Monday, February 25, 2008

The Passion for Ron Ely Lives!

Folks, lately I've been in a constant state of amazement. Way back in 2006, I wrote a blog post about one of my early infatuations with a star; Ron Ely, who played Tarzan. Believe it or not, I think Ron has been rediscovered in a HUGE way. Why do I say that? Because my old post is getting comments-even two years later! Wonderful fans as far away as France have visited me to share their appreciation of his talent and to gently :-) correct any mistakes I've made re: Ron Facts. Perhaps they are stopping by just because it's another opportunity to connect with others of equal enthusiasm? Only they know. Me? I'm tickled pink. After checking my site stats, today was the first time the 2006 POST outranked my visits for my current posting. Has anyone ever had that happen? So, in anticipation of continuing the trend, I'd like to include two links that my blog buddy, Judy, found for me while we were chatting one evening. This is a YouTube interview that reveals some wonderful info that fans should find interesting. It's labeled, Tarzan, Jesus, and Davy Crockett? I have dial-up so it took over an hour to load, but it was worth it. The other is a SHORT ARTICLE about his son. Look at the picture; doesn't that Ely charm show through? From the sounds and rumblings I've been hearing, maybe, just maybe, Ron Ely may grace our television sets in the near future. I'm sure, like many fans around the world, the 'near future' isn't soon enough. On a sadder note, one of my visiting Ely fans informed me about some sad news. Manuel Padilla, Jr., who played Jai, passed away recently. He'll be forever young in my mind's eye. He was only 51 too. Way too young. There is a link to verify this info: OBIT The info for Manuel is almost all the way towards the bottom- Jan. 29th. I never knew he was in American Graffiti! Did you? Oh Wow! Did you know that James Earl Jones played in one of the Tarzan episodes? I just saw that little tidbit when I was checking out one of the links I slipped into my post here. Very cool! The item that cracked me up the most was seeing Ethel Merman listed as being in an episode. That was a woman with a unique voice. I really wish the executives that make DVD decisions would really wake up and realize there is a WANT and an INTEREST for purchasing and viewing the 1966 - 1968 years of this incarnation of Tarzan. I, for one, would buy it. Who can we write to so we can get the ball rolling?

10 comments:

khoz said...

Don't forget about Doc Savage. I am a big fan of that film -- and Ron's portrayal of Doc-- and I've been wishing they would put it on DVD as well. It's the 75th anniversary of Doc Savage yet there are still no plans to put it on DVD. That makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

You can find all "TARZAN" starring Ron ELY on e-bay. I bought them twice to an English. I am very happy because I can hear Ron Ely'voice in English rather than in French...
I'm very fond of him and I put some photos every day on my blog :
http://palilia.blogs.allocine.fr
I bought Doc Savage, Slavers, the Remarkable Mr pennypacker, Night ot the Grizzly, Cry of the black wolves : it's great.
Thank you for the photo of his son: he is very handsome too.
Have a nice day !

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I don't remember my past PASSWORD, so my name is "anonymous" : I just want to tell Kevin that DOC SAVAGE is on DVD. I bought it in VHS and in DVD : they sell it in Germany but it is in English too....
From the FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE to the end, Ron ELY is excellent !
Do you know where I could ask an autograph from Ron ELY ? I don't succeed in finding any address !
To Michele : are you Sure Cameron ELY is Ron Ely'son ? I know that his son's name is Cameron because it is written on the first page of "East Beach" that I read and he looks like his father and seems very tall. But I was not sure.
Nicole from FRANCE. If you want my e-mail address, please tell it on my blog or on your blog and I'll send it to you.

khoz said...

Anonymous,

Those DVDs are bootlegs put out illegally. There have been no official DVDs released by Warner Brothers (who released the film) or any other studio.

Thanks,

Kevin

Michele said...

Hey, Anonymous!
YES , I am very sure that the Cameron that I have a pic of is the son of Ron. If you were able to watch the YouTube video interview, you'd hear them refer to Cameron playing football.

So, yes, indeed, he's on and the same.

I have NO idea how to get an autograph from Ron Ely. Heck, no one has yet heard a peep out of him despite what he said in the interview.
*sigh*
It's very frustrating. On the other hand, he IS entitled to his privacy. He's a person afterall.

And I'm glad Kevin popped back in to check out your comment and answer you.
He's good like that.

As far as I'm concerned, Warner Bros. is missing out on some serious revenues.

OH, and Kevin?
I LOVED Doc Savage. It was a bit campy, but that was the fun of it.
The comics were way serious though and quite intense. I can see why it has/had such a fervent following.

khoz said...

It's very campy which is why it is so fun. I saw that film when I was 15 then went out and read every Doc Savage book I could get my hands on. I still have the original movie poster I bought back then. Even though it was campy, I thought Ely was perfect for that role.

Speaking of Doc Savage, I';d love to see a new more action-oriented film made now. And I think Josh Holloway -- Sawyer from Lost -- would be the perfect Doc: http://static.zooomr.com/images/2637263_9d9a57817b.jpg

BTW, I met Ron Ely way back in the early 80's when he participated in a charity golf tournament. REALLY nice guy.

I keep asking the local sci fi convention group in town to try and get him to fly in for autographs. Hope they do it.

Hansgirl3 said...

It was great running across this!! I've just loved Ron Ely since I was a young girl and watched him in Doc Savage! *sigh*

Good to see there are others out there! ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi Guys,
I can really recommend Ron Ely in "Cry Of The Black Wolves". It was one of my fave movies when I was a kid, and just recently bought it on DVD. This is about 30 years later... and he still makes my heart race in that one. He's super cool and just lovely.
Thanks,
Elizabeth in Canada

FEslark said...

Anyone who is a Ron Ely fan may wish to look into "Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze - DETARNISHED!", a fan-edit that successfully turns the 1975 campfest into a serious adventure film!

http://fanedit.org/14082/

Michele said...

Thank you, FEslark!
What a cool idea!

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