|
Post by codystarbuck on Jan 31, 2021 12:29:16 GMT -5
Spent a relaxful evening traipsing across Africa with a pair of Gordon Scott Tarzan movies. Decided to watch backwards with a start from his final 2 movies in 1959 and 1960:Tarzan the Magnificent then Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. Had a real swinging (on a vine no less) time hanging out with that wild jungle beat watching the Lord of the lion cloth doing his monkey business. Get to see a young Sean Connery being a snarky Irish brute and the next Tarzan Jock Mahoney on the opposing side as villain. A few jungle beasts, occasional female eye candy all providing entertainment created without CGI. Oh those glorious epic filmed live with limited budget (rubber croc's a must and old wildlife films inserted) that have a charm and excitement all their own. I haven't seen a Gordon Scott Tarzan movie since I was 8 or 9 years old when the local television affiliate would run Saturday jungle marathons. I found the 6 movie set early last year at a discount used video store and just got around to watching. Will take my time savoring these oldies but oh so great goodies while waiting on the other sets coming through Amazon in the next few weeks. Scott made for a well oiled athletic Tarzan who you could believe was capable of being the jungle protector. Utilizing stealth and tracking skills along with his trusty bow and arrow, these were much more serious treatments of Lord Greystoke, proving that there was a reason ERB's stories captured our imaginations. Really looking forward to the next 4 earlier movies. Yeah, I have those from the Warner Archive Collection. Tarzan the Magnificent is probably the best of that era, with a really good plot and action. Greatest Adventure, I find, has fits and starts. Also features Anthony Quayle, another fine actor, if memory serves. I liked Mahoney as Tarzan and his films are probably my favorites, overall, especially Tarzan's Three Challenges (with Woody Strode). Too bad he had been hit with dysentery and had lost so much weight.
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Jan 31, 2021 12:42:22 GMT -5
Spent a relaxful evening traipsing across Africa with a pair of Gordon Scott Tarzan movies. Decided to watch backwards with a start from his final 2 movies in 1959 and 1960:Tarzan the Magnificent then Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. Had a real swinging (on a vine no less) time hanging out with that wild jungle beat watching the Lord of the lion cloth doing his monkey business. Get to see a young Sean Connery being a snarky Irish brute and the next Tarzan Jock Mahoney on the opposing side as villain. A few jungle beasts, occasional female eye candy all providing entertainment created without CGI. Oh those glorious epic filmed live with limited budget (rubber croc's a must and old wildlife films inserted) that have a charm and excitement all their own. I haven't seen a Gordon Scott Tarzan movie since I was 8 or 9 years old when the local television affiliate would run Saturday jungle marathons. I found the 6 movie set early last year at a discount used video store and just got around to watching. Will take my time savoring these oldies but oh so great goodies while waiting on the other sets coming through Amazon in the next few weeks. Scott made for a well oiled athletic Tarzan who you could believe was capable of being the jungle protector. Utilizing stealth and tracking skills along with his trusty bow and arrow, these were much more serious treatments of Lord Greystoke, proving that there was a reason ERB's stories captured our imaginations. Really looking forward to the next 4 earlier movies. Yeah, I have those from the Warner Archive Collection. Tarzan the Magnificent is probably the best of that era, with a really good plot and action. Greatest Adventure, I find, has fits and starts. Also features Anthony Quayle, another fine actor, if memory serves. I liked Mahoney as Tarzan and his films are probably my favorites, overall, especially Tarzan's Three Challenges (with Woody Strode). Too bad he had been hit with dysentery and had lost so much weight. Always liked Mahoney and have no memories if I ever saw his Tarzan. Looking forward to seeing those when they arrive. Believe I have seen the Mike Henry Tarzan's which are part of that Warner Archive set. Also no recollection of ever seeing the Lex Barker Tarzan so that one is coming in March along with Ron Ely's Doc Savage.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Jan 31, 2021 13:09:08 GMT -5
The Weismuller films are still my favorites, With Tarzan and his Mate probably top of the list for me.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jan 31, 2021 13:33:51 GMT -5
The Weismuller films are still my favorites, With Tarzan and his Mate probably top of the list for me. I'm kind of partial to Tarzan in New York.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Jan 31, 2021 13:48:35 GMT -5
The Weismuller films are still my favorites, With Tarzan and his Mate probably top of the list for me. I'm kind of partial to Tarzan in New York. Not a bad choice at all-- at least you didn't say 1981's "Tarzan the Ape Man", which was so gratuitous that it insulted one's intelligence. I mean hey, I have no problems with free romping nudity itself, but when it simply becomes the main vehicle for the film, it's pretty boring. This film was never about Tarzan, it was just a live-action Bo Derek pinup. (insert snooze-fest emoji here)
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Jan 31, 2021 13:54:16 GMT -5
The Weismuller films are still my favorites, With Tarzan and his Mate probably top of the list for me. I'm kind of partial to Tarzan in New York. Both superb choices. Mate is a truly great and stylish introduction while New York is a fun romp showing Tarzan is Lord of whichever jungle he is in, whether full of plants and killer beasts or concrete and killer humanity.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jan 31, 2021 14:08:20 GMT -5
It's been so long since I watched anyof the old Tarzan movies that I can't remember many details but back in the pre-internet days, when I used to read a lot of movie magazines, there was a nice long feature article on Mahoney in Filmfax or one of the other ones with a nostalgia/genre focus. I might have this garbled since it's been so long, but IIRC, when he came back from WWII he sort of fell into stuntman work in Hollywood not because he had any great ambition to be in the movies but just because someone saw him doing some high dives or something and offered him a job.
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Mar 14, 2021 12:29:26 GMT -5
Watched Lex Barker's first Tarzan movie from 1949. Tarzan's Magic Fountain was new to me as I can't remember ever seeing any of the Barker Tarrzan movies when I was growing up. While Lex makes a fine Tarzan, the studio (RKO?) wasn't doing anything more than continuing to crank out Tarzan as inexpensive B-Movie fare, counting upon the earlier Weissmuller movies to draw in fans.
Fountain of youth keeping a lost female pilot young after a crash into the jungle 20 years ago suddenly aging once she leaves? Hidden natives in leopard skins armed with flaming crossbows to protect their hidden secret? Cheetah blowing bubble gum bubbles? Typical silly mindless fun. All this and a younger looking Alan Napier before he is Alfred the Batman's butler.
Still all in all it is fun matinee jungle adventure for kids and adults alike. Just the perfect thing for a relaxful fantasy weekend getaway from the daily rigueur's of life and work.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Mar 14, 2021 19:58:59 GMT -5
Watched Lex Barker's first Tarzan movie from 1949. Tarzan's Magic Fountain was new to me as I can't remember ever seeing any of the Barker Tarrzan movies when I was growing up. While Lex makes a fine Tarzan, the studio (RKO?) wasn't doing anything more than continuing to crank out Tarzan as inexpensive B-Movie fare, counting upon the earlier Weissmuller movies to draw in fans. Fountain of youth keeping a lost female pilot young after a crash into the jungle 20 years ago suddenly aging once she leaves? Hidden natives in leopard skins armed with flaming crossbows to protect their hidden secret? Cheetah blowing bubble gum bubbles? Typical silly mindless fun. All this and a younger looking Alan Napier before he is Alfred the Batman's butler. Still all in all it is fun matinee jungle adventure for kids and adults alike. Just the perfect thing for a relaxful fantasy weekend getaway from the daily rigueur's of life and work. I'm kind of partial to the Sy Weintraub-produced era, with Gordon Scott and Jock Mahoney, plus the Ron Ely tv show. At least there they actually spent the money to take them to exotic locales to shoot, and not just redress southern California. My personal favorite is Tarzan's Three Challenges, with Woody Strode as the villain.
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Mar 24, 2021 12:26:33 GMT -5
I keep thinking of Woody Strode then... whenI see Lance Reddick (of "The Wire" and "Bosch") now.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Mar 24, 2021 13:03:20 GMT -5
How tall is Reddick? Another modern actor who sometimes reminds me a little of Woody Strode is Peter Mensah, who has a similarly tall, lean, and muscular build - and also is known for playing a gladiator (in the Spartacus tv series). But I concede that Reddick resembles Strode a little more in the face.
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Mar 24, 2021 13:51:45 GMT -5
How tall is Reddick? Another modern actor who sometimes reminds me a little of Woody Strode is Peter Mensah, who has a similarly tall, lean, and muscular build - and also is known for playing a gladiator (in the Spartacus tv series). But I concede that Reddick resembles Strode a little more in the face. Imdb says Reddick is 6'2"; Strode is listed at 6'4".
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Mar 24, 2021 17:50:35 GMT -5
How tall is Reddick? Another modern actor who sometimes reminds me a little of Woody Strode is Peter Mensah, who has a similarly tall, lean, and muscular build - and also is known for playing a gladiator (in the Spartacus tv series). But I concede that Reddick resembles Strode a little more in the face. Imdb says Reddick is 6'2"; Strode is listed at 6'4". Which, in Strode's era meant he was quite tall, while in Reddick is on the tall end of the spectrum, it is not as greatly different than the average height. I saw a stat that says the CDC listed average male height in the US at 5ft 9 in, which hasn't changed much, since the 1960s. Strode was born in 1914 and I saw a stat for average height being about 5 ft 7 in that era, growing to 5 ft 8, by the early 60s. For Hollywood, Strode was very tall, especially in comparison to leading actors who were portrayed as taller than they actually were. Strode was on the tall side for professional wrestling, when he was participating in it and would still be considered tall, now. Dwayne Johnson is listed as 6 ft 5, though I never but into wrestling-advertised heights (or Hollywood), without outside corroboration (Hulk Hogan was billed as 7 ft tall in Rocky 3, since Stallone is no taller than 5ft 8 and up to 6 ft 7 in wrestling, when he was about 6ft 5, at most).
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Mar 24, 2021 18:39:48 GMT -5
Imdb says Reddick is 6'2"; Strode is listed at 6'4". Which, in Strode's era meant he was quite tall, while in Reddick is on the tall end of the spectrum, it is not as greatly different than the average height. I saw a stat that says the CDC listed average male height in the US at 5ft 9 in, which hasn't changed much, since the 1960s. Strode was born in 1914 and I saw a stat for average height being about 5 ft 7 in that era, growing to 5 ft 8, by the early 60s. For Hollywood, Strode was very tall, especially in comparison to leading actors who were portrayed as taller than they actually were. Strode was on the tall side for professional wrestling, when he was participating in it and would still be considered tall, now. Dwayne Johnson is listed as 6 ft 5, though I never but into wrestling-advertised heights (or Hollywood), without outside corroboration (Hulk Hogan was billed as 7 ft tall in Rocky 3, since Stallone is no taller than 5ft 8 and up to 6 ft 7 in wrestling, when he was about 6ft 5, at most). Woody Strode was also one of the most impressive physical specimens ever in the movies. Ripped like a Gil Kane superhero, and he was a superb athlete. Played alongside both Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson at UCLA. Played some NFL, All-America Conference and Canadian football, one of the first Black men to play in the modern pro era. Also quite a track athlete.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Mar 24, 2021 19:26:02 GMT -5
Which, in Strode's era meant he was quite tall, while in Reddick is on the tall end of the spectrum, it is not as greatly different than the average height. I saw a stat that says the CDC listed average male height in the US at 5ft 9 in, which hasn't changed much, since the 1960s. Strode was born in 1914 and I saw a stat for average height being about 5 ft 7 in that era, growing to 5 ft 8, by the early 60s. For Hollywood, Strode was very tall, especially in comparison to leading actors who were portrayed as taller than they actually were. Strode was on the tall side for professional wrestling, when he was participating in it and would still be considered tall, now. Dwayne Johnson is listed as 6 ft 5, though I never but into wrestling-advertised heights (or Hollywood), without outside corroboration (Hulk Hogan was billed as 7 ft tall in Rocky 3, since Stallone is no taller than 5ft 8 and up to 6 ft 7 in wrestling, when he was about 6ft 5, at most). Woody Strode was also one of the most impressive physical specimens ever in the movies. Ripped like a Gil Kane superhero, and he was a superb athlete. Played alongside both Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson at UCLA. Played some NFL, All-America Conference and Canadian football, one of the first Black men to play in the modern pro era. Also quite a track athlete. Yes, but could they take on Gorgeous George?
|
|