For Mildred's sake, I hope she got to spend some time in the bedroom too, because her husband was a former Olympic gold medalist, and one of the screen's most sinewy Tarzans.
Below, Mildred Pierce's husband with his clothes on... and off...
But that was his secret identity. By the time he appeared in "Mildred Pierce," the athlete born Herman Brix — who won the medal for shot put in 1928 and then starred as the ape man in 1935's "New Adventures of Tarzan" — was known by a new name: Bruce Bennett.
Frustrated by type-casting that followed his appearance as Tarzan — indeed he is hard to forget once you've seen him with his clothes off — Herman Brix dropped out of sight for awhile. When he reappeared, he had his new name and a new image - sensitive, intelligent, introspective, brooding, cultured.
To be fair, even as Tarzan, the articulate Brix was far closer than other interpreters to Edgar Rice Burrough's original concept of the ape man as an intellectual, swinging through the jungle by choice, while being fully capable of living in genteel society as well.
Nothing like an erudite ape man.
And his body never failed him: he lived until just shy of his 101st birtday.
Below, Herman Brix in the 1928 Olympics:
Wow! What a great post! Honestly, looking at the different pictures, there is no way I would ahve been able to make that connection on my own. At least, I don't think there would be. This was such a great post and I loved the eye-candy that came with it. Thanks!
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Hi Ace, Thanks for your comments. His transformation is pretty extraordinary, isn't it? And for me, he is always a welcome presence on-screen in either incarnation.
ReplyDeleteI do remember this tarzan and always felt that he fitted the role much better than Johnny Wesmuller(spelling could be wrong) the aussie..(sadly).
ReplyDeleteBrix(Bruce Bennett) certainly had a wonderful as you said sinew body.. which showed off his muscular body much better as he moved about as Tarzan and was a much better actor I must say than (Johnny Wesmuller)... and Mark these are wonderful old snapshots of an era I had nearly forgotten about till now. Hugs
Hi Wally, Yes Johnny Weismuller became so identified with the Tarzan role and mystique, and I do enjoy him too, especially his first couple of appearances in the role (he is very skimpily clad in "Tarzan the Ape Man" in 1932 and looks very good!). But his Tarzans were always mono-syllabic; not like the educated, articulate Brix/Bennett Tarzan at all. I've read that Edgar Rice Burroughs himself was much happier with the Brix/Bennett interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI knew his earlier name--but I had never seen a pic from that era. Thanks! (I, too, liked his Tarzan...not necessarily better, but different...)
ReplyDeleteHe is certainly welcome on MY screen. I have a DVD set that has 10 Tarzan films and I'm pretty sure he is in at least one of them...Though I can't check as most of my DVDs are packed away. I've never read the book, but I always have wanted to...I may do it soon, if I get the chance.
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Glad I could show you something you hadn't seen, FelchingPisser.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree about liking his Tarzan - while still liking the other Tarzans too.
Ace, Dig out those DVDs when you get settled. The Brix Tarzan is often included in Tarzan anthologies, as I believe it's in the public domain.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I haven't ever read the book myself either (sorry to have to admit). So if you get to it first, let me know how you think it compares.
When I was a kid I found a book about movie Tarzans at a garage sale. Herman Brix/"Bruce Bennett" was my favorite - loved that lean muscularity that seemed to be out of fashion during the steroid-bloated 80s-90s when I was growing up. (Mike Henry was no slouch either.)
ReplyDeleteHi TD, Thanks for your comment. Those Tarzan movie books make for stimulating reading, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion of Mike Henry too.