. And the story itself was something like I'd see on THE SONS OF HERCULES television show. What with it's sexy, sadistic queen of a lost nation who desires the muscular hero who she forces into battle in the arena. Now if Maciste only had a pet lion like Tarzan's Jad-Bal-Ja. 

Casting a movie adaptation would have been a snap. Gordon Scott had been playing Tarzan in Hollywood productions at the start of the peplum movie cycle. And after his vine - swinging days were over he transitioned to sinew & sandal flicks like GOLIATH VS. THE VAMPIRES (1961) and SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961). So it's easy to imagine him playing the Lord of the Jungle in one last movie. Especially one based on this story.

As far as an actress to portray Nemone, the mad queen of Cathne, a number of peplum stars come to mind. Chelo Alonso, Moira Orphei, Scilla Gabel immediately spring to mind.

Though I usually imagine Chelo Alonso playing La of Opar in a Tarzan flick. Another good choice would have been model turned actress Sylvia Lopez. In her most famous role Lopez portrayed Queen Omphale of Lydia who seduces Steve Reeves in HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959). In this flick she brings the term "trophy boy friend" to a whole different level. When she tires of a lover she has him stuffed and mounted. This comes to an end once she falls for Hercules.

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You can't mention gladiators and jungle heroes without mentioning Dave Goode, and with that, we present this classic, albeit brief, interview with the man himself:

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Masks, Muscles, and Myth by Dave Goode

Just the other day I was marveling on the overall coolness of posters from the sinew & sandal and masked wrestler movie genres. Illustrations from either would make great comic book covers. Flicks from both genres can rightfully be considered superhero movies. And then I got to thinking once again why there was never a team - up between say el Santo and Maciste. After all if you can have a movie starring el Zorro and el Maciste you can have one between Maciste and Santo or one of the " Man in the Silver Mask's " ancestors. What I really wonder about is why Mexico never had many entries in the peplum film genre.

The most notable exception was THE RAPE OF THE SABINES ( 1962 ). The movie is a retelling of the story of the Sabine women and stars Wulf Ruvinskis as Romulos , the same character that Steve Reeves portrayed in the sinew & sandal flick DUEL OF THE TITANS ( 1961 ). Ruvinskis , the wrestler turned actor , is probably better known to some of you as the star of the Neutron movie series where he played the black - masked crime-fighter.

I was thinking about a mash - up movie featuring Mil Mascaras. Heck! Mascaras had the physique to star in a Mexican - made Hercules movie himself. But here he would have played himself. With say Alan Steel as the immortal Maciste. The plot would involve Maciste in the 20th century taking a job as a pro wrestler , like Arnold did in HERCULES IN NEW YORK ( 1970 ). In between bouts the two musclemen would have several comic book adventures. To give you some idea how that might look my buddy Vance Capley has provided a faux comic book cover featuring the Man of a Dozen Masks, Mr. Incognito and Brad King the Golden Adonis.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks' blog! Help support us by buying cool items!!

 

 

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Where Was The Sequel? by Dave Goode

One of my favorite flicks from the sinew & sandal genre is SAMSON AND HIS MIGHTY CHALLENGE. Not to be confused with HERCULES , SAMSON AND ULYSSES. This one features the strength heroes Samson , Hercules , Maciste and Ursus. Directed by Giorgio Capitani and written by Sandro Continenza and Roberto Gianviti this movie was a wonderful spoof of the genre and was originally titled ERCOLE , SANSONE , MACISTE E URSUS GLI INVICBLI. Hercules getting top billing makes more sense as he carries the picture.





Alan Steel is great as a narcissistic, ego-driven Hercules. He even bullies Samson, played by Nadir Moretti, after the biblical strongman has his hair cut by Delilah. In an interesting switch from the Bible Delilah is Samson's wife. And she doesn't cut his hair to betray him to the Philistines. But to keep him from chasing after other women. Maciste in this movie is played by Howard Ross. And Ursus is portrayed by Yann Larvor. Any of these four musclemen could have carried a movie on their own.

 Also notable are the women in the film. Moira Orphei portrays Delilah. And she's really quite stunning. Interestingly enough her cousin Liana Orphei played the Philistine temptress in the movie HERCULES , SAMSON AND ULYSSES. Helene Chanel never looked more beautiful than she does here as the oracle Onfale as opposed to the Princess Omphale played by Elisa Montes. Montes has one of the funniest lines in the movie. When told that Samson once killed one thousand Philistine soldiers using the jawbone of an ass she asks " Was that the best weapon he could find? ".

The movie climaxes with a free-for-all with the four heroes. And it ends with them riding off together. A perfect springboard into a sequel or two or three. But unfortunately we never got one.

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Who Is She? by Dave Goode

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.

WANDISA GUIDA

CHELO ALONSO

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.

And 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.

MIKE HENRY

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.

Martine Beswicke

 

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Maciste and The Saint by Dave Goode

 

Back in elementary school I traded a magazine about the U.F.O phenomena for a dozen coverless issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland. In one of those issues was a pic of a dark-haired beauty in a dungeon dressed like a "bride of Dracula " (only sexier) standing imperiously over a group of strangely garbed men stretched out on stone slabs. The caption that accompanied the photo said it was from a flick titled THE SAINT VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN. Hold the phone!!! I couldn't recall ever seeing George Sanders or Roger Moore ever taking on the Undead. Though decades later I found out about Simon Templar fighting Commie zombies in Avon's THE SAINT comic book back in the 1950s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later I was to find the pic was from the psychotronic flick Santo vs. Las Mujeres Vampiro (1962) , a flick I started to refer to as the " Gone With The Wind of Mexiluchahero movies ". When I first saw SANTO VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN it was in it's re-cut ,re-dubbed version distributed by legendary movie broker K.Gordon Murray. The movie was re-titled SAMSON VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN. For years I thought the movie was re-titled so no one would confuse the silver-masked hero with Simon Templar. In fact the flick was re-titled to have moviegoers believe they were going to see one of those peplum movies that were so popular at the time. It sort of made sense. On a superficial level el Santo and Maciste did somewhat resemble each other. Two seemingly immortal bare-chested champions of justice.

 

 

Maciste was the strength hero introduced into the cinema in the 1914 silent film epic CABIRIA. He was portrayed by dock worker and strongman Bartolomeo Pagano who played the character in over 20 films during the silent era. He was a Hercules-like hero who used his super-human strength in the cause of justice. The character was revived in the early 1960s following the success of the Steve Reeves' Hercules movie. Many of these 60s Maciste movies were re-titled giving the hero the more familiar (to Americans at least) names like Hercules ,Atlas , Samson and Goliath. In the Mark Forest flick SON OF SAMSON it's explained that Maciste is the son of the biblical strongman which explains his enormous strength. The character seems to be immortal appearing in different time periods. In THE WITCH'S CURSE starring Kirk Morris he shows up in Scotland in 1650. In SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD starring Gordon Scott he fights injustice in 13th century China.

 

El Santo takes a page from the Phantom's book and the silver mask is passed down from father to son. But in the case of Santo it wasn't to create the illusion of immortality. So it's not to hard to imagine the immortal Maciste teaming up with one of the original Santo's descendants. I imagine a 60s movie where Maciste turns up in the 20th century and teams up with el Santo. Maybe the strongman takes up a job as a professional wrestler where the two heroes meet. This would have been a natural for Turkish cinema , that had no regard for copyright laws ,and gave us the infamous Captain America / el Santo team-up.

 

Idea by Dave Goode retro art by Vance Capley vancecapleyart.com

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