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.

ARTISTS, MODELS, & COMICS by Dave Goode

ARTISTS, MODELS, & COMICS by Dave Goode

If you started reading comics at a very young age. Say before the age of six. More likely than not you imagined putting on a costume and going out to fight the forces of evil in the name of "truth, justice, and the American way". Then sometime when you were a little older you imagined being a comic book creator. You probably created your own comics from the very beginning. Self written and drawn pastiches of your favorites. I've got some very fond memories of elementary school and making comics with fellow fan-boys. And there were various episodes of television shows and movies that were cartoonist-themed.

 

I remember the short-lived television series HE AND SHE from the era of Batmania that starred Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss about a cartoonist and his wife. 

 

Also from the Batmania era was The Winged Avenger episode of the cult British television series THE AVENGERS that had Steed and Peel matching wits with a deranged comic book artist.

My favorite comic book creator movie was ARTISTS & MODELS (1955) directed by Frank Tashlin, who also helped to write the screenplay. It starred the comedy team of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis who had been appearing in their own comic book series from DC since 1952. The movie also stars Dorothy Malone and Shirley MacLaine. Both Martin and Malone play comic book artists. MacLaine plays Malone's roommate who also doubles as the model for the comic book character the Bat - Lady. Interestingly enough the movie was released nearly a year before Batwoman made her debut in Detective Comics No. 233 (July 1956). It should also be noted that Dean Martin, the coolest member of the Rat Pack, was a huge comic book fan.

 

I'm also a fan of the comedy HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965) that starred Jack Lemmon , Terry - Thomas , and the stunning Virna Lisi. Lemmon portrays a syndicated comic strip artist who uses models ( just like real life cartoonists Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff ) and researches his comic strip to the last detail. Acting out scenes for his strip. He also lives a swinging bachelor lifestyle that Hugh Hefner would have been envious of. 

Woodrow Wilkins, the comic book artist that Michael Crawford portrays in CONDORMAN (1981) does pretty much the same. I've given my buddy Vance Capley grief over this flick for years now. But the truth is that I find this movie based on Robert Sheckley's book THE GAME OF X very entertaining. 

I also like an episode of the television series SIMON & SIMON titled "Almost Completely Out of Circulation". In this episode from the show's fourth season detectives Rick and A.J. Simon investigate the murder of a comic book artist. Prop comic book art for this episode is provided by Will Meugniot and Bruce Timm. With coloring and color seperations by Jo Meugniot and Murphy Anderson.

When I created the comic book character Mr. Incognito, the American Luchador I used photo references of an old teammate from my high school wrestling days who wrestled semi-professionally as the model for the "poor man's Mil Mascaras". I found it was also a cool way to meet hot models. The ones that posed for the damsels in distress in my various comics.

On my last trip to Columbia, Tennessee my buddy Vance Capley and I posed for photo reference for our Dr. Judo comic.