Hercules in New York
| Hercules in New York | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Arthur Allan Seidelman |
| Produced by | Aubrey Wisberg |
| Written by | Aubrey Wisberg |
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| Music by | John Balamos |
| Cinematography | Leo Lebowitz |
| Edited by | Donald P. Finamore |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | Trimark Pictures (current distributor since 1985) |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hercules in New York is a 1969 low-budget fantasy comedy film directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and written by Aubrey Wisberg, who also served as producer. It is notable for being the first feature film to star (a then-unknown) Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was about 22 years old when the film was produced. It is further notable for being one of the films that Schwarzenegger admits regretting having appeared in.
Playing the film's title character, Schwarzenegger, because of his long last name and to play off the name of fellow cast member comedian Arnold Stang, is credited as "Arnold Strong 'Mr. Universe'".
According to Schwarzenegger's autobiography, he had all his lines dubbed due to his thick Austrian accent although modern showings of the film have his audio track restored. However, even these restored showings cannot change the final scene's lines that Hercules speaks to Pretzie over a small transistor radio, in a voice that is clearly not Schwarzenegger's.
On October 19, 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Premiere Pictures was auctioning off the rights to the film on eBay for a minimum bid of $550,000.
Hercules, at Olympus, berates his father Zeus for not allowing him to leave the gods' abode to adventure on earth. Eventually Zeus sends Hercules, on a beam, to the land of men.
After some strange encounters in the air and at sea, Hercules arrives in New York City, where hilarity ensues in the form of interactions with various New Yorkers, who regard him as physically superior but socially awkward. He meets a skinny little guy called Pretzie (Arnold Stang). Hercules becomes a successful professional wrestler.
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Wikipedia