He is the most sought-after man in Europe in the 1960s. Lex Barker embodies the flawless hero in his films and, as Old Shatterhand, becomes a role model for generations of fans. Revered in Europe, misunderstood and almost forgotten in his native America. But who was this American who rode through Yugoslavia in a leather costume for the European audience? In 1973, Lex Barker died of a heart attack on the streets of Manhattan in New York. But no one recognizes the man who was Tarzan in Hollywood. Nobody knows him or cares about that he, as Winnetou's friend, is revered as an icon in Europe. Lex Barker's European western adventures are just a footnote in American film history. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death, the documentary tells the story of one of the most beautiful men who ever flickered across Europe's cinema screens, for whom European cinema proved to be a stroke of luck and for whom a failed Hollywood career took him via Italy to Germany.
Horst Otto Gregor Wendlandt (15 March 1922 – 30 August 2002) was a German film producer. He produced more than 100 films between 1956 and 2002. In the 1960s Horst Wendlandt's production company Rialto Film produced films based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May, mostly directed by Alfred Vohrer or Harald Reinl. In 1971 Horst Wendlandt founded the film distribution company Tobis Film (named after the old Tobis Film). Tobis was very successful in the 1970s with European films with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Louis de Funès, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, also with Dino De Laurentiis-productions like Death Wish, Mandingo and King Kong. Source: Article "Horst Wendlandt" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.