A What If Moment If There Ever Was One by Dave Goode

A WHAT IF MOMENT IF THERE EVER WAS ONE by Dave Goode

The first time I came across Joe Robinson was in the book Tarzan Of The Movies. It seems Robinson was to have starred in a movie titled TARZAN, THE KING OF BRUTE FORCE (1960). The estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs threatened to halt the unauthorized flick's release for copyright infringement. So Robinson's character was renamed "Thaur", or in some cases "Taur". When I got to see the movie a few years later I couldn't understand why they tried to name him Tarzan to begin with. This was a straight up sinew & sandal flick that had nothing to do with Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle hero. Better to have just named him Maciste. In any case there would be up a sequel THAUR AND THE AMAZON WOMEN (1963). (aka Thor & the Amazon Women)

I would later find Robinson was a third generation professional wrestler. He was also a judoka who along with his brother Doug instructed actress Honor Blackman from the hit television series THE AVENGERS. Over the years he would appear in a number of movies and television series. He also worked steadily as a stuntman.




His first credited feature role however was in A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS (1955).

Based on a book by Wolf Mankowitz, who also wrote the screenplay for the
movie, Robinson plays a bodybuilder who works in a tailor shop in London's East end. He accepts a promoter's offer to become a pro wrestler so he can afford to buy his girl friend played by the beautiful British actress Diana Dors. 


The pair remind me quite a bit of Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. I can't help but imagine the story transported to New York's garment district and starring Jayne & Mickey. In the course of the movie Robinson faces off against the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Primo Carnera who plays a squared circle heel called  "Python Macklin". Looking at Robinson and Carnera together the duo remind me of Tarzan and Phobeg in Edgar Rice Burroughs' story TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD. Carnera also appeared in HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) starring Steve Reeves and that got me to thinking.

The story goes Italian movie producer Federico Teti was looking for an actor to appear in his peplum epic HERCULES (1957). His daughter would see the musical comedy ATHENA (1954) that had 1950 Mr. Universe Steve Reeves in a featured role on television and told her father that she had found his Hercules. The rest is as they say history. But what if instead of ATHENA it was A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS that Teti's daughter saw on television? How would the world of pop culture possibly have been changed?

Below is a new Golden Adonis piece by Dave Goode and Vance Capley for a future project that the dynamic duo is working on. It seems somehow appropriate for this week's blog.

Golden Adonis created by Dave Goode art by Vance Capley

If you grew up as a "monster kid", do you remember Kolchak the Night Stalker? Well, the good folks at Visual Comics did, and boy do they have a treat for YOU! Monster Magazine issue number 6 is 120 pages LOADED with tons of information about Kolchak the Night Stalker from Mark Dawidziak, Sterling Clark, and the Monster Magazine staff. Warner Todd Huston writes about TV horror host Svengoolie. Our very own Dave Goode unwraps the Mummy's Hand. We visit with Horror Host of the month the Unusual Stranger...and much much more. This issue sports 3, that's right, 3 super cool covers by Ricky Blalock, Sterling Clark, and Vance Capley.

Mightier Than The Mastodon! Swifter Than The Cheetah by Dave Goode

During the Silver Age of Comics my favorite Tarzan imitation was Marvel Comics' Ka-Zar. There was a Ka-Zar who appeared in a pulp magazine of the same name published by Martin Goodman's Manvis Publishing for three issues. October 1936 , January 1937 and June 1937. In 1939 the Ka-Zar character was adapted to the comic book page for Timely Comics also published by Martin Goodman. And he made his first comic book appearance in Marvel Comics No.1 alongside the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. The character like the one that Buster Crabbe played in the movie KING OF THE JUNGLE (1933) was raised by lions and not apes.

 

The Silver Age Ka-Zar was a pretty one-note character (as were most Tarzan imitators). He premiered in X-MEN No.10 (March ,1965) and was more or less a Tarzan ala' Weissmuller in the Savage Land, a Pellucidar or Pal-Ul-Don type of lost world beneath Antarctica. Where Tarzan had his golden lion Jad-bal-ja , Ka-Zar had a pet sabretooth tiger Zabu. So if you liked Tarzan vs. Dinosaur stories you might think Ka-Zar was pretty cool. I myself especially liked when he would cut loose against an enemy while exclaiming "Mightier than the Mastodon! Swifter than the Cheetah! Mighty is Ka-Zar, Lord of the Jungle!" or some variation of that phrase.

Ka-Zar would guest star in Daredevil, Spider - Man, and The Hulk. And would get his own features in Astonishing Tales and Savage Tales. He would eventually receive a comic book title of his own. All of these titles were eventually canceled. As I said before Ka-Zar was pretty much a one-note character. And just how many times could you watch a television show about a jungle hero fight a dinosaur before you changed the channel? But then something remarkable happened with the premiere of the comic book KA-ZAR, THE SAVAGE (April 1981).

 

In KA-ZAR,THE SAVAGE No.1 we're introduced to a Ka-Zar that we've never seen before. One who is less "savage". Like Tarzan, Marvel's jungle king was an English lord who grew up in the wilds. Here he's been Americanized to the point that he resembles Ron Ely's Tarzan from the 1960s television series. Only wittier. He and Shanna, the She-Devil (Marvel's answer to Sheena of the Jungle) banter like William Powell and Myrna Loy in THE THIN MAN. This was a much more fun take on the character. And a much better read. The only problem I had with the new take on the character was how to reconcile it with what came before.

I had my own theory. Unlike Tarzan, Ka-Zar didn't come to the Savage Land as a baby. He was a preteen. One who probably watched Weissmuller, Lex Barker, and Gordon Scott movies. He might have read comic books starring Kaanga, Ki-Gor and Thun'Da. In short he was playing a role. Acting out how he thought a "King of the Jungle" would act.

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For old school comic fans who dig a giant t-rex...

And for younger fans who prefer their

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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

 

DID YOU LIKE THIS STRIP? YOU CAN SEE MORE GREAT COMICS IN JUDO COMICS BY DAVE GOODE AND ILLUSTRATED BY VANCE CAPLEY. AVAILABLE AT LULU.COM. GET YOURS TODAY BY CLICKING HERE! ^^^^^

Truly Herculean by Dave Goode

  
 

 When you think of Hercules on film you immediately think of Steve Reeves. And for good reason. It was Reeves' portrayal of the demi-god in HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED that ignited the explosion of musclemen movies that filled movie theaters in the 1960s. Oddly enough Reeves technically didn't have the most herculean physique of the actors to play the man-god. Reeves physique was as Edgar Rice Burroughs described that of his literary creation Tarzan of the Apes. "More Apollo than Hercules". The sinew & sandal star that epitomized the look of raw physical power was Reg Park.

  

Park had placed second to Reeves in the 1950 Mr.Universe competition. But he would win the title in 1951 , 1961 and again in 1965. It was only natural that he would find his way into the cinema of sinew and sandals. He would star as Hercules in HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN , HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD and HERCULES THE AVENGER. In HERCULES PRISONER OF EVIL he actually portrays Ursus. And of course in MACISTE IN KING SOLOMON'S MINES he plays the strength hero Maciste.

   

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD is probably the best known of Park's peplum pictures.Directed by Mario Bava and co-starring Christopher Lee it has over the years become a cult classic. But my favorite Park flick is MACISTE IN KING SOLOMON'S MINES. There are a couple of Tarzan stories written by Burroughs like Tarzan and the City of Gold and Tarzan and the Lost Empire that read like Maciste adventures. But this movie has the feel of a Tarzan adventure. Maybe it's the Africa setting. In any case if you haven't seen this one before give it a peek. Not only is Park great performing feats of strength you have Wandisa Guida , one of those incredibly sexy women who were always turning up in these flicks, playing a sadistic she who must be obeyed-type. 




At JUDO COMICS we have our own strong man, the Golden Adonis:

Maciste and Tarzan...Have You Ever Seen Them Together? by Dave Goode

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.

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Deja Vu All Over Again by Dave Goode

To people who aren't fans of the sinew & sandal film genre the movies all seem to look alike. I've even known people who couldn't tell Steve Reeves from Reg Park. But even as a fan I have to say there are a few of these flicks that make me think didn't I see this all before? And not just because I had seen it before. For instance there's THE FURY OF HERCULES starring Brad Harris as Hercules. It's one of my favorites. Harris is in top form and performs a number of feats of strength. And then there's SAMSON also starring Harris in the title role. I should mention this Samson is not the biblical strong-man from the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. Harris wears the same costumes that he did in THE FURY OF HERCULES. The sets are the same and the cast more or less remains the same.But they're playing different roles. For instance Alan Steel plays a villain in THE FURY OF HERCULES. But in SAMSON he plays a strength hero named Millstone who teams up with Samson to battle oppression.

And then there's THE MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR starring Mark Forest and Marilu Tolo. I saw it written up in an article about peplum movies that said it was THE TERROR OF ROME VS. THE SON OF HERCULES. So wanting to upgrade my copy I sent away for it. I was disappointed to find they weren't the same movie at all. But I was happy to add another Mark Forest film to my collection of "movies about gladiators".  Again the two movies have the same sets. And again the casts are the same. But the actors are playing different roles. The biggest difference is that THE TERROR OF ROME VS. THE SON OF HERCULES features a battle between the gladiator-hero and a gorilla(one of the cheesiest ape-suits ever). And THE MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR doesn't.

The most confusing of all sinew & sandal

flicks. And the one to give you the

greatest feeling of deja vu may just be HERCULES THE AVENGER starring Reg Park. I first saw this picture when I was about nine or so.I had just read a book on Greek mythology. And I thought the story about Hercules battle with Antaeus,the Earth giant was pretty cool. And watching it in a movie was even cooler. What I didn't know was that about 75% of HERCULES THE AVENGER was made up of footage from HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD and HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN. For years whenever I watched either of those movies I'd wait for Hercules to battle Antaeus in the films climax and walk away disappointed.Until I found that the flick I was looking for was made through creative editing. Now I own copies of all three movies and can enjoy them on their own.

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