Hercules/Hercules Goes Bananas/Hercules in New York (1969)

Hercules/Hercules Goes Bananas/Hercules in New York (1969)

“Hercules goes where he wishes!”

Synopsis:
Greek demigod Hercules (Arnold Schwarzenegger) defies his father, Zeus (Ernest Graves), by leaving Mt. Olympus and heading down to Earth, where he befriends a nebbishy pretzel seller (Arnold Stang) and impresses mortals with his superhuman strength.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ancient Greece and Rome
  • Comedy
  • Father and Child
  • New York City
  • Supernatural Powers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary isn’t nearly derisive enough of this unbelievably “lame-brained comedy”, which he labels merely a “disappointment”, noting that “not only is there no wild humor, there are shamefully few jokes and gags at all”. Indeed, the only humor to be had at all comes from the sheer ineptitude of the acting, script, and direction — bad movie aficionados may want to check it out simply to watch for all the goofs that are made, including the sound of cars in the distance during scenes supposedly set on “Mt. Olympus” (actually a NYC country club), or fleeting evidence of shoes on the “bear” Hercules wrestles in Central Park (which is so clearly… oh so clearly… a man in bear costume). With that said, this film remains of marginal historical interest given that it was the film debut for Schwarzenegger (going by the screen name “Arnold Strong”), eight years before he starred in the infinitely more interesting body-building documentary Pumping Iron (1977); watching him here makes one appreciate how far he eventually progressed (relatively speaking) with his acting abilities.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Not much of anything

Must See?
No; definitely free to skip this tedious clunker.

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One thought on “Hercules/Hercules Goes Bananas/Hercules in New York (1969)

  1. First (and last) viewing. A total waste of time.

    A feeble ‘comedy’ now mostly forgotten – for various good reasons. Even lovers of bad film are unlikely to take to this one.

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