Sword and Sandal Theater Was a Staple of 1970's Independent TV

The biggest movie star seen on independent UHF TV stations back in the 1970's was not Marlon Brando or even Burt Reynolds. It was Steve Reeves, the muscular actor who struggled in Hollywood but became a mega star in 'sword and sandal' movies he made in Greece, Spain, and Italy. As the most famous of the Hercules characters, Reeves inspired New England based movie theater owner Joseph E Levine to become a movie mogul. Levine established Embassy Pictures to import the Steve Reeves franchise to his and other theaters and then expanded that vision to actually begin making his own pictures. While Hercules paid the bills, top movies such as The Producers, Don't Drink The Water, and Soldier Blue moved Embassy Pictures into a major role as a movie distributor. A sharp businessman, Levine then cashed out by selling Embassy Pictures to the AVCO Financial Company. The resulting AVCO Embassy Pictures was the beginning of the end of the company, but Joseph E Leveine hadmade a ton of money while introducing the Sword and Sandal genre to millions of appreaciative viewers. These movies got a second life on the Sword and Sandal THeaters of the local independent TV days and they remain popular on the Sword and Sandle Theater section of NTV Movie.Net , which is the movie section of te Nostalgia Television Network (NTV).