Anita Ekberg as Queen Zenobia from SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Xenobia by Bill Lee from SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR
As I often say and I wrote in the first issue of BY THE GODS! magazine (new issue coming soon!), the US version of SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR (1959) is missing. Will it ever surface? I have multiple books on PEPLUM movies and aside from Rob Craig's book American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography, no one else had this tidbit of info...until someone who actually saw SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR at the movie left a comment at BY THE GODS blog. Craig's AIP book mentions a song for the movie but not the artist. Anyway, here's the closing song heard during the end credits of SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR. Hopefully, the US cut will surface one day.
Actually I said this in my book on AIP back in 2009: "AIP filmed new opening credits showing a dancing girl and closing credits featuring the song "Xenobia" sung by Bill Lee. the rare Meteor Video VHS tape is a poor transfer but it does letter box the opening and closing AIP credits." The tape was the AIP version
ReplyDeleteThat's odd cause I checked the review and it's not there. It's different. I could show it with a photo of the text. This is under Sign of the Gladiator or elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteRegardless, your book was the first to mention the song which I was very happy to see.
I have to find the Meteor VHS release of the movie. You wouldn't happen to have a digitized copy?
I copied exactly what was in my American International Video Guide book. Maybe you looked at the later book I wrote about AIP. I remember renting the Meteor VHS when I wrote my Epic Films book.
ReplyDeleteI think there's confusion here. I wrote about Rob Craig's book. I don't have any other book on AIP. :)
ReplyDeleteI've written two....Gary Smith author of Epic Films.
ReplyDeleteOK. Hi Gary!
ReplyDelete