In 1975 the legendary (to me anyway, he played Tarzan!) Ron Ely helped to bring Clark Savage to the big Screen in an enjoyable if somewhat low budget action adventure. Ely was always a very likable kind of actor. His screen presence was calm and assured, in much the same way that say, Robert Mitcham and James Garner where. And, most importantly for the role of Clark 'Doc' Savage, it was free of ego.
The Character of Clark 'Doc' Savage dates back to the 1930's. He featured and appeared in numerous novels, magazines, comic books and on the radio before hitting the big screen. Clark Savage Jnr was trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists, and as such has a wealth of knowledge, near hotographic memory (he is a doctor, Adventurer, inventor, martial artist and more!) and almost superhuman physical prowess. He is sometimes aided in his adventures by five men all leaders in their chosen fields, called the Fabulous Five.
Operating out of the 86th floor of a New York Skyscraper, Savage has a fleet of vehicles he and his associates use in their noble quest to fight crime and
injustice wherever they find it. Much like another cultural icon, James Bond, he has an umbrella organisation that he uses to store his sometimes fantastic vehicles and gadgets. Whereas Bond and MI6 use 'Universal Exports' as a cover, Savage and co. sometimes use The Hidalgo Trading Company as a cover while they are globe trotting. All things considered the ingredients are all present for a very engaging cinematic romp.
Ron Ely as 'Doc' Savage
Shane black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) is on writing duties for this one and reportedly wants to keep the story and character firmly rooted in the thirties. Hoorah, say I! Established producers Neal Moritz and Ori Marmur will bring their considerable clout and know-how to this project too. We may not have a cast and crew just yet, but this is a story and a character that begs for great direction, story, acting, production design and most of all, fun. I And you know something? I think we'll get it.
Putting Doc in a bid-budget motion picture may result in the character straying too far from his roots in an effort to boost his appeal to today's audiences. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a tightrope to walk. An ongoing franchise might be too ambitious. I'll be happy with a respectable showing to breathe some new life into the old boy; maybe launch a new series of books.
