"Colossus and the Amazon Queen" (1960)Rod Taylor plays Pirro in this silly sword-and-sandal comedy filmed in Italy. It's also known as "La Regina delle Amazzoni," and the Italian film is dubbed into English, using someone else's voice over Rod's lines -- even though it's obvious he's speaking English. The story follows the misadventures of two Trojan War veterans. Pirro's partner is Glauco, played by popular '50s physique model Ed Fury. The contrast between the two is established early -- Pirro survives on being clever, Glauco on his strength. The pair are recruited by wealthy tradesmen to guard the cargo of a ship headed for a secret destination. The cargo turns out to be the crew, including Pirro and Glauco. Upon reaching a beautiful island laden with riches, they are enslaved by the Amazons. Pirro and Glauco wind up with the women who are vying to be the next Queen of the Amazons. One of the qualifications for the position is virginity. The almost incomprehensible plot involves several escape attempts, some Amazon battles, a lot of double-crossing and over-the-top male/female role-reversals. The picture is campy and low-quality (which appears to be the point of sword-and-sandal flicks). The October 1964 edition of Taylor's fan newsletter, Rod-Lore, asked him:
Taylor answered:
When the film surfaced on home video in the mid-1980s, an interviewer prompted this response from Rod:
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