The Gill Man’s Last Gasp- “The Creature Walks Among Us” Tonight!
Tonight on the Me-TV network, we bring you the final chapter in the “Black Lagoon” trilogy- as the amphibian Gill Man becomes an air-breathing land dweller in “The Creature Walks Among Us”!
When we last saw the Creature from the Black Lagoon, at the end of “Revenge of the Creature”, it was pretty much the same as when we last saw him at the end of the original film- his seemingly inert body slowly sinking into the watery depths. Surely, this time, the prehistoric Gill Man was extinct!
Well, not so fast- though the Creature tried to make his escape into the Florida waters, and was supposedly gunned down- a rather nasty scientist, one Dr. Barton, has reason to believe that the Gill man survived- and puts together an expedition to the Everglades to search for him and capture him! His bored and abused wife, Marcia, joins the expedition, hoping to dull the pain of her unhappy marriage with some adventure. Also along are Dr. Morgan, a straight-shooter scientist- and young Jed Grant, a cocky guide who’s familiar with the Everglades- and wants to get more familiar with Marcia!
After a meeting with a local fisherman who was injured by the Gill Man, seemingly confirming his continued existence, the crew travels the ‘glades in search of the Creature, using a sonar-like scanner to identify him. Before long, they are confronting the Gill Man- but, when an accidental brush with fire puts the Creature’s life in jeopardy, an amazing discovery about his internal organs prompts the crew to operate on this strange “missing link” between sea creatures and man to allow him to breathe like a land animal!
This new life confuses the Gill Man, and, when he is confined in Dr. Barton’s compound, he learns more about land creatures- including man, as he watches the cruel Dr. Barton’s interactions with his co-workers and his wife, and the sleazy Jed’s continued attempts to interact with Marcia. Tension and mayhem, with the innocent Gill Man having blame placed on him, result in the Creature fighting back!
This 1956 topper to the “Creature” series again features Ricou Browning inside the Gill Man suit for all the water scenes. The prerequisite swimsuit-wearing female who draws the Creature’s attention is played, this time around, by Leigh Snowden. Rex Reason and Jeff Morrow, who we last saw on our show in “This Island Earth” are the hero and heel, with Greg Palmer as the shifty cad of a guide. The Creature gets an altered look as part of his conversion to a land dweller- and, seriously- am I the only one who wishes they’d left him in his original form, and kept him coming back for more sequels?
“The Creature Walks Among Us” comes strolling across your TV screen tonight on our Me-TV network- at 10 pm eastern, 9 pm central, 1 am on KOFY, or, check your local listings for the time slot in your area. If your local Me-TV station runs infomercials instead of our show- contact them (your local station) and let them know that you’d prefer to see our show!
In the Chicago area, you only get one extra Sven show this week- at 3 pm on U Too- with “”Enemy from Space”- since the usual 11 am Sven run will be pre-empted so that we can bring you the second-longest parade in the U.S.- the annual Bud Billiken “Back to School” parade!
You can make up for no 11 am show by coming out to see me live at Flashback Weekend- this afternoon, signing from 2 to 4 pm, and then hosting the always-fun costume contest! You can find details in previous blogs, or under our “appearances” tab.
32 Responses to The Gill Man’s Last Gasp- “The Creature Walks Among Us” Tonight!
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May 25th, 2013
The studio probably felt all the plot possibilities for an aquatic monster like the Creature were exhausted, which would be an example of lazy thinking. It reminds me of the fact that all the TV networks turned down Lloyd Bridges’ “Sea Hunt” series because they thought the concept couldn’t generate enough “underwater” stories. So, the series was syndicated instead and produced 155 episodes!
Oh well, maybe we should be grateful Universal didn’t give us a fourth film where the Gill Man meets Ma & Pa Kettle.
I have been looking forward to this movie all summer! Sven and all blog readers, have a great weekend!
Love the post, Gary, about The Creature Meets The Kettles! Wonder if Universal actually did consider having The Creature Meet Abbott and Costello? After all, they met virtually all of the other monsters! And Sven, you read my mind and replicated what I jotted down just days ago in a letter to my sister! I dig “The Creature Walks Among Us” because it is a part of the Creature thrillogy…..but I TOO lament them scripting the physical changing of the gill man (I never like a monster’s original equipment altered…note Ygor’s brain’s new home IN the Frankenstein Monster in Ghost of Frank.! That pretty much put the kibosh on Ygor returning a ‘la the Creature returning after tonight’s appearance!).Perhaps we can hope that The Creature re-evolved into his original for over time! After all, think of the (perhaps unofficial) appearance of Uncle Gillbert on The Munsters! Tonight’s movie does have some great scenes and performances……so, as a snack during the movie, time for a late summer fish fry! One last comment….I always felt that pairing Rex Reason with Jeff Morrow made for a wee bit of plot-following confusion…they look enough alike that they could be brothers! Enjoy the show tonight, friends…..and that big green guy you see today strolling through your hometown just might be the Gill Man, because tonight…The Creature Walks Among Us!!!
In many ways, this is my favorite “Creature” film. They tried something very different with this one, and while not altogether successful, they did manage to put together one of the better sci-fi/horror shockers of the 1950′s.
The first half of the film is pretty formulaic Creature stuff, though I think the pursuit of the Creature at night in a small boat is particularly well done, and builds the tension and terror quite nicely. Once the Creature has “changed”, he is portrayed by the hulking Don Megowan, who starred in “The Werewolf” and “Creation of the Humanoids”, and plays the Creature with a perfect combination of deadly menace and heart-rending pathos. The last ten minutes or so get a bit silly, but the final close-up of the Creature at the end of the film is one of my favorite shots of the entire series.
Though I have all the Creature films on DVD, I am really looking forward to the Sven presentation of this one tonight – one of my favorite popcorn flicks of the 50′s. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I know I will!
I’ll be recording this show tonight, since I’ve got tickets for the Indians-Red Sox game in Cleveland. Of course, the way the Indians have been playing lately, they’ve become a horror movie in and of themselves! However, I’m looking forward to watching “The Creature Walks Among Us” on tape tomorrow.
Just to briefly respond to some of the other bloggers’ comments so far, I like the idea that U-I decided to do something a little different with the series for this third outing, but like Sven, I always thought the aquatic creature looked so cool! I, too, hope the gill man reverted back to form after returning to the water.
And, oh, Sven, “just one more thing” (as Columbo would say): Are we going to have a song parody tonight?
Jack: Technically, A & C did meet the gill man, on a Colgate Comedy Hour episode in 1954. This was done as a kind of advance promo for the upcoming original “Creature from the Black Lagoon” film.
I never understood why this manifestation of the Creature was not svelte and athletic looking as in the first two. Was Ben Chapman unavailable for the third film? The chubby Gill Man just doesn’t work for me. Nevertheless, this movie gets an A+ for innovation. And if you’ve never seen it, “The Creature Walks Among Us” has the greatest monster movie ending ever of all time. I cry every time! Thanks, Sven!
Great posting, folks! Dale…..you get the Ph.D in Creaturology from Gill State University for that great nugget about the A. and C. Meet Creature on the Colgate show! Hey, wait. The degree should actually be issued from (I’m pretty sure it’s a University) COLGATE University!!
Punk band “The Misfits”, who were very influenced by 1950′s and 60′s horror titled what is probably their best album ‘Walk Among Us”.
Im with you Sven. I wish theyd brought the creature back for more in his original form. However i do very much enjoy the creature any way we get em.Great summer monstet fun! Cant wait
Here’s a link to a poor quality clip of the Creature on A&C Colgate. It starts with Frankenstein’s monster. Search Youtube for better quality clips, but, most are much longer.
Ooops ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmN6YT_J0g8
The gill-man is back,”walks among us” is one of my “2nd feature” faves.I own this film as part of the creature legacy collection,but i would rather watch with sven and the rest of ST.Petersburg.SVEN ROCKS!
The new Bela lugosi as broadways dracula model kit is awsome,the likeness is uncanny! Check out the conversion kit as well,Fansastic!I I hope a Sven model kit gets produced it would look great placed next to my Elvira kit. Sven rocks!
Greg….thanks a lot for the Creature Colgate Costello Clip! Great stuff!
Yeah, its all fun and games until somebody gets toasted like a marshmallow. I’ve got to be honest guys; I’m feeling just the tiniest bit of trepidation towards this one (I’m pretty sure already that I would prefer this creature to stay in the water with in his “natural” state!). But your comments are all intriguing, and I know that Sven’s commentary and comedy will carry the day no matter what. And I’m with Al – seeing it “with” all of you is the best! So I’ve laid in a good supply of popcorn (a girl can never be too careful, you know), and I’m ready. Let those chickens fly!
The movie must wait. I am anxiously awaiting Ms.
Linda Blair introduce THE EXORCIST
I am grateful to Sven for this.
Looking forward to tonight’s film out here in the pacific northwest, 50 miles from Seattle, With my daughter. Thank you Sven for bringing back the classics for a whole new generation to enjoy !
Sven, when they said that Marcia went too deep, it meant that she started suffering from nitrogen narcosis, or what was then called “the rapture of the deep” or the martini effect or a high concentration of nitrogen in the blood that can make a diver feel drunk. It’s not fatal, and the best way to overcome it is to rise a little bit until the effects wear off. Pretty cool dive scene. Interesting to note that gauges were rarely used in the early days of scuba. It would be unthinkable to dive without one nowadays, especially to 210 feet which is way past the limit of recreational diving.
They’re making the Creature some protective clothing during this ad break – we can’t have a naked Creature walking among us, can we? This IS a family show after all…
Were some of those B&W scenes right before the Creature’s “comedy” routine from the 1980 (color) “Humanoids From the Deep”?
“It’s clobbering time” in between commericial clip. That was hilarious. Lol.
Serg
The Creature Walks a Fungus? Where’s my rubber chicken !
Keep up the Ghoul work.
“Creature Walks Among Us” — weird mixture of soap opera, medical drama and monster movie. Well made, but kind of a misfire. Gill-Man looks funky walking around in his jammies breathing like Darth Vader. Liked the climax when the creature goes berserk, and it does have a cool, “use your imagination” ending to close out the series. Enjoyed tonight’s show!
When I was watching the early underwater scenes when the Creature first appears, I suddenly flashed back to those cereal premium / toy frogmen & submarines that used baking soda to propel them in water. How cool a Gill Man premium like that would’ve been!
I think they should have left the creature in the water. Enjoyed your comedy and comments.
Another weekend without a musical number? What’s up?
Another fine show last night. I have the Creature legacy collection, but had not watched this one in several years. It was better than I remembered it being. A decent concept and solid enough acting. The Creature films were some if not the best monster films of the 50′s.
Gary…..loved the memory of those animated subs and scuba cereal box premiums and the idea of a Creature version. Would have been really cool. Interesting side-topic digging a little deeper….the legecy of universal monster toys…my brother is quite a collector….and his research indicates virtually no Universal Monster products through the thirties and into the forties …….lots of cowboy and spaceship stuff comparatively inspired by movies/movie stars. Surprising that (for instance) Karloff fans had no chance at toys or printed collectibles with Boris’ likeness during the King’s reign as the monster. How lucky we fans are today!
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen “The Creature Walks Among Us” from beginning to end in a single sitting. Unfortunately, last night didn’t break this pattern since we lost the satellite feed right after The Creature sees the door to his recovery room being locked (so it was back to watching the Olympics instead). A decent movie, but it made me wish all the more that the various expeditions had just left The Creature alone (of course this all predated the Endangered Species Act and international treaties concerning transporting of exotic animals). One thing I found to be continuously humorous in the movie was that whenever Dr. Barton (Jeff Marrow) or Dr. Morgan (Rex Reason) were talking, all I could hear were Exeter and Dr. Cal Meacham from “This Island Earth” – or perhaps more specifically the MST 3000 version.
Jack, your info about the lack of Universal monster merchandise in the 1930s/40s was surprising. You’d think the studio would’ve been inspired by Disney’s success in making extra $ from his characters. Even Halloween costumes resembling the famous monsters of Karloff, Lugosi & Chaney, Jr. would’ve been a smart move.
One of my all time favarite monster movies.
The Creature needed clothing because, apparently, his lungs weren’t the ONLY things augmented… eeeewwwwwww…
When do we get Frankenstein’s monster on Dancing With the Scars?… (get it?)
Or The Mummy on Dancing With the Scarabs… sorry… that was a stretch…