It's a shame that George Pal's last movie had to be Doc Savage with Ron Ely. Ely was a good casting choice, but the movie was a misfire from script to execution. How one can take the precursor to Superman and not run with it boggles the mind. Chuck Connors was in consideration to play Doc back in 1966 and that would have been very interesting to see. Unfortunately the window of opportunity for that one passed and we have the 1975 camp abomination with the ear-slapping theme song and attrocious acting. Doc's Fabulous Five are more Shabby Handful than their portrayals in the pulps. Poor production values also pounded more nails into its cinematic coffin, a far cry from when I, along with others, enthusiastically watched the trailor at one of Phil Seuling's Comic Cons before the movie hit theaters.
Here's the pressbook and herald. I'll note the printing on this pressbook is fairly cheap, too. Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Rock were associated with a Doc Savage movie at some point, though nothing's come of it. Hopefully Netflix or another streaming channel will develop a series, which is the best approach, for Doc Savage, and even The Shadow: they both have a lot of stories to tell.
Comic book reader version: Download Doc Savage Pressbook
Hello, I have access to a large number of press books from the 40's and 50's that we'd like to donate to your site. Would you be interested? My email is listed below.
Posted by: Charlie | August 21, 2020 at 11:26 AM