Muscle Beach History - by Stuntmovie

[stuntmovie]

I have no idea who NELLY is but if you're a NELLY FAN, he'll be on the Beach (Venice - Muscle Beach) at one of the first Beach NN events of the year .....

[The Scott]

SCOTT, regarding your UNITED ARTISTS response ....

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith were seeking to gain more financial and artistic control over producing and distributing their films. On February 5, 1919, they joined forces to create their own film studio, which they called the United Artists Corporation.

The studio system break-up ocurred roughly 30 years later.

I had forgotten about Chaplin!  Not a big fan of his, but that doesn't mean he wasn't great.  It's kinda like the Marx Bros.   I like them but not nearly so much as I enjoy Abbot and Costello and the 3 Stooges!

Stunt do you (or anyone here!) remember the really bad series of films called "The Sons of Hercules"?  My youth was filled with such fare.  Comic book ads too.  Today's youth have nothing to compare, really.  Sad.

[stuntmovie]

SCoTT, I never have heard of The SOns of Hercules, but I had the opportunity to meet Steve Reeves(the original Herc!) a few times when I was a very young kid and work with him for a week or so about three years before he passed away.

I notice that there is a new Herc movie that came our today. The actor who plays the part was in a movie that I really enjoyed watching called ARENA.

I recommend it highly for any fight fans on this Board.

Speaking about comic books ... I used to collect them and one in particular I can now recall.

It was a Superman comic that was published before steroids became a 'no-no' among the general public. Probably around the time when they were only known by bodybuilders and strength athletes.

I forget how the exact story went but somehow Superman gets loaded up on steroids and gets so damn huge and muscular that he has to leave planet earth because he is breaking or destroying everything he comes in contact with.

Anyone recall that one?  A very different Supeerman tale.

[The Ugly]

You're a great guy, Stunt. Thanks for hanging around.

[The Scott]

Stunt, I don't recall any comic where Supes took steroids.  I think since he's basically the all time greatest Boy-Scout, that'd never happen!

The Sons of Hercules was  a hoot.  Still that pablum fueled my desire to have a good physique.  Goofy theme song about the "Mighty Sons of Hercules"...

I miss those days but for the most part who doesn't miss their childhood?

[stuntmovie]

Thanks, UGLY ... providing you don't mean 'hanging' from an oak-tree with a noose around my neck.

SCOTT, Yep ... I feel the same way about Supe and have been a "pal" of his for longer than I can remember. Have seen just about every Superman serial ever shown at the early afternoon Saturday matitines. witht he accompayning 17 Mighty Mouse and Tom and Jerry and Popeye Cartoons .

But SCOTT .... I really am correc about that Superman/steroid story-line, but he didn't do it knowingly . I think he flew through some very elaborate steroid cloud.

I think Hollywood should bring back those old time serials but bring them up to date for mature audiences. A new FLASH GORDON would be a great serial if they used some of these new Fitness girls and a noteworthy Physique competitor in the starring roles.

And hire some GetBigger for the  EMPEROR MING role. I have a couple GetBiggers I migh
t s
I'muggest . gonna bring this subject up durring  my next family visit.

ANy starring role suggestions are appreciated.

[The Scott]

Flash Gordon!

I knew a guy whose stepfather (or so he told me) has a star on the H'Wood walk of Fame for directing some of the Flash Gordon serials with Buster Crabbe or so my feeble memory recalls.  Not a friend really, more of an acquaintance.  Another friend was/is in the film and voice business to this day.  He worked for George Lucas on Star Wars films and does voice over work everywhere.

A dear childhood friend.  His cousin worked at Universal Studios in the 70s and got us in.  She was dating a stuntman and he got a ride home from him one day in a studio "patrol car".    I took him to Venice when he went to make his mark in the business in the late 70s.  A great guy indeed.

[stuntmovie]

SCOTT,This really is a small world.

 Here are some comments about what you said above.

GeORGe LUcAs has a big ranch inLUCAS Valley up in Northern California by San Rafael. That valley was named LUCAS VALLEY before George Lucas bought that ranch.

My brother -in-law would sometimes do some a/c work a for ILM nd would often see the crew working n various INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC stuff for various movies such as Star Wars, etc. He says it was amazing work that they were doing.

I never did have the opportunity to go with him on one of those jobs but did have the chance to visit the new Lucas facilities which are now located on the old San Francico Presido. (An amazing facility!)

NOT positive but I think DISNEY bought the Star wars rights for something like Seven-Billion but don't quote me on that figure. (It's public info someone on the net if you need accuracy.)

ANd regarding the Hollywood stunt business in the 60's and the 70's ... I've posted a few articles about those days someplace on this Board ,,, and those days and those people always bring back great memories.

I'll go into that more later if there is any interest.

[The Scott]

SCOTT,This really is a small world.

 Here are some comments about what you said above.

GeORGe LUcAs has a big ranch inLUCAS Valley up in Northern California by San Rafael. That valley was named LUCAS VALLEY before George Lucas bought that ranch.

My brother -in-law would sometimes do some a/c work a for ILM nd would often see the crew working n various INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC stuff for various movies such as Star Wars, etc. He says it was amazing work that they were doing.

I never did have the opportunity to go with him on one of those jobs but did have the chance to visit the new Lucas facilities which are now located on the old San Francico Presido. (An amazing facility!)

NOT positive but I think DISNEY bought the Star wars rights for something like Seven-Billion but don't quote me on that figure. (It's public info someone on the net if you need accuracy.)

ANd regarding the Hollywood stunt business in the 60's and the 70's ... I've posted a few articles about those days someplace on this Board ,,, and those days and those people always bring back great memories.

I'll go into that more later if there is any interest.

I am very much interested, Stunt! 

Thanks!

[wes]

Wes:  do you have a favorite film noir?  I was thinking what might be my favorite... I think it might be Laura.

Laura is a clasic.

Hard to name just one but here`s a few that I like the most:

"Kiss Of Death"-Victor Mature and a brutal early appearance by Richard Widmark where he kills his own mother!!

"Out Of The Past"-Robert Mitchum trying to change his past life but his former cronies won`t allow it.

"White Heat"-My man Cagney at his best with my man Sreve Ciochran also.

"I,Mobster"-Another one with Steve Cochran..kind of obscure.........Cochran never got his just due as far as great roles went,but whatever he played,he was great in.

"Key Largo"-Bogart,Bacall,Edward G.Robinson,Claire Trevor.....need I say more? A true classic.

I must own over 400 Film Noir Flicks alone and hundreds and hundreds of other movies of almost ever genre`.

Notable Mentions:

"Side Street"

"The Killers" (the one with Lancaster not Lee Marvin and Ron Reagan,although that ones good also.)

"The Maltese Falcon"(who doesn`t love Sidney Greenstreet,Peter Lorre,Barton McLane and Ward Bond as 2 prick cops,as well as that great character actor ,Elisha Cook Jr. ?

"Double Indemnity"

"The Desperate Hours"

"Dark Passage:"-Another great Bogie/Bacall flick.

"Railroaded"- John Ireland

"Hoodlum" -Lawrence Tierney brother of Scott Brady

Shit,I could go on for weeks,but I`ll spare you! 

[wes]

Well, Perc Westmore was a legend by anyone's standards in Hollywood. And, Kim Novak, was a total beauty, although her MH got the better of her. Robert Osborne had a nice later-life interview with her. Recommended.

I saw a part of that Doc.....good stuff,I`m sure it`ll play again.I hope.

I live for TCM...Osborne and Mancowicz are great and "THe Essentials" ........with Robert and Drew Barrymore is usually pretty damn  good as well.

[wes]

STUNT YOU ARE THE MAN......PROUD TO CALL YOU A FRIEND EVEN IF IT IS ONLY AN E-FRIEND.

You`re a great guy who lived a helluva` life and is still doing just that.

All the best buddy!  

[njflex]

STUNT YOU ARE THE MAN......PROUD TO CALL YOU A FRIEND EVEN IF IT IS ONLY AN E-FRIEND.

You`re a great guy who lived a helluva` life and is still doing just that.

All the best buddy!  

x2 guy is a true gent,,answers post with your handle then tells his story or quote or fact..

[The Ugly]

Laura is a clasic.

Hard to name just one but here`s a few that I like the most:

"Kiss Of Death"-Victor Mature and a brutal early appearance by Richard Widmark where he kills his own mother!!

"Out Of The Past"-Robert Mitchum trying to change his past life but his former cronies won`t allow it.

"White Heat"-My man Cagney at his best with my man Sreve Ciochran also.

"I,Mobster"-Another one with Steve Cochran..kind of obscure.........Cochran never got his just due as far as great roles went,but whatever he played,he was great in.

"Key Largo"-Bogart,Bacall,Edward G.Robinson,Claire Trevor.....need I say more? A true classic.

I must own over 400 Film Noir Flicks alone and hundreds and hundreds of other movies of almost ever genre`.

Notable Mentions:

"Side Street"

"The Killers" (the one with Lancaster not Lee Marvin and Ron Reagan,although that ones good also.)

"The Maltese Falcon"(who doesn`t love Sidney Greenstreet,Peter Lorre,Barton McLane and Ward Bond as 2 prick cops,as well as that great character actor ,Elisha Cook Jr. ?

"Double Indemnity"

"The Desperate Hours"

"Dark Passage:"-Another great Bogie/Bacall flick.

"Railroaded"- John Ireland

"Hoodlum" -Lawrence Tierney brother of Scott Brady

Shit,I could go on for weeks,but I`ll spare you! 

My man Wes, good shit there. Double Indemnity, too.

[wes]

Yup,stunt is cool.

And yes bro,I love Double Indemnity....Edwrd G, Robinson was great in it too,and "The Stranger" with Robinson and Orson Welles is good too.

Another one pairing up Stanwyck with MacMurray is "Border Incident"....nowhere near on the same scale what so ever though.....still a good "B" noir.

[The Ugly]

Yup,stunt is cool.

And yes bro,I love Double Indemnity....Edwrd G, Robinson was great in it too,and "The Stranger" with Robinson and Orson Welles is good too.

Another one pairing up Stanwyck with MacMurray is "Border Incident"....nowhere near on the same scale what so ever though.....still a good "B" noir.

Love the old noir. Night of the Hunter, The Third Man?

[wes]

Love the old noir. Night of the Hunter, The Third Man?

They both reside in my collection my friend!

Good flicks.

They should put an all noir station on the tube.....I`d be willing to bet that it would be a success.

At any rate,TCM should have at least one night a week for noir.

[The Ugly]

They both reside in my collection my friend!

Good flicks.

They should put an all noir station on the tube.....I`d be willing to bet that it would be a success.

At any rate,TCM should have at least one night a week for noir.

Ha. Love the Wes.

[dr.chimps]

I saw a part of that Doc.....good stuff,I`m sure it`ll play again.I hope.

I live for TCM...Osborne and Mancowicz are great and "THe Essentials" ........with Robert and Drew Barrymore is usually pretty damn  good as well.

Agreed. The best thing going, for those of us in the know. *Brushes side of nose with index finger*     

[wes]

Agreed. The best thing going, for those of us in the know. *Brushes side of nose with index finger*     

Hell yes my friend.................. ...I`m not into musicals as a rule, which the show a lot,but great channel.

[stuntmovie]

WOW! Thanks for the 'accolades' but I hate accolades for some unknown reason. Even in the corps ... I hated to get some kind of metal or another. I think most former military guys feel that way for some unknown reason.

Any 'Shrinks' in the house!

WOW!!!! I cannot believe that lI have NOT seen most of those movies you movie fans have been mentioning above.

ANd I thought that I was the major MOTION POICTURE GURU on  this board but WES and others put me to shame.

But I will "outclass' ya all by telling you all that I spent some time with Jane Wyman in a USMC hangout near Pendleton while she sobered up before heading back to LA after a busy weekend at some horse races in Tiajuana. A great lady by the way!

I bet that she was in some of those movies you have mentioned above..

[wes]

JANE WYMAN.......damn you Bill,some guys get all the breaks! 

You deserve any and all accolades you get buddy,trust me on that.

[stuntmovie]

OPPS!! WES!!! I just re-read some of he above and you mentioned BARBARA STANWYCK and one fine day while I was wandering around UNIVERSAL STUDIOS waiting for some of my stunt friends to get off work, I wandered into one of the SOUND STAGES and  found myself on an amazing set that represented a huge pasture with a large hill in the background.

They were in the process of filming a scene in which a bunch of cowboys were sitting around a bon-fire discussing that day's round-up .... and Barbara Stanwyck was standing beside the camera waiting for her que to enter the scene.

That ended quickly and everyone took a break and I'm 6 foot but I was the shortest guy  on that set where everyone involved was at least 6'3". Except for Barbara of course.

One of the crew noticed that  I was looking at this elaborate set and proceeded to tell me that a 'hurd' of cattle actually walked over that artificial hill in a scene that was filmed the day before.

I'm not a big TV fan so I have no idea what that show was all about, but it was definitely a western.

Movie making is serious business.

[wes]

Cool stuff Bill........may have been "The Big Valley" if it was a TV show as opposed to a movie.

in your other post you re,marked on my movie knowledge,the big big difference,and there are lots more of course,but the big difference is,I watched a shitload of films ever since I was a kid,BUT,and this is a big BUT,while I was watching them,you were in the friggin` things!  LOL 

Respect!!

[stuntmovie]

WES!  MOst of the times (and those were very few time) I was only on the sidelines using my head so that the individual responsible for "break-a-ways made sure that they'd actually break-a-way.

Plus ... Just about every old time wild west bar you have seen in those old movies of yours ... I can honestly say,,,"I stood at that plank but was never offered anything stronger than Sasperilla!".

ANd I bet you have this movie also .... It was shot at Universal and was a screenplay about the Knights of the Round Table. And we spent some time on that set one of the days when it was not in use.

That was the day one of the stunt guys invited me t have a sword fight on top of that huge table where all the Knights supposedly sat while do whatever Knights do at big round tables. Eat dinner, maybe???

So I had a fake sword fight on that big table which you might have seen in one of the movies you mentioned earlier.

That table was in a 'castle room' which filled up the entire sound stage and looked realer than reality but was only painted styrofoam.

Do you recall the name of that one, WES?