John Derek was one of the most handsome leading men of the Fifties but never became a major star, perhaps because he was always in the shadow of his first wife, Ursula Andress. But in the early 1980s, as a director and producer, he made a star of his third.

The Tarzan story from Jane's point of view. Jane Parker (Bo Derek) visits her father (Richard Harris) in Africa where she joins him on an expedition.

The Tarzan story from Jane's point of view. Jane Parker (Bo Derek) visits her father (Richard Harris) in Africa where she joins him on an expedition.

The natural beauty of Bo Derek in her screen debut and the supernatural spectacle of Dino De Laurentiis' (King Kong) masterful use of special effects on a gigantic scale highlights this rousing adventure story. It's the epic tale of one powerful being against another; a strong, determined fisherman (Richard Harris) versus an equally determined whale. When the giant whale's pregnant mate is maimed and killed by Harris, in a variation on Moby Dick, the whale seeks revenge on the man. Orca smashes boats, collapses buildings, and even manages to cause enormous destruction by fire. A suspenseful action drama.

For the last half century, Frank Frazetta has dominated the fantasy art world with his visceral images of savage warriors, curvaceous princesses, and fantastical creatures set in the most lavish landscapes. In this critically acclaimed documentary, we journey to a place where up until now, only the privileged have been. For the first time on film, the reclusive Frazetta reveals to us details of his astonishing life, including how he learned to draw left handed at the age of 70 after suffering a debilitating stroke. Dozens of other professionals candidly weigh in on Frank s career, including comic legends Bernie Wrightson, Dave Stevens, William Stout, Neal Adams, Al Williamson, Forrest Ackerman and film directors Ralph Bakshi and John Milius. Also appearing are rocker Glenn Danzig, actress Bo Derek and fantasy artists Brom, Simon Bisley, and Joe Jusko. Mirroring the dramatic nature of his work, this film utilizes visual effects and a breathtaking orchestral score to create astonishing results. Painting With F

Bo Derek makes a speech in Spanish.

John Derek directed this 1981 vanity production of the Tarzan tale as a bon-bon for his wife Bo Derek. The Bo Derek version answers any questions viewers may have had concerning Tarzan and Jane's sex life. The film begins as Jane (Bo Derek)'s father Parker (Richard Harris) heads to the African interior on the pretext of searching for hidden jungle secrets. He is actually looking for Tarzan (Miles O'Keeffe), whom he plans to kidnap and bring back to England dead or alive. Jane accompanies her manic father, along with his unassuming assistant Holt (John Phillip Law). Realizing that Parker is on his trail, Tarzan kidnaps Jane and it is love at first sight. Parker forges on, trying to capture Tarzan and save his daughter. But Tarzan finally saves the day when Jane is kidnapped by a band of African mud worshippers, who are preparing her to be sacrificed to the gods. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide.

The final cinematic abomination from the late John Derek and his legendary non-actress wife Bo Derek turns out to be their worst collaboration ever, beating out even Bolero for sheer incomprehensible awfulness and ranking as one of the silliest monstrosities ever committed to film. Though no recognizable plot exists, the central premise seems to involve Bo's ongoing obsession with finding a suitable replacement body for the soul of her late husband (a sleepwalking Anthony Quinn), who killed himself after learning that a bum ticker would prevent him from having constant sex with her. The most likely candidate seems to be a handsome but oily thief (Leo Damian), but Bo can't seem to bring herself to murder him outright; fortunately, he kicks the bucket on his own. Lacking both the rampant nudity and laugh-out-loud campiness of John & Bo's previous erotic anti-masterpieces, there is literally nothing to recommend this film, even to bad-movie aficionados. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide.

Unorthodox FBI agent Jack Scalia is assigned to investigate the kidnapping of a prominent clothing manufacturer. It seems to Scalia that the whole event has been staged as part of a large-scale fraud. The principal suspect is onetime fashion model Bo Derek, the victim's much-younger wife. Despite his seen-it-all veneer, Scalia finds it difficult to maintain objectivity when he falls in love with Bo. Made for television, Shattered Image debuted January 21, 1994 on the USA Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

On this day in history: the first edition of Microsoft Windows was released, and Bo Derek, Ming Na and Joel McHale were born.