SUPERARGO VS DIABOLICUS

This was a beautiful or, at least, entertaining movie in my childhood. It played my the local cinema a few times and I caught it at least two of those. Somehow we young movie goers knew it wasn't exactly a Hollywood movie even though it was a CinemaScope and colour picture with fast cars, computer consoles, cool fights (the flick opens with Superargo, in his tights, wrestling in a ring with a leopard man), a villainous villain based on a small island, and a rocketship (more on this in a moment), and darn entertaining, you can take that to the bank, delight.

I learned that Superargo contro Diabolikus -- brought to America as Superargo versus Diabolicus -- was a Italian/Spanish co-production from 1966. The only actor I am familiar with is Gerard Tichy... he was in two Samuel Bronston pictures from 1961; El Cid and King of Kings. Tichy plays the villain, Diabolicus, with great delight, as I remember it. He says to Superargo, "with my brains and your strength we can rule the world!"

Hopefully this matinee fare will hit video over here soon. I can watch Superargo again for the first time in over thirty years and anticipate and enjoy the feature's final few minutes all over again, the way I remember them: As a clock does a classic count-down, Diabolicus tries to take off in a rocketship from his island to escape a pursuing Superargo, and a timed detonator (which will blow up the island). Next, there is a shot, at night time, of what appears to be a pile of mud on a wet garage floor. I think: "Oh, that's the area right under the rocket booster... and the flame is supposed to be the rockets readying to fire." Shot of Superargo running over to a control panel. He pulls a power cable or something or other and sparks fly. Medium close-up of Diabolicus yelling or screaming in his capsule. Back to the wet garage floor as a mass of flame licks and swirls around the pile of mud which throws about little chunks of mud. I think: "Diabolicus is getting away; the rockets are firing." At that exact same instant, everyone in the movie theatre explodes with laughter. I think: "What are they laugh... ? Ohh, that's supposed to be the island blowing up!"

I'm not always the brightest rocket on the island.