Steve Reeves missed out on many roles. One of them was Li’l Abner. Only at BY THE GODS!
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Was he really up for the part? Peter Palmer, who played it on Broadway, was also in the movie. Plus I don't think Reeves was a singer. This looks like a Physique Magazine shot.
Apparently, these are just costume test photos. Was he up for the part? He was one of the hottest actors in 1959 so it wouldn't have been odd.
From my understanding (and research) Reeves didn't really do Physique magazine shoots once he became famous (or famous in the bodybuilding world) because he was too expensive for them. Most of the magazines I have with him have stock photos, of him being on the beach or at the gym exercising and such or photos from his bodybuilding competitions. He never modelled for specific layouts. Those magazines could only afford lesser known models. There are photos of him posing outside in some nature setting but those photos were for his own portfolio, which he eventually sold to magazines. He was often on the cover but there are few original shoots and layouts within the magazines themselves.
There's some footage of Reeves singing on Youtube.
Li'l Abner was already in production when Hercules came out in the U.S. in July of 1959. Steve wasn't famous until after that as far as movies go. But it's a great shot of him whatever it may have been taken for.
Reeves had already starred in MGM's "Athena" in 1954, so it's likely he was considered by Paramount - or at least suggested by his agent - which is probably why these photos were taken. Paramount Pictures was the sole backer of the stage musical when it opened in 1956 and paid $300,000 for its film rights up front. When the movie was made 2 years later, Peter Palmer - who was two inches taller than Reeves and a professional singer at this point - had already played the part on Broadway by the time the film went into production.
4 comments:
Was he really up for the part? Peter Palmer, who played it on Broadway, was also in the movie. Plus I don't think Reeves was a singer. This looks like a Physique Magazine shot.
Apparently, these are just costume test photos. Was he up for the part? He was one of the hottest actors in 1959 so it wouldn't have been odd.
From my understanding (and research) Reeves didn't really do Physique magazine shoots once he became famous (or famous in the bodybuilding world) because he was too expensive for them. Most of the magazines I have with him have stock photos, of him being on the beach or at the gym exercising and such or photos from his bodybuilding competitions. He never modelled for specific layouts. Those magazines could only afford lesser known models. There are photos of him posing outside in some nature setting but those photos were for his own portfolio, which he eventually sold to magazines. He was often on the cover but there are few original shoots and layouts within the magazines themselves.
There's some footage of Reeves singing on Youtube.
Li'l Abner was already in production when Hercules came out in the U.S. in July of 1959. Steve wasn't famous until after that as far as movies go. But it's a great shot of him whatever it may have been taken for.
Reeves had already starred in MGM's "Athena" in 1954, so it's likely he was considered by Paramount - or at least suggested by his agent - which is probably why these photos were taken. Paramount Pictures was the sole backer of the stage musical when it opened in 1956 and paid $300,000 for its film rights up front. When the movie was made 2 years later, Peter Palmer - who was two inches taller than Reeves and a professional singer at this point - had already played the part on Broadway by the time the film went into production.
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