Jon Jon Park

PEPLUM star and world champion bodybuilder Reg Park had a son and called him Jon Jon. As the photos above show he was also into physical fitness. Those photos are from an exercise book by arnold schwarzenegger, who is pictured below with Jon Jon and Reg. Would he have been able to follow in his father's footsteps and make it as a PEPLUM star?

Photo of the Day

Gordon Scott as Zorro in ZORRO VS THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Strike a pose!

The Siren action figure

Action figure from the BATMAN TV series from the 1960s based on the villainess The Siren, played by PEPLUM star Joan Collins, one of many PEPLUM-inspired villains who'd appear on the popular show.

Hail Caesar! starring George Clooney?

George Clooney tipped to return for third instalment of the Coen brothers' 'numbskull trilogy', playing a 1920s actor in a film set in ancient Rome.

The film would complete what the Coens have referred to as their "numbskull trilogy", which include O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Intolerable Cruelty, both of which featured Clooney. It reputedly centres on a 1920s matinee idol (Clooney) who signs up for an epic film set in ancient Rome.

The Guardian

Photo of the Day

Caligula, played by Vladimir Brajovic, center, is about to show his little 'friend' to the couple in CALIGULA AND MESSALINA

This is a super sleazy flick. Trying to compete with Bob Guccione's CALIGULA this Italian production actually surpasses the more famous one in many regards but in the end it's just awful. As a PEPLUM fan I watch everything and it is interesting to watch these x-rated films from the 1970s and 80s and wonder if these films were simply the raunchy manifestations of what the folks who made the PEPLUM films of the 50s/60s thought of but couldn't do back then. This film includes footage from old PEPLUM films like GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS and COLOSSUS OF RHODES. Some of the voice actors used for the English dub are the same actors as the ones used for classic PEPLUM productions.

Behind-the-Scenes

Elizabeth Taylor visits the set of THE EGYPTIAN with Michael Wilding in costume and Jean Simmons out of costume.

Liz was married to Michael at the time so the wife visited the husband's set. It's more interesting to see Jean and Liz together. The two actresses often worked in (and competed for?) movies with the same type of roles. I wonder if they were friends.

R.I.P.: Eleanor Parker

Eleanor Parker died earlier this week, on December 9. She was 91 years old. Eleanor wasn't a  PEPLUM star per se with just a few roles in costume dramas/Swashbucklers including SCARAMOUCHE (above) costarring Stewart Granger. Fabulous film. But the reason I'm posting this small retrospective of her passing is the photo below. That's Eleanor in some test shots for what exactly well, it's a mystery. Some say it's for VALLEY OF THE KINGS but that film is set in contemporary 1950s not in Antiquity. She looks amazing in Egyptian costume and definitely should have made some films set in Antiquity. 

R.I.P.: Rossana Podestà

Sad news to report that Rossana Podestà has died today. She was 79 years old. A star of many PEPLUM films she was one of the few actresses of the genre to make it in a big Hollywood production, HELEN OF TROY (pictured above). If you want to read more about Rossana you can check this out : link

Photo of the Day

The Cyclops is about to kill Marcus (Kevin Stapleton) in CYCLOPS (2008)

A cable-produced film that's throwback to the B-movies of the 1950s/60s with passable CGI for the cyclops. Not great but entertaining nonetheless. 

Back on Thursday.

Then and Now : Sandra Milo

Sandra in HEROD THE GREAT; a recent photo of Sandra

JULIET OF THE SPIRITS : feast of PEPLUM stars

Fellini's JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (1965) has a host of PEPLUM stars in it. It's a virtual who's who. It was released in 1965 when the PEPLUM explosion died. There many more than the one listed here. There's Mino Doro, Claudie Lange, Dakar, etc.

Sylva Koscina, star of the HERCULES films

Sandra Milo, who appeared in HEROD THE GREAT before this film

George Ardisson, who appeared in many PEPLUM films including HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD

Dina De Santis, who was in HERCULES AGAINST ROME. She also appears as a different character in the film.

Marilù Tolo. She starred in many PEPLUM films including THE MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR

The dancing team of Sujata and Asoka Rubener. I profiled them last week: link

...and the bodybuilders: 

What's a Fellini film without a brief appearance of a muscleman? Well there are about 4 or 5 'bodybuilders' in this film but above is Nadir Moretti, who was in several PEPLUM films including HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS and was Samson in SAMSON AND THE MIGHTY CHALLENGE.

Nadir would also appeared briefly during another part of the film.

Another muscleman who's not credited but he's called Alberto in the film.

Mystery bodybuilder who's not credited. This is not Nadir Moretti. Sorta looks like Dan Vadis. 

Photo of the Day

Tony Musante and Vanessa Gravina in GLADIATOR OF POMPEII

This mini-series, in two parts, was made in 2007 but the English dubbed version has been released just recently. Not bad with excellent production values but the dubbing is static and boring. On a sad note, Tony Musante died on November 26 at the age of 77. His career last a long time, since the early 1960s. He was also a stage actor. His best film is probably the classic THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, directed by Dario Argento. R.I.P.

Movie Poster Mondays

Spanish poster for MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE THUNDERING ECHOES (aka Hercules of the Desert)

Love it!

Undressing for Action - Steve Reeves - Kirk Morris - Alan Steel

Compilation of clips from various PEPLUM films with the hero undressing just before or while in full action mode. A definite PEPLUM cliché.

When the hero takes it off he means business!

Photo of the Day

The crew of the Argo from HERCULES UNCHAINED

The cast: Fulvio Carrara as Pollux, Willy Colombini as Castor, Gabriele Antonini as Ulysses, Andrea Fantasia as Laertes, Walter Grant as Asclepius, Aldo Pini as Tifi, Aldo Fiorelli as Argo and Gino Mattera as Orpheus. Great cast of actors in supporting roles. I could watch this film a million times.

Back on Monday

Video game based on classic PEPLUM films

Yesterday I posted a Youtube clip of a new RPG video game called RYSE : SON OF ROME and while looking at the gory action I wondered how fun would it be if some programmers would make video games based on classic PEPLUM films. The first title that popped in my mind was THIEF OF BAGHDAD starring Steve Reeves and Giorgia Moll (above). The entire storyline, of the quest for the Blue Rose and with Karim the Thief (Reeves) picking up stuff along the way and fighting with the faceless soldiers and flying off in a winged horse would be cool to play.

PEPLUM gifs

Here are some simple gif animations I created for PEPLUM X blog. There are more there. Check it out (scroll down): PEPLUM X

SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME

GIANTS OF ROME

THE GIANTS OF THESSALY

Photo of the Day

Gordon Scott, as Samson (Maciste in original Italian version), uses his strength to shake someone down from a tree in SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD

Great photo of a subligaculum, which is what Scott is wearing. I've trying to get the official name for such a garment and I've only recently found it. I'll post more about it soon. Fun film but too many scenes were cut for the US version.

Lobby Cards set : QUEEN OF THE PIRATES

US lobby cards set for QUEEN OF THE PIRATES: 4 cards with Gianna Maria Canale which makes this a pretty good set, but the dull cards no 2, 4 and 6 bring it down. No 3 is the best card with Gianna and Moira Orfei together and card no 5 with Massimo Serato and Scilla Gabel. Good but could have been greater without those 3 boring cards.

Ryse Son Of Rome - The Movie Full Storyline

One of the first exclusive games available only for the new Xbox One, released 2 weeks ago, was RYSE : SON OF ROME, a violent RPG set in Rome. Someone edited all the movie storyline together from the game and you can view it on Youtube (until they pull it). I don't have an Xbox so I checked it out. Lotsa hacking and slashing.

Photo of the Day

Roger Browne and Scilla Gabel are the romantic couple in SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME (or Seven Slaves against the World)

As usual in Michele Lupo films, you briefly see the actors in a full shot like this but then it's followed by a series of super tight close-ups of the actors' faces. Nice photo.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon found…not in Babylon?

A British academic believes she has identified the precise spot of the elusive Hanging Gardens of Babylon - in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World for which the location has for centuries remained elusive.

Now, though, an academic from Oxford University believes she has solved one of the world’s last great archaeological mysteries by identifying the precise spot on which the Hanging Gardens of Babylon once stood. Dr Stephanie Dalley focused her search hundreds of miles north of the site of the ancient city of Babylon, now near Hillah, in central Iraq, to support her theory that the lush, elevated marvel was in fact built near the city of Ninevah, in the north of the country.

THE TELEGRAPH

I've already posted about this years ago in one of the blogs first posts (link). I love this kind of stuff.

Same dancers, different films

Sujata and Asoka Rubener were a husband and wife dance team specializing in in performing various Oriental dances to Western audiences, including movies. Above: they appeared in SALOME (1953), the Rita Hayworth vehicle, and below, in SANDOKAN - THE PIRATE OF MALAYSIA (1964), the Steve Reeves film.

They appeared in other films and even TV series like WILD WILD WEST in a PEPLUM inspired episode (go figure!).

Photo of the Day

Claudius Marcellus (Richard Harrison) and Castor (Ettore Manni) try to figure out how an infernal machine works in GIANTS OF ROME

I like this film. I've watched it many times and will watch many more times. It's quite different than the usual stuff made in the day. It feels almost like a 1970s film. It takes place almost entirely in the exterior, with few sets. DUEL OF THE TITANS was also like this and imo the production design/look of this Antonio Margheriti film is more successful than the Sergio Corbucci flick. You *really* feel the struggle and the woodsy/outdoors setting in this. The cast is great; Ettore Manni always gives a great performance while Richard is always believable as an action hero.

Back on Thursday!

PEPLUM special effects : HELEN OF TROY

Matte work from HELEN OF TROY. Robert Wise was a technical genius and he knew how to utilize an effects team to its fullest potential.