Sheena

[Gilberto]

When I was a young man I was in love with Tanya Roberts. Being twelve my access to erotica was thankfully limited (whereas I don't know how parents of 12 year olds today lock down the limitless avenues of depravity that are so readily available to their kids). But in those days movies like "Sheena" were all it took to make all my adolescent dreams come true.

Tanya Roberts is Sheena, a Tarzan ripoff who was, instead of being raised in Africa by apes, raised in Africa by a tribe who protect a secret of healing earth or something. I'm not sure why white people are always being abandoned to become the King or Queen of the jungle, but that's the story so whatever.

Anyway, "Sheena" was not the best movie in the world, but it gave an adolescent kid a glimpse into the awesomeness of Tanya Roberts. That may not be selling it very well, but I'm recovering from a hamstring injury so I've been drinking a lot of vodka to offset the pain, so I may not be the best person to ask.

All I can say is that I have these great nostalgic moments of pausing this movie at strategic times during the bathing scene to get just a glimpse of a fully naked Tanya Roberts, which I'm pretty sure is a lot better than what kids today are able to do after their parents go to bed.

Anyway, I'm just trying to say that for that reason this movie is still awesome to me, so there it is.

[TZ101]

You and me both, pal. If you'd like to chat endlessly about Tanya/Sheena battling bad guys, jiggle-riding a horse painted to look like a zebra, gamely looking into the wrong end of binoculars, expressing astonishment at a man's chest hair, learning how to kiss at age 28, swinging on vines with surprising confidence, and taking the most memorable waterfall shower in movie history, feel free to post a reply or email me at [e-mail]. Should provide some amusing therapy for the both of us. Take care! Best, TZ101

[broox]

Did She-ra the princess of power steal her name from Sheena the queen of the jungle? They kind of look alike...

Also that pic of her with the tiger behind her is pure class, very nice!

[Tranzini101]

The name She-Ra was probably a logical female take-off on He-Man, which originally launched the property (I guess "She-Woman" would have sounded too dorky). And He-Man was created as an imitation Conan, even down to the hairstyle. Sheena inspired many similar vine-swinging heroines in comics and serials, Marvel's SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL coming the closest name-wise...

Yeah, that composite image of babe and beast rocks! Tanya has a feline quality about her to begin with -- slinky and sexy, with streamlined limbs and a full blonde mane. Those penetrating light blue eyes complete the mesmerizing picture. Mmmmm, boy!

[Gilberto]

Yes, I'm now very tempted to commit that image to black velvet.

What's funny is that he-man was an existing term for a buff manly beef chested dude, but the word she-ra is just a bastardization of that without having any real link to an actual word. It's just an uninspired imitation like the character herself, with feminized versions of all He-man's powers and rituals. Pretty embarrassing, that's probably why they didn't put her in the movie.

[TZ101]

Guess that's in the tradition of most comic book-type characters... Superman leads to Supergirl, Spider-Man leads to Spider-Woman, Tarzan leads to Sheena, Indiana Jones leads to Lara Croft, and so on. Sheena's "powers" and style naturally mirror Tarzan's -- swinging on vines, having a special rapport with animals -- although the best writers have tried to keep these jungle heroes as non-"super" as possible. A telepathic connection with animals is an acceptable bit of magic, but morphing into the beasts a la Gina Lee Nolin is probably going too far. My only major complaint with Tanya's Sheena is that she isn't permitted to kick bad guy butt with primal abandon as only a tough babe from the Bronx can. A beautiful woman mixing it up this way with a guy twice her size hadn't become culturally fashionable yet in 1984 (in mainstream Hollywood, anyway), and the absence of physical fight sequences hurts the film. Still, we fans have our imaginations... and wonderful images of Tanya/Sheena to inspire us!

[broox]

Not to stray from the sheena again, but I love how she-ra is "as strong as Heman" but has no visible muscles at all. In fact any male member of that universe (including hordak (sp?) and all the guys in she'ra's world) are much stronger looking than her. I bet it makes Heman feel pretty silly for putting all that time in at the gym to get so buff.

[lynn]

You know it's a hot topic when a guest goes to all the trouble of signing on just to agree on how much he enjoyed this woman's acting talent.... glad to see you guys are... enjoying your... forum so much today.

[Tranzini101]

Can't really blame poor She-Ra for this... Wonder Woman may be an Amazon warrior supreme, but she'll never be rendered with the kind of mega-muscular physique we associate with male comic book heroes like Superman or Batman. Only in recent years have "buffed babes" become more accepted, and only in limited venues. Most mainstream fans still want their superheroines sleek and curvy, whether in comics or on the big screen. Lynda Carter and Angelina Jolie are good examples of athletic, strong females who don't require a bodybuilder's physique to appear convincing in their roles. Likewise, Tanya Roberts is a super-streamlined Sheena (those amazing legs!), but flexes an impressive bicep whenever she raises arm-to-head for a little animal summoning. Sexiest muscle girl in a recent comic book movie? Jessica Biel as Abigail in one of those BLADE flicks. Her bod is beautifully toned and her arm muscles impressive... yet she's still ultra-sexy and somehow feminine, not a lumpy guy in drag. Another problem for "work-out" actresses is that their boobs disappear if they exercise continually and strenuously. Frankly, a musclebound, flat-chested, bug-bitten Sheena may be more realistic, but I'll take the exaggerated fantasy incarnation every time!

[Tranzini101]

Guys will be guys, Lynn! All male drooling aside, Ms. Roberts' unique approach to the role of Sheena is one of the movie's celebrated charms, an unforgettable mix of breathy overstatement and tomboyish glee. How much of this was planned (high-concept comedy?), how much of it is simply bad acting? Not even Tanya herself is sure anymore. But it's one of the main reasons this campy '84 misfire is still enjoyed by people who usually know better, myself included.

[lynn]

The fact is that a woman's physical form is simply different to a man's, muscle-wise. A girl can work out and be quite strong but not get bulgy man-muscles. Those work-out chicks that do are probably on something nasty anyway that takes away their natural feminine shape. So it's actually not that ridiculous, all told. Also, it's magical, silly.
And you know Tranzini101, if I didn't love you guys the way you are I wouldn't be on the forum. I much prefer guys who honestly say " I like this chick for her boobs" than people who deny it and talk about how pretty their acting is. Not saying that's what you're doing, just saying, nothing but love, and a little bit of cheeky.

[broox]

It's amazing that angelina jolie can pull off tough like she does. In salt she does a pretty good job of looking like she's beating everybody up, which is impressive since she must weight like 90 lbs wet. Milla does a good job of it too. I'm not saying I want the women to look all muscle bound in the movies (think sarah connor in t2, or that wrestler chyna (sp?)), I'm just saying its a double standard. Wait, a double standard with women in movies?? That's crazy talk, what am I saying??

[Tranzini101]

Right back at ya, Lynn. Anyone who follows these threads has to be a fan-person to begin with, which means we're all pretty much cut from the same peculiar cloth (threads? cloth? Am I or am I not mixing metaphors?). Anyway, you're absolutely right about the difference between male and female body-sculpting capabilities. Only in recent decades have women developed their muscles to the point where they resemble the "bulging biceps" one traditionally associates with men... partially because females wanted to prove they could actually achieve this higher level. Personally, I consider men and women more attractive when they don't go "all the way" with body building; off the beach or away from gymnasiums, these individuals seem a little -- dare I say it? -- larger than life. At least life as we generally know it. When it comes to comic book-style fantasy adventure, of course, we want Conan the Barbarian to be a Frank Frazetta-like demigod, Superman a mass of Herculean muscle, etc.. Women warrior characters tend to be just as deadly-dangerous, but they are also sensual, alluring and generally have enormous breasts, a symbol of feminine "pride" since humanity began. This has nothing at all to do with physical fitness, but pretty much epitomizes the kind of funky escapist entertainment and guilty pleasures most fans crave. As for Tanya Roberts as Sheena, she offers the whole package: sexy bod, penetrating blue eyes, and, rather uniquely, a style of acting that embraces self-parody because it's trying so hard to be heartfelt and profoundly dramatic. That's camp in its most natural form, providing us cult movie fans with both humor AND titillation. Yes, a legitimately great SHEENA flick would've been preferable, but the one we got manages to satisfy in spite of/because of its peculiar kitschiness. Way to go, TR!

[broox]

At any rate, it's nice to have you on board the forum tranzini! Check out the podcast if you get a chance and you can hear all these crazies in person

[Tranzini101]

I'll try! Nice chatting with you folks. Take care, one and all...