The Sons of Hercules

Last updated
Title card for The Sons of Hercules series SonsofherculesPDUS&It.JPG
Title card for The Sons of Hercules series

The Sons of Hercules is a syndicated Embassy Pictures television show that aired in the United States in the 1960s. The series repackaged 13 Italian sword-and-sandal films by giving them a standardized theme song for the opening and closing titles, as well as a standard introductory narration attempting to relate the lead character in each film to the Greek demigod Hercules. These films however were not all originally made as "Hercules" films in Italy. Although two of them did originally feature Hercules (and not his sons), four of the films were originally Maciste movies in Italy, and the others were just isolated gladiator or mythological hero movies not released theatrically in the US.

Films in the series

There were 13 films in the Sons of Hercules syndication package. The first title listed for each film was its American television title, followed by the translated original Italian title in parentheses: (Note* - The films were also offered in a 26 one-hour episodes format package, breaking each film into two parts, which allowed them to be shown in weekly one-hour time slots as a TV series, also under the "Sons of Hercules" format.)

See also


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maciste</span>

Maciste is one of the oldest recurring characters of cinema, created by Gabriele d'Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. He is featured throughout the history of the cinema of Italy from the 1910s to the mid-1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sword-and-sandal</span> Genre of largely Italian-made historical or biblical epics

Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum, is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget Hollywood historical epics of the time, such as Samson and Delilah (1949), Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Cleopatra (1963). These films dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by spaghetti Western and Eurospy films.

Dan Vadis was an American actor famous for his lead roles in many Italian films made in the 1960s.

<i>Colossus and the Headhunters</i> 1963 film

Colossus and the Headhunters, is a 1963 Italian peplum film written and directed by Guido Malatesta, and starring Kirk Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livio Lorenzon</span> Italian actor

Livio Lorenzon was an Italian actor who was mainly active during the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heracles in popular culture</span>

Heracles, also known as Hercules, is a Greek and Roman mythological hero known for his strength and far-ranging adventures. He is one of the most commonly portrayed figures from classical mythology in the popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries.

<i>Hercules in the Valley of Woe</i> 1961 film

Hercules in the Vale of Woe, a.k.a. Hercules in the Valley of Woe, is a 1961 Italian Franco and Ciccio comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Kirk Morris as Maciste and Frank Gordon as Hercules. The film is a comical take on the popular sword-and-sandal epics of the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piero Lulli</span> Italian actor

Piero Lulli was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1942 and 1977. He was the younger brother of actor Folco Lulli.

<i>Maciste, the Avenger of the Mayans</i> 1965 film

Maciste, the Avenger of the Mayans is a 1965 Italian film directed by Guido Malatesta.

<i>Hercules the Invincible</i> 1964 Italian film

Hercules the Invincible is a 1964 Italian Sword and Sandal film directed by Alvaro Mancori and Lewis Mann and starring Dan Vadis. It is the first of two directing credits for cinematographer Alvaro Mancori.

<i>Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules</i> 1964 film

Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules is a 1964 international co-production filmed in Algeria and directed by Anthony Dawson.

<i>Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules</i> 1962 film

Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules is a 1962 film directed by Guido Malatesta that was filmed in Yugoslavia and Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Morris</span> Italian bodybuilder and actor (born 1942)

Kirk Morris is an Italian bodybuilder and actor. He was the winner of "Mr.Italia Bodybuilding contest 1961”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimmo Palmara</span> Italian actor

Domenico "Mimmo" Palmara was an Italian actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Greci</span> Italian film, television and stage actress (1941-2017)

José Greci was an Italian film, television and stage actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Aureli</span> Italian actor

Andrea Aureli was an Italian actor.

<i>The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules</i> 1964 film

The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules is a 1964 peplum film directed by Mario Caiano and starring Mark Forest and Marilù Tolo.

Ilush Khoshabe (1932–2012) was an Iranian bodybuilder and actor who was born to Assyrian parents in Geogtapa, Iran. In Assyrian, the name Khoshabe means 'Sunday.' He appeared in a number of films produced across the Middle East and Europe under a variety of pseudonyms, including Rod Flash Ilush, Richard Lloyd, Iloosh Khoshabe, and the mononyms Ilush and Iloosh.

Gian Paolo Callegari (1909-1982) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He worked on several American films shot in Italy. This included Roberto Rossellini's 1950 film Stromboli.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.