Before The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger Starred In A Forgotten Comedy With Jeff Bridges

Arnold Schwarzenegger's pre-"Terminator" filmography is a fascinating and often terrifying place, where one can discover the wonders of "Pumping Iron" and "Conan the Barbarian" alongside the horrors of Schwarzenegger playing a killer bodybuilder in the bonkers '70s TV show "The Streets of San Francisco." Interestingly enough, the year prior to Arnie's hilariously awful portrayal of the maniac muscleman, he actually appeared in a film that earned him a Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture. To be fair, though, the role of Austrian bodybuilder Joe Santo didn't require much in the way of range.

1976's "Stay Hungry" was a dramedy that gave the then-inexperienced Schwarzenegger a solid role and his first significant recognition in the industry. While the film never really entered the public consciousness in a meaningful way and is rarely mentioned today, it's a bit of a hidden gem in Schwarzenegger's filmography. It saw him team up with Jeff Bridges in a film that proudly bore an "Introducing Arnold Schwarzenegger" credit in its opening moments.

Charles Gaines adapted his 1972 novel of the same name into a screenplay, which he then handed to director Bob Rafelson to bring to fruition. The filmmaker was best known for his 1970 road drama "Five Easy Pieces," which starred the best actor ever, Jack Nicholson, and earned four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations. "Stay Hungry" only earned one Golden Globe nomination, but at least Arnie won in the Best Acting Debut category. What's more, while it wasn't quite "Five Easy Pieces," "Stay Hungry" was far from a disaster. In fact, with a 69% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, "Stay Hungry" is one of Arnie's finest pre-"Terminator" projects.

If you've ever wanted to see Jeff Bridges dancing a jig while Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a fiddle, then "Stay Hungry" has what you need. But it's got plenty more going for it than that surreal vignette.

When Arnie came to shoot "Stay Hungry," he wasn't technically a rookie, so the "introducing" credit wasn't technically accurate. The Austrian Oak made his true film debut in one of IMDb's worst-rated movies ever: 1970's "Hercules in New York." In the six years between that action comedy and "Stay Hungry," he'd landed a few small roles in other projects, including Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" and the TV film "Happy Anniversary and Goodbye." "Stay Hungry" was a much bigger project for Schwarzenegger, however, giving the young bodybuilder plenty to do opposite Bridges and thereby validating its "introducing" credit.

The film sees Bridges play Craig Blake, the son of a wealthy Birmingham, Alabama couple who previously died in a plane crash. After Blake is asked to oversee his real estate company's purchase of a small gym, he becomes fascinated by the lifestyle of those who work and train there, mostly because it provides a stark contrast to his standard country club-based exploits. It's at the gym that he meets Austrian bodybuilder Joe Santo, who's training for the upcoming Mr. Universe contest and with whom he forms a bond. Meanwhile, Bridges' fish-out-of-water scion becomes infatuated with the receptionist, Mary Tate Farnsworth, who's played by a young Sally Field. 

Of course, with the deal looming and Blake's company planning to tear down the gym, it's only a matter of time before things take a turn for the worse, which they ultimately do during a climactic Mr. Universe competition.

"Stay Hungry" wasn't met with unanimous critical praise, but it did win over some critics. What's more, Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly became the recipient of sincere praise from professional critics who would have spontaneously combusted were they forced to watch "Hercules in New York.

Vincent Canby of The New York Times wasn't too impressed with the film overall, writing, "It is the sort of movie whose vapidity is exposed as soon as the clutter is removed." He evidently believed "Stay Hungry" was "pretend[ing] to be more eccentric" than it really was, but even Canby was complimentary of the performances — Schwarzenegger's included. Likewise, in his three-star review, Roger Ebert highlighted Arnie. "Schwarzenegger, in his first dramatic role, turns in an interesting performance as Bridges's newfound buddy," he wrote, while also praising the film in general: "One of the best things about Stay Hungry is that we have almost no idea where it's going."

"Stay Hungry" might not even answer the question of where it's going by the time the credits roll, but its odd mix of styles is ultimately a lot of fun. What's more, Arnie is actually quite good at various points, though there are certain scenes where he and Bridges are clearly improvising and they don't always stick the landing. Still, "Stay Hungry" is a really interesting entry in the early Schwarzenegger canon. If you're intrigued, the movie is available to stream for free on one of the best streaming services, Tubi.