Wasted talent?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — John Derek
atucci-1 — 18 years ago(December 09, 2007 09:58 AM)
Derek's biography is too brief on this web site. I'm curious how a man with such potential as an actor was not more successful as an actor and director. His "Tarzan" movie with his wife is one of the worst movies ever made. Wasn't he aware of that? Was there no producer/overseer who exercised some influence? Was Derek on drugs, was he hard headed? I was surprised to see that he won an award for "most cooperative actor." Something happened to put him on the wrong path, to short circuit his career. Any light that can be shed upon this mystery would be welcomed. Thanks.
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martyr-6 — 18 years ago(January 17, 2008 05:38 PM)
atucci-1,
I don't think Derek enjoyed being an actor - from everything
that I've read. He enjoyed his privacy and self-indulgence(s).
I think he was very successful as an actor - with good, strong
performances, and he was very handsome and memorable.
He came from a wealthy background in Hollywood. He was- according to memoirs from his daughter Sean and 4th wife Bo
- a difficult, self-centered and stubborn artist. He wanted
things in life and within his control to be a certain way. After
Bo's success in "10", MGM gave the Derek's a great deal of
money to make Tarzan, The Ape Man in 1981. John had creative
control and a very specific vision, which was only to create a pallette
to showcase the extraordinary beauty of his wife Bo.
Unfortunatey, the story, script and acting were of less importance.
It was intended to be a campy, sexy update of the Tarzan story -
with the look of a pin-up calender. I think the shot of the elephant
carrying an injured Tarzan is still one of the most beautiful
things I've ever seen! Anyway, this film (which was under-budget, on
time, and the biggest hit for MGM in the Summer of 1981) was
a visual journey of a hedonistic artist and his adoring wife. I think
they were just enjoying working together and the outcome did
not justify the "vision." And yes, the orangutan gave the
best performance