Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a few duds throughout his career, but there’s one scene in his debutHercules in New Yorkthat he no doubt wishes he could scrub from his CV.Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action movieslikeThe TerminatororTotal Recallare classics of the genre, and while he branched out to comedy and the occasional drama (like 2015’sMaggie), action movies were something he could always fall back on. Like any major A-lister, he had some bombs along the way too, withBatman & RobinorArnie’s gory Agatha Christie adaptationSabotagebeing among the worst.
The trophy for Arnold’s worst movie would go to his debut feature,Hercules in New Yorkfrom 1970. Schwarzenegger was only 22 when he filmed this low-budget fantasy comedy, where Hercules is exiled by his father Zeus to New York. Arnold had already made a name for himself as a bodybuilder during this time, and the project was something of a dream come through. He had always dreamt of starring in American movies, and first got into bodybuilding afterwatching the fantasy movieHercules and the Captive Women, starring Reg Park. Sadly, his debut didn’t live up to his dreams.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants To Get Rid Of A Scene From Hercules In New York
Arnie can’t bear this Central Park fight scene
Hercules in New Yorkmight be fun for Arnold completionists, but it is a chore to sit through. Schwarzenegger had no acting experience before the film, and oh boy, does it show, with his line deliveries being impossibly wooden. To add insult to injury,producers changed Schwarzenegger’s credit to “Arnold Strong” and had another actor dub his voice as his Austrian accent was considered too thick. In short, it was a dud, and in 2017, Arnold recounted toBusiness Insiderwatching a scene from the film with his children when they discovered it on television.
I hadn’t seen it in so long and my kids got it and put it on, and they saw me wrestling a bear, and I had to stop and watch this entire fight scene with that bear. Just to watch how ludicrous it was.
According to Arnold, the “bear” Hercules fights in Central Park is really a guy with a “coat thrown over him.” While he had a good time reliving this scene with his children,theHercules in New Yorkbear fight is a sequence Arnie likely wants to delete from his filmography.
While Arnie generally has a sense of humor about the film, he did admit during a 1991 interview with David Letterman (viaYouTube) that it was “…a movie that I’ve tried to hide for centuries.”
Hercules In New York Is One Of IMDb’s Lowest Rated Films
It’s not the only Arnold movie on the chart
While ratings on Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb shouldn’t be taken as the last word on a movie’s quality, if a film ends up on IMDb’s Lowest Rated chart, the odds are good you should skip them.WhileHercules in New Yorkis somewhat obscure nowadays, enough people voted on IMDb to see the film land at 69 on the Lowest Rated charts. That puts it above the likes ofPolice Academy: Mission to Moscow(70) or Arnold’s ownBatman & Robin(83), whileDisaster Movie(1) andManos: The Hands of Fate(2) are the reigning champions.
Some viewers might find camp value inHercules in New York, but between the horrid production value and Arnold’s own poor performance, it’s just not a fun watch. There are a couple of gags that raise a chuckle and co-lead Arnold Stang does his best to inject the movie with life, but its place on the IMDb lowest ranked film is well earned.
The Scene Didn’t Stop Arnold From Becoming A Huge Star
A decade later, Arnold was fronting Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator
Hercules in New Yorkdid little for Arnold’s career, and he soon refocused his attention on bodybuildingafterwards. He had some scattered acting credits in the years that followed, but ironically, it was only by playing himself in the documentaryPumping Ironthat producers began to take note of his natural charisma and charm. Getting cast as the lead inConan the Barbarianchanged his career, and he became a genuine movie star whenThe Terminatorarrived a couple of years after that in 1984.
Arnie might not be the greatest actor in the world, but one look at his work in Hercules in New York and his later films reveals how dramatically he improved…
Schwarzenegger then had one of the all-time box office runs as a star, includingCommando,Predator,Twins, andTerminator 2: Judgment Day.Hercules in New Yorkquickly faded into the background, only occasionally being dragged out of obscurity for the sake of a talk show gag. Arnie might not be the greatest actor in the world, but one look at his work inHercules in New Yorkand his later films reveals how dramatically he improved at his craft.
Hercules in New York
Cast
Hercules in New York stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his film debut as the mythological hero Hercules. Transported from Mount Olympus to modern-day New York City, Hercules struggles to adjust to contemporary life while encountering a series of comedic misadventures. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, this 1970 film combines elements of fantasy and comedy as it follows Hercules' attempts to navigate a new world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Discover the latest news and filmography for Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for The Terminator and Predator.
