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Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Well done, Centurion Scotpensius! Caesar will reward you with a golden laurel wreath and a lovely slave girl for your personal pleasure. Cool

Do I get a hearty handshake with the laurel? Wink

Oh, and make the girl a blonde, please.


Gord Green wrote:
A lot of people confuse QUO VADIS with THE ROBE as the basic stories are similar.

Who was the better Nero...Peter Ustinov or Jay Robinson?

Jay Robinson played Caligula, not Nero.

A better comparison might be between Ustinov's Nero and Charles Laughton's Nero in The Sign of the Cross (1932). Both actors portrayed the notorious Roman emperor as an effeminate, narcissistic voluptuary. Jay Robinson's Caligula is all spite, malice and pure cruelty.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
Jay Robinson's Caligula is all spite, malice and pure cruelty.

Not to mention being a whiny loudmouth who was bat-shit crazy! Shocked
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Krel
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PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
Do I get a hearty handshake with the laurel? Wink

No, but you do get a Laurel and Hardy handshake.*

David.

*Here's another line I never thought I'd get to used. Laughing
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

That's a good one, David! Shocked

It made me wonder if I was wrong in thinking that the phrase was "hardy handshake", rather then "hearty handshake". After all, "hardy" means robust, so a hardy handshake would be a strong one.

However, it turns out I WAS wrong!

A hearty handshake is "warm and unreserved", similar to "heartfelt thanks".

On an unrelated note, if Stan Laurel had passed away and Alan Hale (the father of the "Skipper") took his place with Oliver Hardy, would they perform under the names "Hale and Hardy —The cheerful comedy duo"? Confused

Just a thought . . . Cool

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scotpens
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PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
On an unrelated note, if Stan Laurel had passed away and Alan Hale (the father of the "Skipper") took his place with Oliver Hardy, would they perform under the names "Hale and Hardy —The cheerful comedy duo"? Confused

That's like those "if so-and-so married so-and-so" jokes, e.g.: "If Penny Marshall married John Candy, she'd be Penny Candy."
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Right. Very Happy

Decades ago I heard that if legendary Country Western star Conway Twitty married Country singer Kitty Wells . . . her name would be Kitty Twitty. Very Happy

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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 12:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My one criticism of this fabulous movie is the slaying of the Hydra by Jason.

The Hydra is one of Ray's most magnificent creatures.

Yet, the demise of this incredible creature always seemed too simple and easy to me.

It possesses seven heads; it is much larger than Jason; and along with its seven heads it has a deadly serpentine tail.

However, Jason ends up by standing directly in front of the Hydra and thrusting his sword into its belly.

So in the end its seven heads, tail, and size were not as formidable as it should have been.

No particularly clever moves on Jason's part in his defeat of the Hydra.

Sinbad was able to blind the Cyclops and lure it to a death plunge over a cliff. The second Cyclops encounter had Sinbad release Taro the dragon and have it go after Cyc.

Later on, we saw the giant crossbow constructed by Sinbad's crew kill Taro.

Jason and his men came up with a surprise with nets to trap the Harpies.

I just thought that the screenwriter could have concocted a more imaginative way for Jason to defeat the Hydra that would also be much more credible.

The Hydra deserved a better denouement.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

The YouTube link below provides something which I actually dreamed of somehow obtaining when I was a teenager in the early 1960s! Shocked

It's the complete soundtrack from Jason and the Argonauts, with every segment of Bernard Herrmann's brilliant score — from the original studio recordings! Very Happy

I've watched this movie so many times since I first saw it — twice in one day at a theater with my friends — that listening to this magnificent presentation of the original score was like viewing it again!

I've downloaded the video, and I look forward to replaying it on the big sound system and shaking the walls in my living room. The elderly ladies who live on both sides of my townhouse might call me to complain about the loud noise — but I'll just ignore the ringing phone and apologize to them later. Very Happy

After all, I've been waiting almost 60 years to enjoy this wonderful music in a way would rock my world and rattle my teeth! Very Happy


BERNARD HERRMANN JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

There are many pieces of Bernard Herrmann music I adore — too many to mention here. But here are a few examples.


_______ Herrmann: The Day The Earth Stood Still


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_The Sea - The Lagoon -"Beneath the 12-Mile Reef


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Talking Drums - Prelude: The Riverboat - Petticoat Dance - The Safari (From "White Witch Doctor")


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______ Herrmann: North By Northwest - Overture


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Sleigh Ride from The Devil and Daniel Webster - Bernard Herrmann, London Philharmonic Orchestra


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But the powerful piece which accompanies the Talos scene has always been a special favorite. Obliviously the incredible Harryhausen visuals which accompanided the music is the reason this piece holds a special place in my heart. Cool

_JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS Bernard Herrmann


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]


Back in the early 1990s I made this drawing — my version of a robotic Talos for a story idea I had, way back in high school after seeing Jason and the Argonauts!





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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is one impressive looking Talos robot you designed there, Bud!

Were you thinking of a SF version of Jason & the Argonauts?

Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.

"In the late 1950s Charles [Schneer, producer] and I discussed the possibilities of filming a Greek legend, specifically the story of Perseus.

Following the lack of enthusiasm for Mysterious Island, we resurrected the idea and searched for a legend to form a natural storyline for Dynamation.

Like 7th Voyage of Sinbad we would have to adapt and gently manipulate the story.

Between us we read all of the Greek legends, and instead of the Perseus story (which we felt had some problems), we eventually decided on Jason and his search for the golden fleece, allowing us the most flexibility for high adventure and fantasy."

Sidebar: Just goes to show you how challenging it can be to adapt one medium (a book), to the different medium of film.

Books can take their time and build slowly, their plot can be lengthy. Films really can't because of their (generally) two-hour running time. Your audience will grow bored.

Books can include numerous characters. Films don't because it can get confusing in the process. Also, if you have numerous characters then that automatically shortens the screen time for everyone.

The final reality is that some wonderful books would not make for an equally wonderful film.

On the one hand I would have loved to have seen a Ray Harryhausen film tackle the 12 Labors of Hercules. Certainly plenty of opportunity there for having a number of stop-motion creatures by Ray.

However, as you ponder the source material from the Greek novel, does this translate well into a feature film?

If ole' Herc is to take on 12 labors in a two-hour running movie you'll have to move rapidly through 'em all. Three labors per half-hour, six per hour? If you do that will it have enough time to truly create the spectacle, drama, and suspense you would require for the film? Or will you be rushed?

Do you make some labors longer in film time while others are briefer? Which ones get the most time, the least amount of time?

Could this plot alone sustain the film? Yes, seeing Herc going from one trial to another could be fun, but would it also become tiresome without any subplots of any kind going on?

Someone might be able to write such a story, "manipulate it," as Ray notes, so that there is more plot than just the labors themselves.

Now we're back to the running time challenge. Do you make it Ben-Hur by having it run three or more hours? I don't think any film studio back then would have ever given Ray the green light on a film of his running that long.

Best bet: do it as a TV miniseries where you could have the story take place over the course of several evenings.

TV miniseries can have rather lavish budgets. I've see some very impressive looking ones such as Arabian Nights, Gulliver's Travels, and Dinotopia. However, they rarely have the same budget or generous shooting schedule as a feature film does.

So yeah, there are some splendid stories out there that are incapable of being adapted well to film no matter the talent or budget behind it.

Note: I did see a Hercules television miniseries some years ago. It wasn't bad, but I'd enjoy someone taking another run at it.

And in the context of having Ray & Charles produce a Hercules feature film, I have to say that it wouldn't have been feasible for them to do so.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

What a remarkable comment, Mike! Bravo!

Your analysis of Harryhausen's career and his unmade projects is extremely well thought out. We share a love for pondering the question, "What if . . . " concerning movies that could have been made in past decades, as opposed to remakes of classics — many of which don't need to be remade.

By the way, I'd never considered a sci-fi version of Jason before, but it could be done quite easily!

The crew of the starship Argo are assisted by a race of God-like aliens when they travel to a distant planet to take possession of super-hi-tech orb which the aliens bestow on worthy planets who need it's amazing powers to deal with situations that threaten their existence.

Once the various threats have been neutralized, these alien-gods will give permission to some other race who needs the Orb to become the new temporary owners.

But representatives of this race must demonstrate the intelligence and bravery needed to obtain the Orb, with minimal assistance from the alien-gods.

The voyage of the starship Argo to the planet which has the Orb would involve several challenges — the same way the Argonauts had to face Talos, the Harpies, the Clashing Rocks, the Hydra, and the skeletons!

And naturally the captain of the ship would meet and fall in love with a gorgeous space babe like All Sci-Fi's own Cosmina.



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As for the robot I designed, it was actually for a completely different kind of story I came up with, but it would work well in a sci-fi Jason, and I'm sure I could design some "skeleton" robots we could pit against our space-faring Argonauts. Something a little like this early drawing I did.


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After all, I managed to design robotic versions of an Atlanta Falcon and Chicago Cub!


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you have the basis for a Jason & the Argonauts go to outer space there, Bruce.

Another thought is that your robot design could possibly have served as the exo-skeleton for the unnamed alien beings in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

Or we could have a scenario for Earth vs. the Flying Saucers where this alien civilization that is so desperate to find another planet to emigrate to, has sent out star saucers with not only themselves, but ones' totally unmanned that have sophisticated robots on 'em that these aliens have created.

That way they can have even more vessels out scouring the galaxy for their race to discover a habitable planet.

So the saucers that come to Earth are completely occupied by robots who've sent out a signal that they have found a world that their creators can occupy.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2022 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Excellent concepts, Mike! Cool

I had to posts some image in the next post because the lighter background matches those of the artwork.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Feb 27, 2022 1:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2022 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I'm sure you've seen my version of the EvstFS suits below —

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— but here's a few suggestions for the robots the aliens send out in the unmanned saucers.



The original drawings don't photograph well because they were done with gel pens with "metallic ink" which reflects like metal! Very Happy

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2022 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Again, these are terrific looking drawings, Bruce.

As I noted earlier, Ray Harryhausen was never pleased with the exo-suit used by the aliens on his Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. He didn't have anything to do with their design and construction. I bet if he could see your drawing he'd be very pleased indeed.

The robot drawing is very cool. Reminded me somewhat of Robotman from the D.C. comic book The Doom Patrol.

The live action television adaptation of the DP is excellent. Off the wall, chaotic, crazy, but unique among superhero TV shows. Not for the kiddies.

The DP comic book first came out back around 1963. Marvel comics the X-Men debuted seven or so months later.

Fans have debated whether Marvel's X-Men was based upon the DP ever since. Or stolen.

The months of separation between the 2 comics sounds as if Marvel could have ripped off DC's ideas.

However, professionals in the industry state that even that many months isn't enough of a lead for marvel to have checked out the DP when it first hit the newsstands and then go and create, write, draw, and put the X-Men out in so short a time by industry standards. So who knows the truth?

They're similar in that both teams have a brilliant scientist as their team leader. Both teams were designed to be heroes but to also have the general public fear them.

The DP were labeled as the "World's strangest superhero team." The X-Men were referred to as "The Uncanny X-Men."

So yeah, there are indeed similarities between the two comics even though they're published by different comic book companies.

It's also said that the DP was DC's response to the premiere of Marvel's Fantastic Four comics. So when is it classified as a rip-off, and when is it just inspiration with artistic projects of any kind? Are they judged by their similarities and having too many between the initial work by someone and the other one that followed?

Is the one that follows original enough with its own concepts, as well as bringing a fresh dimension to it all that the first project didn't do?

There, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about the DP & X-Men rivalry, Bruce.

Fun how we can go off on tangents on All Sci-Fi now and again.
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