dubbed into English, new lyrics were written around Koscina’s lip move- ments by Mitchell Parrish (the lyri- cist of “Stardust”), and thus “Per l’Eternita” became “Evening Star.” The voice on this version belonged to June Valli (1930–93), a Bronx- born singer who had started out in commercial jingles (she was the original voice of Chiquita Banana), before becoming a featured vocalist on television’s Your Hit Parade in its 1952–53 season, and in 1957, the co-host of The Andy Williams & June Valli Show. The original song was is- sued in Italy as a 45 rpm single on the Cetra label.
The most important new piece of music in the film is a theme for Omphale, which opens ominously with soft pattering kettledrums, evoking a feeling of space and dark- ness, from which a spirit of hauteur is aroused, signalled by a fluttering murmur of woodwinds, and then a tense arpeggio for strings whose cre- scendo introduces a severe theme, played first by the strings and then by flaring flutes, that is distinctly Spanish in character. The theme, which underlies the pre-credits scene, is mysterious and provocative, full of exoticism, color, and dread; one couldn’t ask for more appropriate music.
Release
First released on St. Valentine’s Day 1959, Ercole e la regina di Lidia proved even more successful at the Italian boxoffice than its predeces- sor, earning almost 900 million lire— roughly, $560,000. That was just the beginning, but it was enough to ele- vate Nello Santi’s Galatea to a new position as one of Italy’s foremost pro- duction companies. Surprisingly, Santi celebrated his newfound suc- cess by announcing that he would undertake no more Hercules pictures. Pietro Francisci made it known that he, too, wanted a vacation from Hercules. As for Hercules himself, Steve Reeves was perfectly willing to make a third film in the series, but he lost his enthusiasm when a new pro- ducer (Achille Piazzi) and director
