Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Now Chest a Minute!

We love to discover treasure chests here in The Underworld and have done so here and here.  Today, we're going to uncover a few more.  There are sixty photos in this post, so if you only spend one second on each picture, you can breeze through it in just a minute!  Then again, if you spend one minute studying each chest, you will be here an hour!  Maybe you'll hit upon a happy medium.  There's a variety on hand, hopefully something for everyone, though I tend to go for a certain type myself, the beefy, hairy ones.  Special thanks to our cover boy today, Mr. Guy Madison!

Here we find the late Mickey Rooney enjoying a conversation with a pal on a pair of comfy lounge chairs.
1930s hunk (and later stalwart western leading man) Randolph Scott.
A one-shot, non-MGM movie called Tarzan's Revenge (1939) starred Glenn Morris as the title figure (shown here in a test shot.)  Morris was, like the more famous Johnny Weissmuller, an Olympian too, though for the Decathlon rather than swimming.  Unfortunately, the movie was poorly received and Morris gave up movie-making for life as an insurance salesman.
This still is from an obscure film called Mutiny on the Blackhawk (1939) starring Richard Arlen.  Based upon the loincloth costuming, it just became a movie I need to see very badly!
Next is 1940s sarong and sandal actor Jon Hall drying off.
1940s and '50s leading man Dane Clark.
Fellow leading man of that era, Farley Granger.
Bear lovers rejoice, for here is William Bendix as the ship's stoker and title character of The Hairy Ape (1944.)
A little-known spy drama called Step by Step (1946) stars screen tough guy Lawrence Tierney.  Note the fascinating way his arm creates a shadow across his side and hip to make his waist seem incredibly teeny! (You can see that his swimsuit waistband extends beyond that line.) This movie is on TCM this week and I'm interested in checking it out!
Another obscure movie is 16 Fathoms Deep (1948) which had its share of beefcake as it concerned sponge divers. Eric Feldary is shown below in publicity for the movie.
In this photo from the same film, Feldary is depicted with former child star Dickie Moore, by then in his early-twenties.
Larry Parks, in an unidentified film, has a couple of burly, sculpted pals.  Park was the victim of McCarthy-era blacklisting, which severely harmed his screen career.
If you ever get the chance to see Tomorrow is Another Day (1951), chances are you won't be disappointed. Not only is Steve Cochran shirtless a few times, but he also sports a rather eye-opening set of jeans.
Each time we come across Cochran in a movie, we walk away a little more interested and appreciative than before.
Who's this popping up for a quick photo?  Tony Curtis, of course.
In The Story of Three Loves (1953), Kirk Douglas played a trapeze artist involved with Pier Angeli.
Ida Lupino looks to have quite a decision to make in Private Hell 36 (1954) with bare-chested Steve Cochran and (her real life husband) Howard Duff on hand!  I have to give Steve this one, though, over the somewhat "mooby" Howard, though nipple fans might disagree.
1955's Land of the Pharaohs had lean Dewey Martin being blindfolded as he entered the secret passageways of the pyramid to complete work on it. Thankfully, the audience isn't blindfolded and can look his tight, tan frame over (and over!)
Manfish (1956) starred the extraordinarily hunky John Bromfield, seen here with Lon Chaney Jr.
Here from the same film, Bromfield manhandles a bedraggled Victor Jory.
Yet another 1950s hunk John Derek plays the title character in The Leather Saint (1956), a minister who boxes in order to win money for his charitable causes.  Anyone ready to sign up and go a few rounds with him?
Easily one of the most scorned renditions of the legendary vine-swinger ever was 1959's Tarzan, the Ape Man, in which UCLA basketball star Denny Miller played the title character while reams of stock footage (some of it tinted from the black & white 1932 masterpiece!) were crudely patched in.  "Jane" in this one was Joanna Barnes who many may recall from the prior year's Auntie Mame as Gloria Upson.
A swinger of a different type was singer-actor Sammy Davis Jr., seen here enjoying a soft drink between takes on a movie.
James Garner showed off his hairy chest (once a Hollywood no-no in prior decades of shaving for the screen) in the Doris Day comedy The Thrill of It All (1963.)
William Holden was one actor who often had to shave his chest for movies and he loathed it.  In later years he went au naturel, which by the looks of things, he may also have been doing under his trousers in this photo taken in the chow line of a western location shoot!
Despite playing Richard Kimble on The Fugitive from 1963-1967, David Janssen had precious few opportunities to go shirtless (one memorable time was when he worked as a lifeguard at a swanky club.)  Here we see him in color wearing some trim trunks.
In similarly-styled trunks, but which are far too baggy for my taste, is James Darren of the Gidget movies (1959-1963.)
Those beach-set movies were and are a great place to see the make form without a shirt.  Here are John Ashley and Jody McCrea in a scene from 1965's How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.  (That's the aforementioned Mickey Rooney with them at far left.)
Now a few shots of one of our favorites, Mr. Hugh O'Brian, seen here shaking hands with a close pal.
An even closer pal is the lady helping him out with some suntan lotion here!
Do not ever miss the chance to see him in 1965's Love Has Many Faces, a glossy Lana Turner spectacular.  It was life-changing for me.
Another Underworld fave is Robert Conrad, seen here pumping some iron.
Just look at his sweat-strewn torso (and his deliciously decked-out cohort) in this shot.
Even better is the series of athletic shots he and fellow Warner Brothers contractee Van Williams did together, several of which appear elsewhere on this site.
Broadway and movie singer-actor Robert Goulet doffed his shirt in the TV spy series Blue Light (1966), parts of which were edited into a feature film known as I Deal in Danger (also 1966.)
After working on a variety of TV series, Alex Cord won the role in Stagecoach (1966) that had made John Wayne a star in the 1939 version, but lightning didn't strike twice.  Still, he continued acting (primarily with his natural, darker hair color) steadily for the next four decades.
Prior to his debilitating motorcycle accident, James Stacy worked in films and on TV, notably Lancer (1968-1970.)
Football great Jim Brown turned to acting and was often stripped to the waist (and even further in his spread for Playgirl magazine!)
Rare was the Burt Reynolds movie of the 1960s and '70s that didn't feature a shirtless scene. Reynolds and Brown entertainingly costarred in 100 Rifles in 1969.
One of the more well-received later Tarzans (and I believe the first hairy-chested one) was Mike Henry, seen here in Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968.)
Ryan O'Neal (of Peyton Place, 1964-1969, Love Story, 1970, and many other films) often went shirtless before the cameras.
One of the chief reasons to watch the British sci-fi series UFO (1969-1973) was the hunky face and physique of costar Michael Billington.
Later in 1977, he had a bedroom scene with Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me which proved that director Lewis Gilbert knew of a good way to fill the cinematic wide-screen!
Former TV Tarzan (1966-1968) Ron Ely portrayed another famous hero in 1975 when he starred in Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.
We love his shredded shirt look shown below...
Hirsute hunk Sam Elliott during his comparatively brief pre-mustache days.
Those of a certain age will recall the 1970s stand-up and variety show guest The Unknown Comic (seen below spoofing Burt Reynolds famous Cosmopolitan centerfold.)  The performer (real name Murray Langston) was a frequent guest on The Gong Show (1976-1980) as well.
Look how furry 1970s singing sensation Andy Gibb was.  It's hard to imagine today's girls going wild over a young man who wasn't waxed within an inch of his life...
Tom Wopat of The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) lost his shirt from time-to-time including during the boxing match shown in the inset.
Erik Estrada costarred on CHiPs from from 1977-1983, though this shot is likely from the 1982 TV-movie Honeyboy.
Here we find college rowing team star turned model Rick Edwards, who later became an actor on the daytime soap Santa Barbara (1987-88.)
Edwards was a frequent 1980s model in GQ magazine, it was a time when hairy chests were a macho sign of virility and sex appeal while today is more about smooth, ripped looks.
If big muscles are your thing, it's hard to ignore Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his early days of movie-making such as Conan the Barbarian (1982.)
A leaner, but still muscular, Dolph Lundgren parlayed roles in A View to a Kill and Rocky IV (both 1985) into a career as a leading man in feature and straight-to-video films.
One of the great unsung furballs of the world was Brian Bloom, a soap actor (As the World Turns, 1983-1987) and later the star of a string of Bandit TV-movies in the mid-'90s.  And let's not forget a memorable 2001 two-part guest shot on Oz.  He also had the most amazing eyes one can imagine.  In recent years, his chief work has been in voiceovers, which isn't fair!  LOL
This is noted gossip columnist Ted Casablanca serving up the naked truth with his typewriter by the pool!
We can never get enough of the beautiful Jon-Erik Hexum.
Jude Law was looking yummily bronze in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999.)  While it's true that I don't get out much, it seems like I never see Law around anymore in anything.
Most if not all of the aforementioned gentlemen are great-looking and had great chests, but in The Underworld, no one can ever fully compare to the wonders of Mr. Clint Walker, so the final spot in this post belongs to him.  That, my friends, was a MAN!

16 comments:

NotFelixUnger said...

Thank you for another great collection. I love it! I screamed like a little girl every time I found a favorite picture. Here are my top 10 favorites in order:

Clint Walker
Sam Elliott (even without the tickler)
Michael Billington #1
Hugh O'Brian #1
Hugh O'Brian #2
Hugh O'Brian #3
Mike Henry
Tom Wopat
Denny Miller
Rick Edwards #2

There's only one man I think deserves a spot here: Ken Clark. I recently rented "From the Orient with Fury" There is a scene in there where I swear it looks like he's wearing a pelt under the hospital gown. Lord have mercy. And, yes, I've saved every one of his pictures from his Underworld post but sadly that's not among them.

Thank you. That was a great way to spend my lunch hour.

Michael O'Sullivan said...

You will scream if you see Jude Law in his recent Dom Hemingway, where he is naked quite a bit, and bulked up 30 lbs to play, and he still looked great!

Clint Walker and Guy Madison are my favourites here. The late Bob Hoskins looked good too topless in Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

joel65913 said...

Lovely collection. What a nice beginning with the gorgeous Guy Madison as well a marvelous end with Clint Walker. So many treats in between too, Sam Elliott in particular looks great.

I've seen The Leather Saint with John Derek looking incredibly fit. I expected it to be really dreadful but while it had a ludicrous premise thanks to the great Paul Douglas as his fight manager it was better than it had any right to be. The added bonus of course was that Derek spent at least half the film in just boxing trunks.

Scooter said...

Biggest surprise...? Arthur Lake from the Blondie movies. You just never know what's going on under someone's clothes.

Poseidon3 said...

NotFelix, I'm glad you liked this and thanks for sharing your ranking of faves. :-) Some day I need to see one or all of those Ken Clark spy flicks!

Michael, Lord only knows when I'll see that Jude Law movie (which I'd never even heard of before you mentioned it!), but I did look him up and was surprised at his huskier looks! Reportedly, he drank ten Coca-colas a day to put the weight on. Wow.

Joel, I have yet to see "The Leather Saint," but I figure when I do, I'll enjoy it! I always love seeing John Derek in "The Ten Commandments." Some day I have to get around to a tribute for THAT movie!

Scooter, you're so right! Lake had a very nice physique going (and this was in the latter part of his career.) I'm sure his very comedic-looking face led to the severe typecasting. If you want to enter a tangled web, look at the Wikipedia page for his wife of 50 years, Patricia Lake!

joel65913 said...

Hi again Poseidon,

I checked out the Lawrence Tierney film, Step by Step last night and while I support any movie that has its very fit leading man walk around in nothing but a swimsuit for the first 20 minutes of his screen time I was glad to find that it was a snappy little thriller besides that fact.

Thombeau said...

Oh, lordy, where to begin???

Poseidon3 said...

Joel, I recently watched "Step by Step," too! I had so much trouble reconciling that it was Anne Jeffreys in the lead since I only knew her from late-'70s work on. What was really weird was that, cute as he was, Lawrence never seemed even close to as scrawny in the movie as he is in that still photo! It was amusing to see the waist of his trunks so, so high to avoid showing belly button, yet the hem was right up to the bottom of his cheeks. It was a delightful, if contrived and pat, little potboiler. And I LOVED the little Cairn Terrier who figured into it so heavily...

Peter78730 said...

Guy Madison was one of my all-time favorites. Imagine my surprise when I read (in several articles) that not only was he gay but was a bottom. YUM!

Narciso said...

OMG, I'm hyperventilating. But I'm not too dazed to notice David Janssen's poolside footwear. Is there a story there?

rafael storm said...

Okay, I want to point out two things that are incorrect.

A) That photo of "wasp-waisted" Lawrence Tierney is clearly and very poorly retouched.

B) The Steve Cochran movie is the 1951 "Tomorrow Is Another Day," in which he co-starred with Ruth Roman. It shouldn't be confused with "Odds Against Tomorrow," the 1959 movie that starred Robert Ryan, Harry Belafonte, Shelley Winters, and Gloria Graham.

Other than that, terrific post!

Poseidon3 said...

B) You are right. Too much time had passed between my first watching "Tomorrow is Another Day" and the date when I put up the chest pictures of Steve and my mind fuzzed out on the movie's title. I will correct that right away.

A) Upon closer inspection, the pic of Lawrence Tierney actually hasn't been retouched at all beyond whatever usual studio airbrushing took place on all still photos. I opened it in a new window to look at it in a larger size and amazingly enough it's a case of his arm creating a perfectly curved shadow across his torso and hip! Once you discover it, it's really very clear that his waist extends back further... Interesting, accidental illusion.

GayAdventure said...

There is an ERROR on this page:

On this page there are two photos of the film "16 Fathoms Deep." You write that the handsome, bare-chested man is Arthur Lake. You are mistaken!! While Lake starred in the film he was never known as a "looker" or for having a manly physique. The half-naked man in the photos is another actor in the film, Eric Feldary (1912-1968). Check out Eric Feldary's photos online and you will easily see he is hot guy depicted in your photos.

Poseidon3 said...

The ERROR has been corrected. Thanks.

Liibaan M.Ahmed said...

Omg I love this list♡ I just discovered by chance thank you god♡

PBSholley said...

For fans of Brian Bloom - the best views of that magnificent hairy chest is in Bandit's Silver Angel where he has three extended shirtless scenes. The other three not even a fleeting glimpse, but Angel surely makes up for the dearth in the other three!