George Pal’s enthusiasm for Doc Savage was almost too prescient too soon: five years after the Doc movie flopped, INDIANA JONES (perhaps the ultimate Doc ripoff) took theatres by storm, proving the audience WAS actually there. The myriad problems with the Doc film frequently outweigh its good points, namely, the casting of Ron Ely and the near-pitch-perfect New York sequences. In fact, it was the opening New York sequences (including the chase and Doc’s slide down the elevator cable) that Pal used as a show-reel, with justifiable pride. Unfortunately, once they climb aboard that plane, they seem to fly into another movie entirely, and the mood never recovers UNTIL the team returns to New York for the wrap-up. The plotline for the film contained bits and pieces from the debut novel, MAN OF BRONZE, furniture from THE THOUSAND-HEADED MAN, and the “Green Death” from … er, THE GREEN DEATH.

Joe Morhaim wrote a completed script for ARCHENEMY OF EVIL that was basically the plot of DEATH IN SILVER, with more fidelity to the source novel.

The more recent Doc script – the one that was supposed to star Schwarzenegger – held not a whiff of the classic Doc, being overrun with giant Nazi robots (derived from those SUPERMAN-inspired flying, bank robbing machines). The multiple irony was that (1) Superman got some of his chops from Doc (including the Fortress of Solitude and his secret identity name) and (2) the script was essentially beholden to a post-INDIANA JONES cinema mindset, meaning that it was clearly and baldly intended to advantage the Indiana Jones / Stephen Somers MUMMY tone … which would not exist had not the ingredients been derived from Doc Savage in the first place.

Dwayne Johnson – The Rock – would make a great Doc Savage. Just imagine him with his hair buzz-cut and dyed bronze (the lighter the shade, the more he’d resemble Shell Scott!). Unlike Schwarzenegger, who fits to a T Philip Jose Farmer’s description of the James Bama Doc as “a fifty-year-old ex-Mr. Universe down on his luck,” Johnson has the right proportion of muscle, acting chops, self-deprecating humor, and stunt ability to make a movie Doc credible.

For those who are interested, after Ron Ely retired from game shows he wrote two not-very-bad detective novels, basically featuring a roman-a-clef version of himself, re-cast as a coffee-drinking ex-alcoholic, NIGHT SHADOWS and EAST BEACH. He would be perfect, right now, to play Doc’s dad, which would be appropriate casting indeed.

It might interest oldmanster to know that the “Indian” in the film was played by William Katt (yep, THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO) in a lot of body makeup.