Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze ( 1975 ) G | Doc and the Amazing Five battle Captain Seas and "the green death" for control of a fabulous resource.

Director: Lester Dent (novel) (as Kenneth Robeson), Joe Morheim (screenplay) (as Joe Morhaim) | 1 more credit » Stars: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 36 titles created 02 Mar 2012 a list of 908 titles created 29 Jan 2013 a list of 272 titles created 03 Jan 2016 a list of 45 titles created 11 months ago a list of 32 images created 4 months ago Title: Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) 5.6/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Tarzan (Lord Greystoke), already well educated and fed up with civilization, returns to the jungle and, more-or-less assisted by chimpanzee Cheetah and orphan boy Jai, wages war against poachers and other bad guys.

Stars: Ron Ely, Manuel Padilla Jr., Rockne Tarkington The USA must join forces with the USSR in order to destroy a gigantic asteroid heading straight for Earth. Director: Ronald Neame A 20th century astronaut emerges out of 500 years of suspended animation into a future time where Earth is threatened by alien invaders. Director: Daniel Haller Brash and crazed cigar-chomping network TV executive Clifford Bradley decides to push the boundaries of good taste and moral decency by broadcasting an extremely bawdy and explicit stag ... See full summary » Director: Henri Pachard Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile... See full summary » Director: Gordon Hessler A spaceship from Earth crash-lands on an Earth-like planet on which everything, including the human-like inhabitants, is twelve times the size of its counterpart on Earth. Stars: Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Stefan Arngrim Extraterrestrials traveling in high-tech flying saucers contact scientist Dr. Russell Marvin as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth.

Director: Fred F. Sears An ex-pilot and current baseballer is recalled into the U.S. Air Force and assumes an increasingly important role in Cold War deterrence. Director: Anthony Mann In this, the first Matt Helm movie, we see Matt Helm coaxed out of semi-retirement by an attractive ex-partner. It seems that the evil Big O organization has a nefarious plan called "... See full summary » Director: Phil Karlson During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion against foreigners in China, U.S. Marine Major Matt Lewis, aided by British Consul Sir Arthur Robertson, devises a strategy to keep the rebels at bay until an international military relief force arrives. Directors: Nicholas Ray, Guy Green Stars: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew. Director: Robert Wise Not yet released Doc Savage, the man of bronze, was raised from childhood by a team of scientists to become the original "super" hero of the 1930s. A man of great mental and physical strength, he went around the world battling larger than life villains.

Director: Shane Black Edit Storyline In the Fabulous Thirties, Doc Savage and his five Amazing Adventurers are sucked into the mystery of Doc's father disappearing in the wilds of South America. The maniacal Captain Seas tries to thwart them at every turn as they travel to the country of Hidalgo to investigate Doc's father's death and uncover a vast horde of Incan gold. Written by <crow_steve@hotmail.com> June 1975 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Doc Savage - Der Mann aus Bronze See more » Company Credits Did You Know? Trivia To put out the fire in Doc's residence, "extinguisher globes" are used. In reality, such globes were marketed in the nineteenth century. They were made of glass and filled with water or some other fire suppressant. Though they had a long shelf life and are now collectibles, they were only minimally effective against fires. See more » Goofs During the scene where Doc Savage and his comrades are pursuing the sniper, modern (1970s vintage) automobiles can be seen in one of the aerial shots. The film is set in 1936.

See more » Quotes Don Rubio Gorro : That dirty little tramp from my office, she could never lead them to Quetzamal. Capt. Seas : That's what I'm counting on. Lots of money is at stake. See more » Crazy Credits A sequel, Doc Savage: The Arch Enemy of Evil, was announced at the conclusion of The Man of Bronze See more » Connections Better than Average Superhero Flick 8 July 2001 | by artzau (Sacramento, CA) – See all my reviews Out of the 30s came a number of superheroes, some of which are still with us, e.g., Batman, Superman, etc. The comics still have their followers and collectors. If I'd saved all my funnybooks from that era, I no doubt would be a wealthy man today, but I didn't and am not at all wealthy. However, the 30s was also the time of pulp heroes, e.g., the Saint, and Doc Savage.

I remember seeing the paperbacks (called pocketbooks back then) with Doc Savage on the cover, usually draped in a torn shirt, showing his hyperdeveloped upper body and sculpted hair, his face in a contorted grimace suggesting pain or constipation. I never read any of the books and in fact, was living in South America when this film was released. In fact, it was a crazy friend and fellow colleague anthropologist who touted the film to me and got me curious. So, when it showed up on the late show, I watched it with interest. Ron Ely was an excellent choice for the title role. He had been a TV Tarzan (one of the better ones, BTW) and handled the action quite well. The story? Well, high adventure, whatever that means. Sadly, the thrills of the 30s do not always play well into the present day. They certainly didn't back in the late 70s when I saw this film. It was fun, entertaining but not particularly memorable. The good guys were good and the villain was villainous. Good triumphed but not without a struggle. What more can I say? There have been some schlock films which play on this theme.

Some suffer from terrible writing, some from terrible acting and direction-- some from both. This film comes out a bit better than average in my estimation. Fun to watch but like yesterday's Chinese blue plate special, not very memory-provoking. 13 of 17 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (Original Theatrical Trailer) - YouTube Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (Original Theatrical Trailer) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Mar 30, 2009 Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze: Based on the first of Kenneth Robeson's 181 adventure-packed Doc Savage books, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze hits the screen with all its gee-whiz, gung-ho spirit intact. And its bold protagonist, who along with having a herculean body is also a surgeon, linguist and inventor, remains determined to do right to all and wrong to no one.

Ron Ely (TV's Tarzan) plays the strapping Savage in this high-camp, big-heroics tale of his trek into the Valley of the Vanished to confront the power-hungry Captain Seas (Paul Wexler). And behind the camera are pros who know how to get the most out of this entertainment bronze mine: veteran fantasy film producer George Pal (The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine) and director Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, Logan's Run). ------ Doc Savage - The Man Of Bronze Doc On The Radio OVERVIEW Doc Savage is a pulp fiction hero created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L. Nanovic at Street and Smith Publications with additional material contributed by the series' main writer, Lester Dent. The Doc Savage Magazine ran for 181 issues and was printed from March 1933 to the summer of 1949. Doc Savage became known to modern readers when Bantam Books began reprinting the stories in 1964 with covers by artist James Bama and under the by-line "Kenneth Robeson".

The stories were not reprinted in chronological order as originally published, though they did begin with the first adventure, The Man of Bronze. By 1967, Bantam was publishing one a month until 1990, when all 181 original stories (plus an unpublished novel, The Red Spider) had run their course. Author Will Murray produced seven more Doc Savage novels for Bantam Books from Lester Dent's original outlines. Bantam also published a novel by Philip Josï¿½ Farmer, Escape From Loki (1991), which told the story of how Doc in World War I met the men who would become his five comrades. The 86th floor Doc's headquarters are on the 86th floor of a New York City skyscraper, implicitly the Empire State Building, reached by Doc's private high-speed elevator.

Doc owns a fleet of cars, trucks, aircraft, and boats which he stores at a secret hangar on the Hudson River, under the name The Hidalgo Trading Company, which is linked to his office by a pneumatic-tube system nicknamed the "flea run." He sometimes retreats to his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic ï¿½ which pre-dates Superman's similar hideout of the same name. All of this is paid for with gold from a Central American mine given to him by the local descendants of the Mayans in the first Doc Savage story. Who's Who Clark "Doc" Savage, Jr. From an early age, Doc studied under great masters of all disciplines of science: medicine, chemistry, electricity, engineering, archaeology, and others. He also developed his body as well as his mind by studying the martial arts and other hand to hand combat skills. He became fluent in numerous languages, an expert at ventriloquism, and a marksman with all types of weapons. When WWI broke out, Doc joined the Army and went overseas. He captured and sent to a POW camp where he met Monk, Ham, Renny, Johnny, and Long Tom.

Doc and his crew organized a prison escape, and made a pact that they would form a group to fight evil and crime when the war was over. An evil plot which killed his father spurred Doc and his crew into action for the first time. Doc saved a lost race of Mayan descendents from exploitation and slavery and in return was given access to the tremendous hordes of gold owned by the tribe. Doc used this fabulous wealth in his fight against evil. Despite Doc's choice of professions, he seldom took the life of a criminal if he could help it. The fate of the criminals Doc captured was quite different. They were taken to a secret hospital in up-state New York and given a delicate brain surgery by Doc that erased their memories. A staff of attendants would then re-train the criminal to be a contributing member of society. Doc was a huge man. Six foot eight inches tall, he weighed 270 pounds, he maintains his physique by performing two hours of exercises daily. These exercises consisted of pitting one muscle against another. At the same time, he is exercising his mind by performing complex mathematical calculations in his head. He also develops his other senses with the use of apparatus of his own design.

Brigadier General Theodore Marley "Ham" Brooks is a Harvard law school graduate and a sharp dresser. Ham carries a sword cane made of high tempered steel whose tip is coated with a drug of Monk's invention which produces instant unconsciousness. In his never-ending feud with Monk, Ham acquires a pet during one of his adventures with Doc, a gorilla-like simian which he names "Chemistry". Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett "Monk" Mayfair Monk stands 5' 2" and 260 pounds, his is solid bone and muscle. His simian features are very pronounced: red hair as coarse as his pet pig Habeas Corpus covers most of his body, arms that stretch below the knees of his bowed legs, a forehead so low it doesn't look as if he has more than a spoonful of brains. . Colonel John "Renny" Renwick is 6' 4" tall, 250 pounds of muscle and is an industrial, civil, and mechanical engineer by trade. His profession takes him to the far corners of the earth to design and build roads, air fields, skyscrapers, bridges, and hospitals.

He misses many of Doc's adventures, especially in the later years, because of his work. Major Thomas J. "Long Tom" Roberts is an electrical genius and a millionaire from all his electrical patents. Long Tom is undersized, about 5' 4" tall and 140 pounds, with a high forehead, large ears and a pale, sickly complexion. Despite this, he can more than hold his own in a scuffle and wears two gold front teeth from the many fights he has been in. William Harper "Johnny" Littlejohn is an archaeologist and geologist. He is slightly over 6 feet tall and extremely thin. He's a sesquipedalian whose favorite exclamation is "I'll be superamalgamated!" Johnny wears a monocle over his sightless left eye which he uses as a magnifying glass in his profession. Doc later operates on his eye and restores his eyesight. In the later years, Johnny misses a lot of Doc's adventures because he is off somewhere on an archaeological dig. Patricia Savage is Doc's cousin. Very attractive, tall and slender with bronze hair, she joins Doc and the crew in many of their adventures although Doc does his best to keep her from getting involved.

She packs a single action six shooter revolver and is a crack shot. When not adventuring with Doc, she owns and maintains an upscale beauty salon in New York City. Villains Doc's greatest foe and the only enemy to appear in two of the original pulp stories, was the Russian-born John Sunlight, introduced in October 1938 in the Fortress of Solitude. Early villains in the series were fantastic schemers bent on ruling the world. Much later the magazine had a more realistic detective feel where Doc broke up crime rings. No matter how fantastic the monster or menace, there was usually (but not always) a rational explanation at the end. A giant mountain-walking spider was revealed as a blimp, a scorching death came from super-charged electric batteries, a "sea angel" was a mechanical construct towed behind a submarine, Navy ships sunk by a mysterious compelling force were actually sabotaged, and so on. But Doc Savage also battled invisible killers, a murderous teleporter, and superscientific foes from the center of the Earth. Lester Dent Lester Dent, the series' principal author, had a mixed regard for his own creations.

Though usually protective of his own work, he could be derisive of his pulp output. In interviews, he stated that he harbored no illusions of being a high-quality author of literature; for him, the Doc Savage series was simply a job, a way to earn a living by "churning out reams and reams of sellable crap", never dreaming how his series would catch on. Comics historian Jim Steranko revealed that Dent used a formula to write his Doc Savage stories, so that his heroes were continually, and methodically, getting in and out of trouble. Dent was paid $750 per story during the Great Depression, and was able to buy a yacht and vacation in the Caribbean. Post Pulp Publication History All of the original stories were reprinted in paperback by Bantam Books in the 1960s through 1990s. Of the first 67 paperback covers, 62 were painted in extraordinary monochromatic tones and super-realistic detail by James Bama, whose updated vision of Doc Savage with the exaggerated widow's peak captured, at least symbolically, the essence of the Doc Savage novels. The first 96 paperbacks reprinted one of the original novels per book.

Actor and model Steve Holland who had played Flash Gordon in a 1953 television series was the model for Doc on all the covers. The next 15 paperbacks were "doubles," reprinting two novels each (these were actually shorter novellas written during paper shortages of World War II). The last of the original novels were reprinted in a numbered series of 13 "omnibus" volumes of four to five stories each. It was one of the few pulp series to be completely reprinted in paperback form. The Red Spider was a Doc Savage novel written by Dent in April 1948, about the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The story was killed in 1948 by new editor Daisy Bacon, though previous editor William de Grouchy had commissioned it. It was forgotten until 1975, when Doc Savage scholar Will Murray found hints of its existence in the Street & Smith archives. After a two-year search, the carbon manuscript was located among Dent's papers. It finally saw print in July 1979 as Number 95 in Bantam's Doc Savage series.

When the original pulp stories were exhausted, Bantam Books hired Phillip Jose Farmer to pen the tale of how Doc and his men met in World War I. Escape from Loki was published in 1991. It was followed by seven traditional Doc Savage stories written by novelist Will Murray, working from unpublished Lester Dent outlines, beginning with Python Isle. Philip Josï¿½ Farmer had earlier written the book 'Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (1973), which described the characters and the stories on the entertaining premise that Doc actually existed and the novels chronicled his exploits in ï¿½fictionizedï¿½ form. In 2011, Altus Press revived the series with another Murray-Dent posthumous collaboration, The Desert Demons. Eight new novels are planned for the new series The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage. In 2011, Doc Savage: Horror in Gold was published. In 2012 Altus Press published Doc Savage: Death's Dark Domain, Doc Savage: The Forgotten Realm, Doc Savage: The Infernal Buddha and Doc Savage: The Desert Demons. Doc Savage: Skull Island was released in 2013.

Sanctum Books, in association with Nostalgia Ventures, began a new series of Doc reprints (starting November 2006), featuring two novels per book, in magazine-sized paperbacks. Several editions came with a choice of the original pulp cover or the covers from the Bantam paperbacks, and most include the original interior artwork, as well as new essays and reprints of other old material. In late 2008, Nostalgia Ventures ended their relationship, and Sanctum Books continues with the reprints on their own. Comic books Golden Age Street & Smith published comic book stories of Doc both in The Shadow comic and his own title. These started with Shadow Comics #1-3 (1940), then moved to Doc Savage Comics. Originally, these stories were based on the pulp version, but with Doc Savage Comics #5 (1941), he was turned into a genuine superhero when he crashed in Tibet and found a mystical gem in a hood. These stories had a Doc who bore little resemblance to the character in the pulps. This lasted through the end of Doc Savage Comics in 1943 after 20 issues, and briefly with his return to Shadow Comics in vol.

3, #10 (Jan. 1944). He would last until the final issue, vol. 9, #5 (1948), though did not appear in every one. He also appeared in Supersnipe Comics #9 (June 1943). Modern Age Post-Golden Age, there have been several Doc Savage comic books: Gold Key Comics, 1966, one issue adaptation of The Thousand-Headed Man to tie into the planned movie starring Chuck Connors. Doc resembles Connors on the cover. Marvel Comics. In 1972, eight standard color comics with four adaptations of books ï¿½ The Man of Bronze, Brand of the Werewolf, Death in Silver, and The Monsters ï¿½ and one giant-size issue of reprints that was promoted as a movie issue. In May 2010, DC Comics reprinted the eight-issue series as a trade paperback.In 1975, the Marvel imprint Curtis Magazines released eight black-and-white magazines as a movie tie-in. These were also collected by DC Comics and reprinted in July 2011 as a trade paperback.

All are original stories by Doug Moench, John Buscema, and Tony DeZuniga. The character also teamed up with the Thing in Marvel Two-in-One #21, an important issue that would form the basis of later significant stories like "The Project Pegasus Saga" and "Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe". DC Comics, 1987ï¿½1990, a four-issue mini-series tryout, then 24 issues and one Annual, most written by Mike W. Barr. Original adventures, including a reunion with Doc's Mayan sweetheart/wife Monya and John Sunlight, adventures with Doc's grandson "Chip" Savage, and back story on Doc's parents and youth. Included a four-issue crossover with DC's current run of The Shadow. Millennium Publications published several mini-series and one-shots, including Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon, a four-part limited series, from 1991 to 1992.

Written by Mark Ellis and penciled by Darryl Banks, the treatment "comes closest to the original, capturing all the action, humanity, and humor of the original novels" Other miniseries were Doom Dynasty and Devil's Thoughts, and one-shots Pat Savage: Woman of Bronze and Manual of Bronze. Dark Horse Comics, 1995, two mini-series: a two-issue mini-series The Shadow and Doc Savage and four-issue Doc Savage: Curse of the Fire God. DC announced in 2009 that it would publish a Doc Savage crossover with Batman, written by Brian Azzarello with art by Phil Noto and a cover by J. G. Jones. Other characters involved will be Black Canary; The Avenger, Rima the Jungle Girl, the Spirit, and Doc Savage's the Fabulous Five. It is a prologue to First Wave, a six-issue limited series with art by Rags Morales. The First Wave line was then expanded to include a Doc Savage ongoing series written by Paul Malmont, with art by Howard Porter. Malmont only wrote the first four issues, with other authors writing the rest of the series.

Film In 1975, producer and director George Pal produced the movie Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, starring Ron Ely as Doc. The movie was a critical and commercial failure. Several articles and a later interview with Pal suggest the movie's failure had much to do with its loss of funding during filming, when the studio changed heads and Pal was forced to cut costs. Nevertheless, Pal, as producer, is generally blamed for using the "high camp" approach in the style of the Batman television series. An original soundtrack for the film was also commissioned but when Pal lost his funding, he resorted to a patriotic march from John Philip Sousa, which was in the public domain. Doc On The Radio Two Doc Savage radio series were broadcast during the pulp era. The first, in 1934, was a 15-minute serial which ran for 26 episodes. The 1943 series was based not on the pulps, but on the comic book version of the character. No audio exists from either series, although some scripts survived.

In 1985, National Public Radio aired The Adventures of Doc Savage, as 13 half-hour episodes, based on the pulps and adapted by Will Murray and Roger Rittner. Air date Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 35 out of 38 people found the following review useful: Heroes and Trainwrecks from Bothell, Washington, Land of Rain 10 July 2003 I was fourteen years old when Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze opened in the theaters back in 1975, and I couldn't have been more excited about it. I had been reading the paperback reprints of Kenneth Robeson's 1930's pulp action stories for years by that point, and was anxious to see the fantastic visions they had produced in my young head splashed across the big screen. When my Dad took me to see the movie, I was practically frothing at the mouth like a mad dog. We bought our tickets, bought our popcorn and took our seats. The lights went dim, and the music of John Phillips Souza filled the theater as the film began. The opening scene was set in a frozen wilderness, perhaps the North Pole.

Ron Ely, as the title character, appeared at the peak of a snow dune, riding a snowmobile bearing the "Doc Savage" logo from the books. Ron didn't have the widow's peak that the heavily-muscled guy on the paperback covers did, but.well, maybe that would look stupid on a real person anyway. And I came to this conclusion without having seen even one Jack Nicholson movie. "This is ok so far," I told myself. Then a Gary Owens-ish voice-over boomed from the screen, announcing: "This is Doc Savage: the Man of Bronze." Ron Ely smiled, and his perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth glistened with a goofy, animated glint just like the effeminate pretty-boy Tony Curtis had played in The Great Race. Before my young mind could even come to terms with this blasphemous incongruity, the soundtrack broke into a male chorus right out of a Dudley Do Right cartoon: Peace will come to all who find, Doc Savage! Doc Savage! He's a friend to all mankind, pure of heart and mind! Who will make crime, Disappear? Doc Savage! Doc Savage! Conqueror and Pioneer, Thank the Lord he's here!

Doc made a vow, that helps us all! Our hero has come! Let's all join in the big parade! Go bang your drum, and raise your flag, 'cause history is being made!" When that song was over, I felt sick. What had they done? Oh my god, my Dad is going to think I'm a homo for making him take me to this! Once the story actually began, however, I was able to breathe a bit easier. The action of the first few scenes was great. The period look was right. The apelike Monk, natty attorney Ham, and the rest of Doc Savage's adventurous crew had been perfectly brought to life by a superb cast of character actors. But after that first sequence, involving Doc and his crew chasing after a mysterious Indian assassin (taken almost verbatim from the original novel), the whole movie took a huge nosedive into painful TV-quality mediocrity. Then, about halfway through, I cringed in my theater seat as "Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze" got even worse. What had been a mere disappointment quickly devolved into a painfully campy comedy that made the goofy opening seem like Eugene O'Neal.

At one point, one of Doc's foes, an evil assassin, is shown sleeping in a gigantic rocking baby's crib and sucking his thumb. Since the 1930s pulp adventure "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was such a huge hit only five years after "Savage" was released, it's popular to for film buffs to say that "The Man of Bronze" was simply ahead of its time. Well, for the most part, that's simply bulls***. George Pal and company had a chance to beat Steven Spielberg to the punch, it's true. Unfortunately, neither Pal nor Director Michael Anderson had access to the resources (or talent) that the post-Close Encounters of the Third KindSpielberg would enjoy five years later. As a result, Pal and Anderson cranked out a half-assed, mixed up piece of junk that couldn't decide whether it was trying to be a revival the adventure serials of the 30s, or of the "Batman" TV series of the 60s. Still, as bad as it is, the film does hold a bizarre kind of fascination for me now as an adult. I always catch it when it's on TV.

I've seen it many more times than I have any of the Indiana Jones movies. When people ask me why I love bad movies so much, I explain the phenomenon this way: you can only watch a train chug by without incident so many times before you get bored, no matter how powerful the locomotive pulling it is or how cool the cars look. But how many times could you watch one derail, crash, burn, and explode into a million useless pieces? Exactly! from London, England 1 November 2007 After Watergate, Vietnam and the dark days of the Nixon and Jimmy Carter eras, what the world needed was a good old-fashioned chapter-play hero taking on venomous serpents and evildoers in the America of 1936 or the jungles of South America in a series of fantastic cliffhanging adventures. Unfortunately what it got in 1975 was Doc Savage, The Man of Bronze.

Perhaps the best that can be said of legendary producer George Pal's final film is that his often beautifully designed but sadly flat adaptation of Kenneth Robeson's pulp-paperback novels probably had George Lucas and Phil Kaufman leaving the theatre and saying to each other "We can do better than that," and adding a bullwhip, a battered Fedora and some much needed character flaws to the mix. A big part of the problem is that Doc Savage is in many ways even harder to write for than Superman  explorer, adventurer, philanthropist, a scientific and intellectual genius in the bronzed bleach-blonde bulletproof muscle-bound body of a Greek God (or rather the form of TV's Tarzan, Ron Ely, a rather dull Charlton Heston clone here), there's simply nothing he can't do and, more damagingly, nothing that can harm him. The man is the virtual incarnation of Hitler's Aryan ubermensch (no surprise that the DVD is only available in Germany!), albeit with all-American values. And just in case there should ever be anything he's overlooked (not that there ever is) he has not one but five sidekicks in his entourage, the (less than) Fabulous Five.

A chemist, an electrician and even an archaeologist I can accept, and at a stretch I could possibly even go as far as to see the possible need for a construction engineer, but what kind of hero takes a criminal lawyer with him on his adventures? In reality Doc's brain trust were probably added because with the hero so tiresomely invulnerable and practically perfect in every way  even Kryptonite wouldn't put a dent in him - there needed to be someone at risk in the stories, though with the exception of Paul Gleason they're all so horribly badly cast and overplayed (as are most parts in the film) you'd happily kill them all off during the opening titles. The villains fare no better, with Paul Wexler exuding all the menace of a geography teacher as Captain Seas, Scott Walker (no, a different one) delivering one of cinema's worst accents (is it meant to be Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Greek, Pakistani or some nationality no-one has ever heard of?) while Robyn Hilton's Marilyn Monroe-ish dumb blonde moll gives Paris (no relation) a run for her money in the untalented bimbo stakes.

Even with those drawbacks, this should have been much better than it is considering the various ingredients  lost tribes, a pool of gold, a dogfight with a biplane and a deadly poison that comes alive, all wrapped up in a quest to discover why Doc's father was murdered. Unfortunately it's a question of tone: in the 60s and 70s pulp superheroes weren't brooding figures prone to state-of-the-art action scenes and special effects but were treated as somewhat comical figures of low-budget camp fun with action scenes quickly knocked off on the cheap almost as an afterthought, the films aimed purely at the matinée market: you know, for kids. There have long been rumours that the original cut was more straight-faced  and certainly much of the camp value has been added in post-production, be it the Colgate twinkle in Doc's eye, the comical captions identifying various fighting styles in the final dust-up with Captain Seas or Don Black's gung-ho lyrics to John Philip Sousa's patriotic marches  but plenty was in the film to begin with.

After all, it's hard to see how one of the villain's underlings making phone calls from a giant rocking crib was ever intended as anything other than a joke that falls flat, while Doc's explanation to Pamela Hensley of why he never dates girls could be a scene written for Adam West's Batman. Instead, the funniest moments are usually purely unintentional, such as Doc displaying his sixth sense by, er, bobbing his Adam's apple. Perhaps an even bigger problem is that, while promising on paper, the action is handled in an almost relentlessly mundane fashion, be it chasing a native assassin on the rooftops of New York skyscrapers or escaping from a yacht full of bad guys. Even the winning notion of animated glowing green snakes swirling through the air as they poison their victims fails to raise any enthusiasm from director Michael Anderson: having demonstrated their own invulnerability a couple of scenes earlier, Doc manages to dispatch them with no more than a chair and an electric fan by simply pulling the curtains on them. Still, aside from Doc's various vehicles all stamped with his logo and looking more moulded plastic than bronze, the production design is often rather handsome even if it is very obviously L.A.

standing in for New York while Fred Koenekamp's cinematography ensures the film often looks good despite the low budget. And it's good to see a superhero movie that doesn't spend most of its running time on an origin story, though one is left with the suspicion that Doc sprang fully formed from the loins of Zeus himself. It's a film I'd really like to like more, but it just feels like 100 minutes of lost opportunities. No wonder Doc Savage, The Arch Enemy of Evil, the sequel so optimistically promised in the end credits, never happened. Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Disappointing, and I know why... from Fresno, CA 29 May 2006 I was fortunate enough to meet George Pal (and still have my DS:TMOB poster autographed by him) at a convention shortly after the release, and asked him why he chose to do the film "camp". Before he could answer, two studio flacks intercepted and lectured me on how the studio "knew best" and how "no one will take such a film seriously".

I had been reading the Bantam reprints for a couple of years thanks to a friend (ComiCon attendees of the 1970s will recall Blackhawk and his band? I was in a couple of years of that with him), and had higher hopes than what we got. The flacks insisted that no high adventure would ever be done seriously, and so doing 'camp' was the only way. Several other fans jumped in on my side, with Pal listening as best he could. At the end of the little event, Pal came up to us and apologized, wishing he could have done more and better. STAR WARS put the lie to the flacks, and a year after Pal's death, Spielberg and Lucas proved that Doc Savage could have easily been the next major movie franchise...if it hadn't been for the flacks. Tear out the memory or history of Doc, and the film would have been worth a 6/10 rating as nothing more than a mindless popcorn seller. But destroying the legacy like that was no less an abomination than killing a baby in the crib.

Doc Savage can still come to the screen, and survive the inevitable comparisons by the ill-informed to Indiana Jones, but it would have to be done in all seriousness and earnest to reclaim the glory that we should expect from the First American Superhero. SIDENOTES: Yes, there was a second script for ARCHENEMY OF EVIL, and it's a lot more serious. Yes, there was simultaneous footage shot, but mostly establishing shots and very little with actors. And, yes, there _is_ a one-sheet of Ron Ely leaping over a brick wall and blasting at something over his shoulder with a specially built bronze pistol. Ely's wearing a duster over a button down white shirt with a bronze tie, and the words "DOC SAVAGE: ARCHENEMY OF EVIL...Coming Next Summer!" POSTSCRIPT: If anyone knows who the studio flacks were that accompanied George Pal in 1975 to San Diego for the convention, smack the idiots up the side of the head and call them the idiots that they are. At the time, they were doing dorkknobs and Fu Manchu in stripes and baggy canvas pants, and carrying Paramount portfolios. Was the above review useful to you?

12 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Well, yes, it _is_ camp... from Iowa City, IA 13 August 1999 The problem is that the movie rode in on the coattails of the 60's-created concept that comic books could only be done as "camp" (i.e., the 60's Batman show) for TV and movie. Thus you have combat sequences with subtitles (come on!), a cluelessly unromantic Doc Savage (he was uncomfortable around women in the pulps, not an idiot), Monk Mayfair in a nightsheet (a scene guaranteed to give you nightmares for several nights), and the totally hokey ending with the secondary bad guy encased in gold like a Herve Villechez posing for an Oscar statute. And when they're not doing booming Sousa march scores, the tinkly little "funny" music undercuts much of the drama. Even as such, this movie is...okay. It's fun, and when it stays serious it's a very accurate representation of the pulps. Except for Monk, as has been mentioned before: he's hugely muscled, not obese.

And Long Tom, who is supposed to be a pale scrawny guy with an attitude, not Paul Gleason with an (inexplicable) scarf. The Green Death sequences, for instance, are remarkably gruesome and not something I'd recommend for children. But they are very close to the feel of the pulps. When the writers and producers get it right, they do get it right - I'll give them that. But if the producers had done Doc with the loving care and scripting of, say, Reeves' first two Superman movies, think what we might have had then. I think the problem is the movie's schizophrenic. There's a definite sense of trying to do a 30's homage, but they're also trying to give in to the "heroes must be camp" attitude that Batman created. One gets the impression there was a sober, pulp-style first draft and then someone came in and said, "Hey, let's make it funny - it worked with the Batman show 8 years ago!" But Doc lives on, thanks to Earl MacRauch and Buckaroo Banzai. If MacRauch ain't doing a homage to Doc Savage in that movie, the man is truly demented.

So when the series actually gets on TV (allegedly mid-season in '99-00), Doc Savage, updated to the 90's, will live once more. Was the above review useful to you? 23 out of 35 people found the following review useful: We shall not see its like again from London, England 10 April 1999 We so often talk of cinema landmarks - Kane, The Godfather, A Bout de Souffle. One film however is too often overlooked by "serious" film critics. I am talking of course about the classic Doc Savage (M.o.B.) This film is not only exciting but also seriously explores the issue of exploitation of the developing nations by US imperialism. Not to mention kung-fu. It also possessed the greatest soundtrack in film history (until of course Queen's breathtaking work on Flash Gordon). Although a bit of a rarity, this film is well worth seeking out - it will repay the effort of your search ten-fold. Was the above review useful to you?

12 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Perfect camp from Copenhagen, Denmark, EU 8 November 2003 Outragously entertaining period piece set in the 30s, it is a spin on the classic cliffhanger series, as much as "Raiders of the Lost Ark", only done on a low budget and much campier by director Michael Anderson. The opening scenes laces liberal amount of gothic art nuveau, predating Batman by two decades. Starring Ron Ely (Tarzan) as a perfectly cast hero and the gorgeous Pamela Hensley as the local latina Mona tagging on to our hero on a goldhunt in the non-existent latin american country of Hidalgo. Best line, our hero to Mona, holding a fist to her chin just as you expect him to be tender with her and give her a hug: "Mona, you're a brick!" Paul Wexler's ham-and-cheese blackhat, Captain Seas is a an absolute delight. Expect a little "Raiders..", a dash of "Batman", a little "The Lost World", a little "Lost Horizons" and a whole lot of campiness and you'll get it just right.

Watch out for cult favorite Michael Berryman in a small part as undertaker and enjoy the campy use of John Philip Sousa's patriotic music. A prime candidate for DVD release, it is certainly overdue. An unmissable treat for the whole family. 9/10 Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Better than Average Superhero Flick from Sacramento, CA 8 July 2001 Out of the 30s came a number of superheroes, some of which are still with us, e.g., Batman, Superman, etc. The comics still have their followers and collectors. If I'd saved all my funnybooks from that era, I no doubt would be a wealthy man today, but I didn't and am not at all wealthy. However, the 30s was also the time of pulp heroes, e.g., the Saint, and Doc Savage. I remember seeing the paperbacks (called pocketbooks back then) with Doc Savage on the cover, usually draped in a torn shirt, showing his hyperdeveloped upper body and sculpted hair, his face in a contorted grimace suggesting pain or constipation.

I never read any of the books and in fact, was living in South America when this film was released. In fact, it was a crazy friend and fellow colleague anthropologist who touted the film to me and got me curious. So, when it showed up on the late show, I watched it with interest. Ron Ely was an excellent choice for the title role. He had been a TV Tarzan (one of the better ones, BTW) and handled the action quite well. The story? Well, high adventure, whatever that means. Sadly, the thrills of the 30s do not always play well into the present day. They certainly didn't back in the late 70s when I saw this film. It was fun, entertaining but not particularly memorable. The good guys were good and the villain was villainous. Good triumphed but not without a struggle. What more can I say? There have been some schlock films which play on this theme. Some suffer from terrible writing, some from terrible acting and direction-- some from both. This film comes out a bit better than average in my estimation. Fun to watch but like yesterday's Chinese blue plate special, not very memory-provoking.

Was the above review useful to you? 16 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Cult fantasy romp. from glossop, derbyshire 13 April 2003 I was brought up on Doc Savage,and was petrified by the green death as a child but even then as now, I found it thoroughly entertaining.I have made countless friends and colleagues watch this film and have been most amused by the diversity of reactions,granted they mostly think I'm odd but there you are. "I don't know what it is about the Doc, but he always gets the girls" has to be the ultimate line when you look at his sad band of men. This film is a classic spoof on all the super hero genre,and was way before it's time,it is not to be taken seriously, move over Austin Powers. Ron Ely is a God.It is unfortunate that this film hasn't been released on DVD in the UK. I don't think it should be remade and bastardised, like I said it's a classic,it cannot be done without Ron.(like the Italian job without Mini's and Michael Caine). I give it 10/10. Was the above review useful to you?

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: A classic of bad cinema from Detroit 25 February 2003 Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze is a horrible movie. Poorly scripted, over-acted, and just plain silly. That being said... it is actually an enjoyable movie on some level. This movie begs to be watched in a group with an ample supply of cheap beer. It's one of those movies like "Santa Claus conquers the Martians" or "Yor, the Hunter from the Future"... so bad it is almost good. If you have the right group of people this movie is a blast to watch. It's campy. It's fun. It has a theme by Sousa. If you're looking for a good movie though, look elsewhere. 3/10. BTW, I've heard rumors some studio is exploring the possibility of a remake... Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Doc Savage - Hilarious for all the wrong reasons from West yorkshire, England 13 March 2004 When I watched this I had to admit to myself that this was truly the worse film I had ever seen.

It even bet the one I had watched once about a boxing milkman named Ernie. My friend was adamant it was a spoof but it isn't. It's truly hilarious though as it's so bad it's funny. I just couldn't stop laughing when the evil genius and his evil friend laughed in a wicked fashion for about 30 seconds! It's camp with every stereotype available. Like the lawyer, geeky archaeologist and fat chemist with a pig. Oh yes the ginger fat chemist with a pig. Just so so wrong. If this film was a spoof I'm sure it would be a comedy classic it's just grin-inducing comedy. Surely someone was trying to be funny with this? Or were the 70s that bad? Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 4: ThePulp.Net | Doc Savage Doc Savage ThePulp.Net > Pulp links > Doc Savage Doc Savage Just under two years after The Shadow appeared on magazine racks, Doc Savage became the third pulp character to get his own magazine. The world met the Man of Bronze in a novel titled “The Man of Bronze,” March 1933. Doc Savage was created by Street and Smith’s Henry W.

Ralston, with help from editor John L. Nanovic, in order to capitalize on the surprise success of The Shadow magazine. It was Lester Dent, though, who crafted the character into the superman that he became. Dent, who wrote most of the adventures, described his hero – Clark “Doc” Savage Jr. – as a cross between “Sherlock Holmes with his deducting ability, Tarzan of the Apes with his towering physique and muscular ability, Craig Kennedy with his scientific knowledge, and Abraham Lincoln with his Christliness.” Through 181 novels, the fight against evil was on. From a headquarters on the 86th floor of a towering Manhattan skyscraper, Doc, his five pals — Renny, Johnny, Long Tom, Ham and Monk — and occasionally his cousin Pat battled criminals the world over (and under) 12 times a year, from 1933 until early 1947; then the team’s exploits dropped to every two months until the final three quarterly issues in 1949. Doc Savage is one of the few characters whose complete original pulp run has been reprinted in book form.

Doc also appeared in a short-lived radio drama in the 1940s, a couple of serialized adventures on public radio and a 1975 movie . Links This is a great hangout for fans of the Man of Bronze. (If your internet service provider doesn’t offer access to this newsgroup, access it through Google Groups .) Yahoo Groups for Doc Savage fans Several Yahoo Groups offer discussions on Doc Savage. To participate (and in some instances to read posts), you will need to register with Yahoo. Doc Savage groups include: Doc Con : The focus is the annual Doc Savage convention held in Arizona each year, but other Doc discussions are also invited. Doc Savage : A general Doc Savage discussion group. GoldenPerils : The group, created by the late Howard Hopkin and named for his Golden Perils fanzine, also is active and features lively discussions. The ultimate Doc Savage site This is the site for Doc Savage fans. Chris Kalb has blended style with substance to create a thoroughly delightful exploration of the legacy of the Man of Bronze — and you get your choice of classic pulp or Bantam versions of the site. Plus there are some wonderful premiums to download.

Adventures in Bronze Here’s the official site for new series of Doc Savage adventures being penned by author and pulp historian Will Murray. The site provides links for purchasing the new books, as well as information about the series, Lester Dent and Murray. Arizona Doc Con on Facebook The Arizona Doc Con’s Facebook page has all of the latest information about the next gathering of bronze. You can participate in conversations, post questions and interact with the organizers and attendees. (No Facebook account is required to browse the page, only to participate.) Arizona Doc Con Videos Check out the AZDocCon channel on YouTube for highlight videos of the Arizona Doc Cons beginning with the 2006 con, as well as a “Doc Savage Begins” video celebrating the 75th anniversary of the pulp character and one for the character’s 80th anniversary. Bob Bretall is surveying his Doc Savage collection with posts about various items and the character on this blog. It’s a companion to his ComicSpectrum website . Hidalgo Trading Co.

sites As briefly mentioned above, Chuck Welch has put together a trio of Web sites devoted to Doc Savage: Doc Savage Organized : This one is the most active and updated site of the three, with articles and information on the pulps, the reprints, authors, editors, illustrators, fans and more. Flearun : Currently in limbo, this site “is coming soon.” Doc Savage Info : This one is also in limbo at the moment. Books So Bad, They’re Good: The Adventures of Doc Savage The “Books So Bad, They’re Good” blog features guest author “Xaxnar,” who introduces Doc Savage to those who’ve never read any of the pulp adventures. Xaxnar discusses the period when the novels first appeared, the plots and characters, as well as the stories’ influence. Another Doc Savage bibliography Robert Finnan takes a different approach to the Doc Savage bibliography by basing his on the Bantam paperback order, with crossdating to the pulps and a brief back-cover description of each story. He also offers info on the Doc Savage radio programs and cover images from Bantam and the pulps.

Peter Silvestro’s website runs the gamut on Doc Savage: from the pulps to the comics to the movie and radio programs. It’s packed with info that’s regularly updated. Lester Dent’s Pulp Master Fiction Plot Here’s an absolute treasure. It’s the “Lester Dent Pulp Master Fiction Plot.” It’s a mouthful, but it’s also a fascinating instruction sheet on how to write a pulp novel. It’s available on several Web sites: Bob Larkin: The Illustrated Man Scotty Phillips, Courtney Rogers and Terry Allen highlight the artwork of Bob Larkin on this site. Larkin painted 47 covers for the Bantam Doc Savage paperbacks and continues working today. He also does commissions, some of which can be seen on this site. Doc Savage Fantasy Cover Gallery Kez Wilson has been creating Bantam Books–like covers for fictional Doc Savage adventures. They well done and pretty entertaining. Titles include: “Tokyo Terror” (with Godzilla), “Black Lagoon,” “The King of Skull Island” and “Zombie of Bronze.” Kez has added a separate gallery where he has given the Bantam paperback covers “makeovers,” including splitting up the doubles and standardizing the graphics.

Doc Savage (Character) - Comic Vine Doc Savage The Doc Savage wiki last edited by chrisburgess99 on 06/07/16 01:32PM View full history Current Events Doc Savage and Justice, Inc Currently in his self titled series set in The First Wave Universe , Doc and his Amazing Crew are battling a group of bandits attempting to raise Genghis Khan from his grave.Currently writing for the title is J.G. Jones and Dan Panosian is doing art duties. Previously Doc teamed up with Batman and The Spirit to stop a secret organization called The Golden tree from starting a war that threatens the entire Earth. Shortly thereafter Doc is attacked in New York City along with his cousin Patricia Savage. During that time he learns of the death of his father and the many secrets he hid from him.This is currently where Doc resides. The current Doc Savage ongoing will be cancelled after issue 18. After that, there will be no series featuring Doc as both his own series and First Wave have been cancelled. Origin Doc Savage, born Clark Savage Jr. was trained from birth by scientists to the peak mental and physical feats of man.

He excelled in all subjects of any manner ranging from Medicine to Ventriloquism to even neurology, the study of the brain something that was largely considered science-fiction in his time period. His father Clark Savage Sr. was a great explorer and humanitarian known and renowned throughout the world. He would live by a simple code: "Right wrongs and punish evildoers". When war broke out in Europe during the late 1910's Doc was captured and thrown into POW camp where he would meet William Harper Littlejohn, one of the worlds foremost experts on Geology and Archaeology. Johnny as he was called would become the first member Doc Savage's Amazing Crew or The Fab Five as they were later known as. When the camp was liberated it was then Doc would meet the other four members of his crew. The second member would Lt. Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair or "Monk" as he was called because of his ape like appearance, he was an Industrial Chemist and often carried his pig Habeas Corpus along with him. Monk was known for having a rivalry with Ham, Brigadier General Theodore Harley Brooks, a Harvard graduate and Lawyer.

He frequently carried his sword cane with him and always dressed in a suit and tie. The fourth member of his crew would Col. John "Renny" Renwick, an engineer. The fifth and final member of the crew was Long Tom, an electrical wizard. Together they vowed they would stick together through anything and everything. Creation Doc Savage was created by Lester Dent , Henry Raltson, and John Nanovic in 1933. He originally appeared in novels before making appearances in comics; with the first being The Man of Bronze in 1933. Dent would write nearly all of the 180 Doc Savage stories during his lifetime. His first comic book appearance was in Shadow Comics #1. Skills & Abilities In his time Doc Savage learned and mastered many styles of martial-arts, making him a very formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat. He is also one the smartest men ever to have lived, demonstrating that when he built his Fortress of Solitude and when creating all of his many gadgets throughout the years. He is also a skilled imitator of voices, though he does some trouble with the voices of women.

Dent described him as having "Sherlock Holmes' deductive abilities,Tarzan's physical abilities, Craig Kennedy's scientific education, and Abraham Lincoln's goodness". Influenced While Doc Savage may no longer be a very well known character he is considered one of the most influential characters created. The most famous character he ever influenced was Superman, he and Doc Savage share many similarities some of those include: Doc's real first name is Clark which is the first of the name of Superman's alter ego Clark Kent. Superman's famous epithet "The Man of Steel" was influenced by Doc Savage being "The Man of Bronze". Another famous superhero Doc would inspire would be Bob Kane's and Bill Finger's Batman . At first glance the two characters share nothing in common but in reality they have several similarities: Doc is a brilliant scientist like businessman who fights crime with the aid of many gadgets, another one is Doc Savage is his world's greatest detective much like batman is/was his world's greatest detective. Doc is also known as a billionaire playboy much like how Bruce Wayne is described. He also has a similar set of morals that like Batman he won't take a life.

In Mirage 's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics the character or Mr Braunze that was introduced and played a prominent role in the second volume is said to be a homage Doc Savage. The similarities between Braunze and Doc are more obvious in his appearance in Tales of the TMNT vol. 2 #49 in which he uses hypnosis and has a base similar to Doc's fortress of solitude but in the Nevada desert and is the leader of a group very similar to the Fabulous Five. The cover of the book has a ninja turtle dressed similar to Doc. Equipment Much of Doc's technology were inventions of his own and he has been known to use night vision goggles, rail guns, hand-held automatic weapons called "rapid fires" which fired tranquilizer like "mercy bullets" rather than actual bullets. Alternate Versions Unlike most characters, Doc Savage has at one time or another over the years been published numerous companies including Marvel, DC, Millennium, and Dark Horse. As a result, he has no definitive, linear continuity and history to refer to..

Marvel's Earth-616 During Doc Savage's year at Marvel Comics in 1972, he resided on Earth 616 as evidenced by a team up between him and Ben Grimm.Though since then, Marvel Comics has substantially changed Earth 616 and have since lost the rights to several other publishers and the rights are currently owned by DC Comics. Due to that, Marvel was unable to reprint the issue featuring Doc and The Thing as they are unable to publish stories featuring him. Though he still exists as part of the Marvel Universe's history, like other formerly licensed characters, he cannot be depicted or mentioned by name. DC's Earth One (Post Crisis Multiverse) Dennis O'Neil's Doc Savage series in the late 1980's took place on an Earth called Earth One. The Earth One Doc and his associates live on is a different earth from that of the one where the mainstream DCU characters live. Also on that Earth was The Shadow as shown in two issues of Doc Savage that featured a crossover with the two characters. Millenium Comics Doc had a series in the 1990's by Millennium Comics, as Millennium does not have a shared universe it is unknown where he lived.

The same also applies to Dark Horse's Doc Savage. The Rocketeer In the Rocketeer's first full debut, Doc Savage is shown to be the inventor of the rocket pack though his name is not used as Dave Stevens didn't want to pay to use the character. In Other Media Ron Ely Talks Tarzan and Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Ron Ely Talks Tarzan and Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze 38 Shares B. Alan Orange | 11 months ago In the late 1960s and early 70s, few actors stood as tall in their heroic roles as Ron Ely . From television's Tarzan to the big Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze , Ron Ely 's 6-foot-4-inch muscular frame made the scenery cower when he stepped before a camera. The 74-year-old actor stands just as tall today, commanding audiences with his tales of those golden days of pulp fiction on film. Warner Archive Collection has brought Ron Ely 's best-loved roles back into the spotlight, making the classic titles available on DVD and through its new live-streaming service, Warner Archive Instant ( CLICK HERE ).

Premiering on NBC in 1966, Edgar Rice Burroughs ' immortal creation, Tarzan , took to the nation's TV screens for the first time. Still in the capable hands of producer Sy Weintraub , the TV Tarzan (the aforementioned Mr. Ron Ely ) continued the more recent (and more authentic) interpretation of Lord Greystoke as a sophisticated, articulate jungle adventurer as seen in the Tarzan films. Also carried over from the big screen was young actor Manuel Padilla Jr. now playing the jungle lord's kid sidekick alongside Cheetah, the simian one. Based on the first of Kenneth Robeson's 181 adventure packed books, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze hit the screen with all its gee-whiz, gung-ho spirit intact. And its bold protagonist, who along with having a herculean body is also a surgeon, linguist and inventor, remains determined to do right to all and wrong to no one. Ron Ely plays the strapping Savage in this high-camp, big-heroics tale of his trek into the Valley of the Vanished to confront the power-hungry Captain Seas.

Once reluctant to embrace his cult hero status, Ron Ely has joined Warner Archive Collection at two major events over the past six months - at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, and WonderCon in Anaheim - to celebrate those cherished productions of 40-plus years ago. He took some time in conjunction to answer a few questions. Heed the words of Tarzan ! What are your impressions of pulp heroes? Ron Ely : When I was a kid, we had radio, we had Saturday morning serials, and we had comic books. It wasn't like today - we had a limited array of things, but those things especially appealed to kids. I loved comic books, and I read a lot of them. Archie, Superman, Captain Marvel - those types. Part and parcel of being a kid back then was to latch onto larger than life heroes. It wasn't until we became adults that our hero image became more adult and humanized with flaws. Back then, they had no flaws - our heroes were the biggest, the baddest, and the most honorable. All those principles set in motion everything that followed suit for me.

Doc Savage was one of the most successful series of books - the character was one of the triumvirate of great action heroes, along with Tarzan and Superman. Those three really set the standard for pulp heroes. It's interesting that Warner Archive has all three of them - they're like a superhero factory. I can't think of anybody that can compare. As a kid, who were your heroes? Ron Ely : I grew up in Amarillo, Texas, so my heroes were cut from the same cloth that I saw all around me. Cowboys like John Wayne and Robert Mitchum . One of the joys of getting into this business was that I actually got to know some of my heroes. Those western, heroic characters occupied my interests in film more than any others. I loved the comic book and pulp heroes, but for me, you couldn't beat John Wayne . What does it mean to you to be a hero? Ron Ely : It's sort of a funny thing being called a hero, because it's not something I wanted to do. But it just kept coming for me. I don't really understand why, but I appreciate it because I think it might have grown out of my sticking to the solid, basic principles I learned growing up.

Those important characteristics tend to exist more in the superhero characters than other flawed adult characters. I always enjoyed playing the flawless characters because, whereas some folks find them corny, I appreciate the morals, the lessons, and all those things that superheroes are designed to be and represent. What has prompted you to come out of your shell a bit and embrace the fans and the fan conventions? Ron Ely : I used to hate being around the fans - I avoided it like the plague. I enjoyed the anonymity. That's why I pretty well dropped off the face of the Earth for quite a long time. But getting back out into the public again has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I can imagine. Those fans are diehard. They hang on, they don't let go. They believe in Doc and Tarzan - they believe in them in a way that makes you want to know more about them. It was surprising to me to find out the fans are still there, to discover the fan base is so enormous. It surprised to see younger people in that mix who weren't around when I made Tarzan. It's a kick for me. I enjoy seeing those people and hearing what they have to say. They embrace these characters for the right reasons.

It's not a character like in Die Hard - characters like Doc Savage, Tarzan and Superman are more pure superheroes. There's a special group of characters, and a special group of people that remain true to those characters as fans. For more information on Warner Archive Collection new and current releases: CLICK HERE To access Warner Archive Instant: CLICK HERE Doc Savage Movie (Development) Action Adventure Trivia & Production Notes Known as the Man in Bronze, Savage was a popular fixture on radio and magazines in the 1930s and 1940s. Director/screenwriter Shane Black is a huge fan of the pulp stories and has the original Savage books lining his book cases. Dwayne Johnson noted on starring in the film, "the #1 reason I'm excited to become Doc Savage.. HE'S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! (5/30/16)." Stay Updated Get the latest alerts by email Questions & Answers

Question: Who in books and films was the man of bronze?
Answer: Doc Savage