Steve Reeves as Gemini

Bodybuilder/actor Steve Reeves is probably best remembered today for his role of "Hercules," but before he became famous, he was also the creative muse for Hollywood artist Kenneth Kendall. Kendall (at right) is shown here at home with his friend and fellow Hollywood extra, Bill Suiter.



Kendall created sketches of Reeves representing each of the Zodiac signs. In honor of my birth sign, Gemini, I show my original print from the series:



Besides being a talented painter, Kendall was also an accomplished sculptor. Here is his bust of Reeves:



And a vintage shot of Reeves posing next to it:



The two remained in touch until Reeves' death; Kendall passed away in 2006.

See more Steve Reeves photos on my main website.

Steve Reeves as Li'l Abner

I am fascinated by the process of casting a movie; especially finding out who some of the original possibilities were. At that point, I try to wrap my brain around what that movie might have turned out to be had one of those original possibilities turned into a reality. One of those most famous is Shirley Temple as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" 1939); one of the lesser known ones would be the one I am illustrating today.

The 1959 film "Li'l Abner" is all but forgotten today, including its leading man, Peter Palmer. The photos in today's post show bodybuilder and former Mr. America, Steve Reeves, in a few photos from 1958 that show him wearing a Li'l Abner costume. I am guessing that these were shot near the beach.



Reeves was no Shakespeare when it came to acting, but physically, he was a good match for the title character of the movie which was based on a comic strip character. Abner was a 6' 3" hillbilly, who was naïve and simple-minded. He was known for his strength, not his brains.



For whatever reason, Peter Palmer won the role over Reeves and went on to a very modest career as an actor.



See more vintage Steve Reeves photos on my Steve Reeves web page.