Arnold Schwarzenegger Made His Debut In This Forgotten 70s Fantasy Movie

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Arthur Allen Seidelman’s terrible 1970 comedy flick “Hercules in New York” stars, as seen on its poster, comedian Arnold Stang and someone named “Arnold Strong, Mr. Universe.” As many grindhouse enthusiasts will immediately be able to tell you, “Arnold Strong” was the stage name given to Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s easy to presume that the producers of “Hercules in New York” felt that “Schwarzenegger” was something of a tongue-twister to U.S. audiences in 1970, and they likely shortened it to “Strong” in order to make it fit more cleanly on a theater marquee. Yes, “Hercules in New York” was Schwarzenegger’s feature film debut.

According to Schwarzenegger’s autobiography “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story,” the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s Austrian accent was considered impenetrable, and all of his lines were dubbed by an American actor whose identity remains unknown. It wasn’t until the film was released on DVD that Schwarzenegger’s original voice was restored.

Not that the name change or the dubbing helped the movie. “Hercules in New York” was a critical flop, and it remains unfunny and shrill to this day. It may have turned a profit, though, as it was very cheap to make (having only had a $300,000 budget). Indeed, the film was shot on location around New York City and was likely produced without any permits; it has an authentic, guerrilla style that only shot-on-the-fly B-movies possess. It also has the silly, Borscht-Belt sense of humor ordinarily associated with either the Catskills or obscure comedic porn movies. Really, it’s only remembered to this day because of Schwarzenegger’s presence.

But because of Schwarzenegger, the film is something of a cult sensation that ambitious cinematic seekers have taken in. It’s currently available to watch for free on Kanopy or you can rent it digitally on Apple or Prime Video.

When “Hercules in New York” was released on home media, it was called “Hercules Goes Bananas,” although Arnold Schwarzenegger was eventually credited by his proper name after he became a big star.

The plot of “Hercules in New York” is whimsical nonsense and more involved than you might think. Hercules (Schwarzenegger), living on Mount Olympus, pleads with his father Zeus (Ernest Graves) for a vacation to Earth. He is granted his wish and jettisoned to New York City; there, he encounters a man named Pretzie (Arnold Stang), a nebbishy pretzel vendor. The bulk of the film’s comedy comes from Hercules trying to behave in a human fashion. For example, he fights a bear in Central Park — or, more specifically, he grapples with a guy in a bear costume in Central Park — and eventually becomes a pro-wrestler, all the while engaging in vague “tasks” that mirror mythology.

Zeus, however, hates that Hercules has become a wrestler, so he sends his godly assassin, Nemesis (Taina Elg) after him. But Juno (Tanny McDonald) interferes and convinces Nemesis, without Zeus’ knowledge, to merely inject Hercules with a drug that will make him a mortal man. Once injected, Hercules loses a strong man’s competition, leading to some complications with a local gambling ring and some low-level New York gangsters. The film then ends with Hercules getting his divinity restored and returning to Olympus. In a truly baffling scene, though, Hercules magically bids Pretzie farewell via a car radio. Yet, even in the restored version, the voice that comes through the radio is that of the actor who dubbed Schwarzenegger (presumably because Schwarzenegger wasn’t involved in the ADR process).

There are other gods sprinkled throughout “Hercules in New York,” including Mercury (Dan Hamilton) and Pluto (Michael Lipton). Professional bodybuilder Deenis Tinerino similarly plays Atlas, with famed pro wrestler Mark Tendler likewise showing up as Samson at one point. Weirder still, “Hercules in New York” might be one of the better Greek mythology movies out there (relatively speaking), as the film’s chintziness is hard to resist. Not to mention, the authenticity of 1970 New York is a marvel to behold.

Notably, street-level filmmaking exploded in New York after 1970, with a whole generation of New York filmmakers emerging via an important subculture called “no wave cinema.” No wave movies were themselves typically experimental and had no Hollywood sheen, presenting New York City (and other dingy locales) in all their unpolished glory. The movement might have begun with the 1976 concert film “Blank Generation,” which features performances by Blondie, The Ramones, Television, and The Talking Heads. The punk films of Nick Zedd (“They Eat Scum,” “Geek Maggot Bingo”) also came from the movement, as did movies like Frank Henelotter’s twisted horror flick “Basket Case.” One could definitely include John Waters as a central inspiration for the movement, too.

Is “Hercules in New York” really part of the no wave movement? Nah. It’s just a ridiculous comedy starring a famous bodybuilder. But its absurdity, low-fi tenacity, and otherwise odd connection to other peplum movies of its era (that is, other Greek/Roman myth features starring hunky athletes) give it more street cred than one might initially assume. It’s certainly more enjoyable after a third cocktail, but it can still be enjoyed. Anything that qualifies as one of the IMDb’s worst-rated movies ever is certainly worth a gander.