Plunging into the shadowy waters of cinematic history, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) emerges not just as a film but as a phenomenon that has captivated the imaginations of horror enthusiasts and film buffs alike for seven decades. Celebrating its 70-year legacy, this masterpiece has swum far beyond its origins, securing a revered spot in the heart of monster movie lore.
As we dive deeper, we’re embarking on a journey through time, revisiting the ingenious craft and visionary storytelling that have made the Gill-man a beloved icon of horror. This retrospective aims to unearth the secrets behind the movie’s creation, its groundbreaking achievements, and the enduring fascination it holds. Let’s submerge ourselves in the murky depths where the Creature lurks, to rediscover the magic that makes Creature from the Black Lagoon a timeless treasure of the horror genre.
Universal Diving Into the Depths: The Origin Story
Creature from the Black Lagoon...
As we dive deeper, we’re embarking on a journey through time, revisiting the ingenious craft and visionary storytelling that have made the Gill-man a beloved icon of horror. This retrospective aims to unearth the secrets behind the movie’s creation, its groundbreaking achievements, and the enduring fascination it holds. Let’s submerge ourselves in the murky depths where the Creature lurks, to rediscover the magic that makes Creature from the Black Lagoon a timeless treasure of the horror genre.
Universal Diving Into the Depths: The Origin Story
Creature from the Black Lagoon...
- 3/6/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Ricou Browning, the underwater stuntman who portrayed the Gill-man in the 1954 horror classic Creature trom the Black Lagoon and its sequels and went on to co-produce the dolphin tale Flipper for both the big screen and television, died quietly Sunday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Fl. He was 93.
His son Ricou Browning Jr, who works as a marine coordinator for film and TV productions, confirmed his father’s death to Deadline.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Brett Radin Dies: Talent Manager With Knitting Factory Management Was 53 Related Story Gordon Pinsent Dies: Iconic Canadian Actor In Film And Television Was 92
Considered to be the last surviving original actor to portray any of the Universal Classic Monsters, Florida native Browning studied physical education at Florida State University before landing a job in the 1940s at Wakulla Springs, a scenic park that...
His son Ricou Browning Jr, who works as a marine coordinator for film and TV productions, confirmed his father’s death to Deadline.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Brett Radin Dies: Talent Manager With Knitting Factory Management Was 53 Related Story Gordon Pinsent Dies: Iconic Canadian Actor In Film And Television Was 92
Considered to be the last surviving original actor to portray any of the Universal Classic Monsters, Florida native Browning studied physical education at Florida State University before landing a job in the 1940s at Wakulla Springs, a scenic park that...
- 3/1/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Today marks a tragic moment in Hollywood history, as Ricou Browning, the Gill-man himself and the last remaining actor to play a Universal Classic Monster. has passed away at 93. The actor's daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter that his death at his Southwest Ranches, Florida residence was due to natural causes. She added, "He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations." Browning was a cinematic, nautical legend, and his unique skill set kept him working in the field for most of his life. He famously claimed he could hold his breath for over four minutes, which isn't hard to believe considering his line of work.
Browning's appearance in the 1954 feature "Creature from the Black Lagoon" created another monstrous icon for Universal, which had already turned horror characters like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf-Man into mainstream celebrities. Although Ben Chapman...
Browning's appearance in the 1954 feature "Creature from the Black Lagoon" created another monstrous icon for Universal, which had already turned horror characters like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf-Man into mainstream celebrities. Although Ben Chapman...
- 2/28/2023
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
Ricou Browning, the actor, stuntman and diver whose work in the 1954 sci-fi classic “Creature From the Black Lagoon” launched his career as an expert water-based filmmaker, died less than two weeks after his 93rd birthday, his son Ricou Browning Jr. confirmed to TheWrap on Tuesday.
The diver, who legend has it could hold his breath for up to four minutes at a time, landed the iconic role in 1953 after being asked by a film crew to help scout locations at Wakulla Springs Florida for the Universal monster film. He was already performing underwater newsreels shot at the tourist spot.
“Their cameraman asked if I could swim in front of the cameras so they could get the perspective of the size of a human being against the fish and the grass. So I did,” he told the Hartford Courant in 2016. Ben Chapman portrayed the Creature – also known as Gill Man – on land,...
The diver, who legend has it could hold his breath for up to four minutes at a time, landed the iconic role in 1953 after being asked by a film crew to help scout locations at Wakulla Springs Florida for the Universal monster film. He was already performing underwater newsreels shot at the tourist spot.
“Their cameraman asked if I could swim in front of the cameras so they could get the perspective of the size of a human being against the fish and the grass. So I did,” he told the Hartford Courant in 2016. Ben Chapman portrayed the Creature – also known as Gill Man – on land,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Ricou Browning, who took to the water as the menacing Gill-Man in the Creature From the Black Lagoon and as the creative force behind the original Flipper movie and TV show, has died. He was 93.
Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.
The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.
Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).
Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...
Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.
The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.
Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).
Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...
- 2/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Universal monsters are arguably the most classic and iconic of all horror cinema's spooky creations. Whether you're a fan of Bela Lugosi's Dracula or Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman, there is a monster for everyone. If you're the kind of person who enjoys a good beach day, then there's a decent chance that the monster that suits your fancy is none other than the highly misunderstood Gill-Man who makes his first appearance in Jack Arnold's 1954 flick, "Creature from the Black Lagoon." The movie tells the story of a group of scientists trying to locate the rest of a mysterious fossilized skeleton that has been discovered in the Amazon. As they make their way down the river towards the Black Lagoon, they are unaware that an amphibious creature is stalking their every move. The Creature, often known to the film's many fans as the Gill-Man, develops a fascination (or love?...
- 11/27/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
Throughout the 1930s, Hollywood studios made multiple acclaimed films about American and British colonists trekking into the wilds of faraway countries in order to hunt the land's game, steal the country's resources, and abuse the locals for their own gain. Films like W.S. Van Dyke's 1931 film "Trader Horn" and Henry Hathaway's 1935 opus "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" were even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The prevailing attitude in Hollywood appeared to be that distant "exotic" countries were there to be conquered. Even "King Kong" was about attempted mastery over the wild world.
By 1954, however, attitudes had changed, as reflected in Jack Arnold's excellent monster movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon." By then, the jungles of the Amazon had become a forbidding place, a place that was beyond mastery. When trekking deep up the river to the titular Black Lagoon, a team of explorers...
By 1954, however, attitudes had changed, as reflected in Jack Arnold's excellent monster movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon." By then, the jungles of the Amazon had become a forbidding place, a place that was beyond mastery. When trekking deep up the river to the titular Black Lagoon, a team of explorers...
- 11/20/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Welcome to The B-Side from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Another year, another Halloween! This year we tackle the performers who played the titular monsters from the seminal Universal Studios monster movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. To take on such a task, we brought back our good pal Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!
Specifically, we examine a B-Side from Bela Lugosi (Murder by Television), Claude Rains (Crime Without Passion), Boris Karloff (Juggernaut), Elsa Lanchester (Passport to Destiny) Lon Chaney Jr. (Eyes of the Underworld), and Ben Chapman (Jungle Moon Men).
We examine why Claude Rains was one of the few to escape his monster persona,...
Another year, another Halloween! This year we tackle the performers who played the titular monsters from the seminal Universal Studios monster movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. To take on such a task, we brought back our good pal Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!
Specifically, we examine a B-Side from Bela Lugosi (Murder by Television), Claude Rains (Crime Without Passion), Boris Karloff (Juggernaut), Elsa Lanchester (Passport to Destiny) Lon Chaney Jr. (Eyes of the Underworld), and Ben Chapman (Jungle Moon Men).
We examine why Claude Rains was one of the few to escape his monster persona,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Amazon’s Audible, The Man in the High Castle producer Big Light Productions and Vespucci have teamed up to develop a slate of podcasts with a scripted series starring Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as one of its first projects.
Coster-Waldau will star in Mask of Sanity, a serial killer story based on a true story from Bulgarian journalist, Dimiter Kenarov.
Mask of Sanity, which Coster-Waldau will co-produce via his Ill Kippers Productions banner, with producing partner and series writer Joe Derrick, follows the story of a journalist reporting on a serial killer, but with a secret of his own. Ill Kippers’ Vice President Jeffrey Chassen will also serve as co-producer.
The series will be joined by Killer Book Club, a documentary true crime thriller exploring the much-covered case of British private school teacher and novelist Peter Farquhar who was murdered by church warden Benjamin Field, his much younger lover and former student.
Coster-Waldau will star in Mask of Sanity, a serial killer story based on a true story from Bulgarian journalist, Dimiter Kenarov.
Mask of Sanity, which Coster-Waldau will co-produce via his Ill Kippers Productions banner, with producing partner and series writer Joe Derrick, follows the story of a journalist reporting on a serial killer, but with a secret of his own. Ill Kippers’ Vice President Jeffrey Chassen will also serve as co-producer.
The series will be joined by Killer Book Club, a documentary true crime thriller exploring the much-covered case of British private school teacher and novelist Peter Farquhar who was murdered by church warden Benjamin Field, his much younger lover and former student.
- 4/15/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
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(Rich Correll with the T-Rex prop from Jurassic Park.)
By Mark Cerulli
After 30+ years as a 007 collector, I understand collecting… how amassing items connected to a movie series or iconic character gets into the blood and forces you to disregard common sense when pursuing a must-have. Like most collectors, I have always been constrained by two factors – money and time. Now imagine a collector who isn’t bothered by either, who has a deep passion for horror and even deeper pockets to acquire almost anything available. Meet Richard “Rich” Correll!
A native Californian, Correll started his career as a child actor on Leave It to Beaver, practically growing up on the Universal lot. “Jerry Mathers is one of my best friends,” he notes. Rich found himself drawn to Universal’s Makeup Department where he became fascinated by the appliances and masks used in...
(Rich Correll with the T-Rex prop from Jurassic Park.)
By Mark Cerulli
After 30+ years as a 007 collector, I understand collecting… how amassing items connected to a movie series or iconic character gets into the blood and forces you to disregard common sense when pursuing a must-have. Like most collectors, I have always been constrained by two factors – money and time. Now imagine a collector who isn’t bothered by either, who has a deep passion for horror and even deeper pockets to acquire almost anything available. Meet Richard “Rich” Correll!
A native Californian, Correll started his career as a child actor on Leave It to Beaver, practically growing up on the Universal lot. “Jerry Mathers is one of my best friends,” he notes. Rich found himself drawn to Universal’s Makeup Department where he became fascinated by the appliances and masks used in...
- 9/29/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
A review of “Sundown,” the series premiere of HBO’s Lovecraft Country (which I reviewed earlier this month), coming up just as soon as my life is saved by Jackie Robinson…
“I love that the heroes get to go on adventures in other worlds, defy insurmaountable odds, defeat the monster, save the day.” -Tic
A television show doesn’t have to lay out its themes, style and/or influences in its opening scene, but it never hurts. Think about Jimmy McNulty hearing the sad tale of Snot Boogie at the start of The Wire,...
“I love that the heroes get to go on adventures in other worlds, defy insurmaountable odds, defeat the monster, save the day.” -Tic
A television show doesn’t have to lay out its themes, style and/or influences in its opening scene, but it never hurts. Think about Jimmy McNulty hearing the sad tale of Snot Boogie at the start of The Wire,...
- 8/17/2020
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
It’s controversy in the Black Lagoon! Universal releases a much-desired box of all three Gill Man epics — but goes cheap on the encoding and hands us a 3-D rendering of Revenge of the Creature at half-resolution. When is a Blu-ray not a Blu-ray? When it’s not even full HD. And all that after commissioning a state-of-the-art 4k 3-D video remaster!
Creature From the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection
Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D + 2-D), Revenge of the Creature (3-D) + 2-D, The Creature Walks Among Us (2-D)
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1954-1956 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79, 82, 78 min. / Street Date August 28, 2018 / 39.98
Starring: Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Leigh Snowden, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Jeff Morrow, John Agar, Rex Reason, Richard Denning, John Bromfield, Jeff Morrow, Greg Palmer…
and as the Gill Man: Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Don Megowan, others.
Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Charles S. Welbourne; Maury Gertsman
Film...
Creature From the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection
Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D + 2-D), Revenge of the Creature (3-D) + 2-D, The Creature Walks Among Us (2-D)
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1954-1956 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79, 82, 78 min. / Street Date August 28, 2018 / 39.98
Starring: Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Leigh Snowden, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Jeff Morrow, John Agar, Rex Reason, Richard Denning, John Bromfield, Jeff Morrow, Greg Palmer…
and as the Gill Man: Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Don Megowan, others.
Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Charles S. Welbourne; Maury Gertsman
Film...
- 9/1/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Doug Jones is a chameleon who quite literally disappears into his work.
With over 150 film credits in the last three decades, Jones has become a king of the screen, but you may never have seen his face. Essentially, he has the kind of anonymity many celebrities dream of.
“I get the best of both worlds, honestly,” Jones admitted to Et when we sat down to discuss his latest transformation in Guillermo del Toro’s monster romance The Shape of Water, which is now in theaters. “I get to be in major motion pictures for 30 years and I can go to Starbucks and no one knows who I am. That’s delightful. But also, when it’s announced that I am at Comic-Con or something like that and I’m being ‘Doug Jones’ that day and people know it, I get to play that card, too.”
The key to Jones’ facelessness lies in the fact that his face has...
With over 150 film credits in the last three decades, Jones has become a king of the screen, but you may never have seen his face. Essentially, he has the kind of anonymity many celebrities dream of.
“I get the best of both worlds, honestly,” Jones admitted to Et when we sat down to discuss his latest transformation in Guillermo del Toro’s monster romance The Shape of Water, which is now in theaters. “I get to be in major motion pictures for 30 years and I can go to Starbucks and no one knows who I am. That’s delightful. But also, when it’s announced that I am at Comic-Con or something like that and I’m being ‘Doug Jones’ that day and people know it, I get to play that card, too.”
The key to Jones’ facelessness lies in the fact that his face has...
- 12/8/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to covering the World 3-D Film Expo, which took place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and knocked my socks off. One of the headlining films, the most exciting one for us certainly, was Creature From The Black Lagoon, the legendary monster flick from Jack Arnold that starred Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Nestor Paiva, and one Julie Adams, who may very well be the most famous scream queen of all-time thanks to her iconic role as Kay.
Julie and her son, Mitchell Danton, were in attendance for the Expo (for two screenings, Wings Of The Hawk also played) for a book signing and Q&A after the screening. I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with the delightful pair, catching them after a late breakfast (as Mitch says, “a day can never start too late,...
Julie and her son, Mitchell Danton, were in attendance for the Expo (for two screenings, Wings Of The Hawk also played) for a book signing and Q&A after the screening. I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with the delightful pair, catching them after a late breakfast (as Mitch says, “a day can never start too late,...
- 9/24/2013
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
After opening day of the World 3-D Film Expo III at the Sid Grauman Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, where two diverse hits from 1953 where aired, Hondo and House Of Wax, the next day brought with it the blockbuster outing of the entire festival. Especially for monster kids.
Following The Maze and Bwana Devil, Saturday brought us Jack Arnold’s Creature From The Black Lagoon on the big screen, in 3-D, how it was intended to be seen, with star Julie Adams (aka Kay Lawrence, the luminescent bombshell in the classic white swimsuit) in attendance for a Q&A after the show. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I was blessed with the opportunity to talk with Julie Adams and her son Mitch Danton before the festival, in an interview that is forthcoming (stay glued to Facebook, Twitter, and the website for details!). At the Expo, I was able...
Following The Maze and Bwana Devil, Saturday brought us Jack Arnold’s Creature From The Black Lagoon on the big screen, in 3-D, how it was intended to be seen, with star Julie Adams (aka Kay Lawrence, the luminescent bombshell in the classic white swimsuit) in attendance for a Q&A after the show. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I was blessed with the opportunity to talk with Julie Adams and her son Mitch Danton before the festival, in an interview that is forthcoming (stay glued to Facebook, Twitter, and the website for details!). At the Expo, I was able...
- 9/10/2013
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Props to our pals at Bloody Disgusting for this sweet find: during the shooting of the Universal monster classic Creature from the Black Lagoon in 1953, Life Magazine sent a photographer to snap a series of promotional images featuring the Gill Man in various threatening poses, including the iconic image of the Creature and his lovely co-star Julia Adams. Color-corrected by Kerry Gammill, these incredible photos reveal the details of the monster costume in action (most likely, it's Ben Chapman in the suit here, whereas Ricou Browning wore it for the underwater scenes). You can see the complete set of large images at Gammill's site Gammillustrations (also the home of Monster Kid magazine), along with a link to the unaltered originals.
- 4/26/2013
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
She.ll always be best known as Kay Lawrence, the beauty that the Gillman falls in love with the moment he spies her swimming above him in Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954). Mimicking her movements in the water, the Creature performs a lustful underwater mating dance . he.s directly beneath her but she’s unaware of his amorous overtures in the murky depths of the river. It.s a desire most men (and monster kids) could relate to and Julie Adams is the actress who will always be fondly remembered as the .girl in the white one-piece..
Born Betty May Adams and raised near Little Rock Arkansas, Julie was bit by the acting bug early and moved to California to become an actress. She worked as a secretary to support herself and spent her free time taking speech lessons and making the rounds at the various movie studio casting departments.
Born Betty May Adams and raised near Little Rock Arkansas, Julie was bit by the acting bug early and moved to California to become an actress. She worked as a secretary to support herself and spent her free time taking speech lessons and making the rounds at the various movie studio casting departments.
- 3/20/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With thoughts from Tom Weaver on the producer of Devil Doll.
Prolific author and legendary film buff Tom Weaver has been a friend of Tfh since before we existed, and his essential series of book-length interviews with horror/sci fi filmmakers, writers and actors has mirrored what we try to do here at the site, which is disseminate information and opinions on the movies we all love.
Tom’s latest book examines the career of Devil Doll producer Richard Gordon, friend of both Karloff and Lugosi, one of the first fans-turned-pro and whose long career has finally ended. Richard was 85.[More about The Horror Hits of Richard Gordon here.]
Here’s Tom:
As Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog once pointed out, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas (etc.) are called the first people to have grown up movie nuts and then become moviemakers themselves, but Years before them came Alex and Richard Gordon, who loved movies as kids in England, belonged to fan clubs,...
Prolific author and legendary film buff Tom Weaver has been a friend of Tfh since before we existed, and his essential series of book-length interviews with horror/sci fi filmmakers, writers and actors has mirrored what we try to do here at the site, which is disseminate information and opinions on the movies we all love.
Tom’s latest book examines the career of Devil Doll producer Richard Gordon, friend of both Karloff and Lugosi, one of the first fans-turned-pro and whose long career has finally ended. Richard was 85.[More about The Horror Hits of Richard Gordon here.]
Here’s Tom:
As Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog once pointed out, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas (etc.) are called the first people to have grown up movie nuts and then become moviemakers themselves, but Years before them came Alex and Richard Gordon, who loved movies as kids in England, belonged to fan clubs,...
- 11/3/2011
- by Joe
- Trailers from Hell
Reader and contributor Gemma St. Clair returns this weekend with a new list of horror trivia:
1. Halloween II: This is Dana Carvey’s film debut. Keep an eye out for the guy in a blue vest talking to a reporter.
2. Maximum Overdrive: The main truck’s head is based on Marvel Comic’s Green Goblin.
3. The Cell: Tarsem Singh also directed the muisc video for R.E.M’s “Losing my Religion”.
4. The Corpse Vanishes: One of Dr. Lorenzs henchman played by Angelo Rossitti also starred in Tod Browning’s Freaks.
5. The Town That Dreaded Sundown: The hooded killer is said to have inspired the look of Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2.
6. Creature From The Black Lagoon: Ricou Browning (Underwater Creature) and Ben Chapman (Above Water Creature) were not credited for their performances as the creature.
7. April Fool’s Day: The film...
1. Halloween II: This is Dana Carvey’s film debut. Keep an eye out for the guy in a blue vest talking to a reporter.
2. Maximum Overdrive: The main truck’s head is based on Marvel Comic’s Green Goblin.
3. The Cell: Tarsem Singh also directed the muisc video for R.E.M’s “Losing my Religion”.
4. The Corpse Vanishes: One of Dr. Lorenzs henchman played by Angelo Rossitti also starred in Tod Browning’s Freaks.
5. The Town That Dreaded Sundown: The hooded killer is said to have inspired the look of Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2.
6. Creature From The Black Lagoon: Ricou Browning (Underwater Creature) and Ben Chapman (Above Water Creature) were not credited for their performances as the creature.
7. April Fool’s Day: The film...
- 8/28/2011
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Let’s go behind-the-scenes with the greatest Universal monster.
The Creature From The Black Lagoon (aka The Gill-man) is the best Universal monster. It just is. Deal with it. Now look at it. Just look:
This cannily staged still followed a reported mishap on the set of The Creature from the Black Lagoon in which Ben Chapman, in the sight-impaired Creature costume, bonked star Julia Adams’ head while carrying her through the on-set catacombs. What’s great about this pic is that everybody’s accounted for–that’s director Jack Arnold, appropriately concerned, at upper left, flanked by an uncharacteristically mellow Creature, co-star Richard Denning, star Richard Carlson and an unidentified studio nurse, all fixated on a seemingly serene Julia (sometimes Julie) Adams.
Speaking of fixated, I’ve been fixated on Ms. Adams since I was a kid and a few years ago got to act on it by casting...
The Creature From The Black Lagoon (aka The Gill-man) is the best Universal monster. It just is. Deal with it. Now look at it. Just look:
This cannily staged still followed a reported mishap on the set of The Creature from the Black Lagoon in which Ben Chapman, in the sight-impaired Creature costume, bonked star Julia Adams’ head while carrying her through the on-set catacombs. What’s great about this pic is that everybody’s accounted for–that’s director Jack Arnold, appropriately concerned, at upper left, flanked by an uncharacteristically mellow Creature, co-star Richard Denning, star Richard Carlson and an unidentified studio nurse, all fixated on a seemingly serene Julia (sometimes Julie) Adams.
Speaking of fixated, I’ve been fixated on Ms. Adams since I was a kid and a few years ago got to act on it by casting...
- 8/23/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Our week of underwater monsters, friends, fiends and creatures comes to a close. Did you miss anything?
Trailers
On Monday, June 6, Howard Rodman brought you the best of the Universal monsters as he investigated The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
On Wednesday, June 8, Joe Dante explored what it meant to get the Famous Monsters of Filmland approval and asked The Monster of Piedras Blancas about ripping heads.
And on Friday, June 10, Mick Garris dove with The Nautilus to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Residuals
Elsewhere on the blog, Joe Dante laid out his take on the week’s Drive-In Double Features on TCM.
We brought you some further reading in the form of a very smart essay on one half of the actors in the famous Gill-man suit, Ben Chapman.
We checked in again with the guru blotter, parsing out bits from the web about Brian Trenchard-Smith, Ernest Dickerson, John Sayles and more.
Trailers
On Monday, June 6, Howard Rodman brought you the best of the Universal monsters as he investigated The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
On Wednesday, June 8, Joe Dante explored what it meant to get the Famous Monsters of Filmland approval and asked The Monster of Piedras Blancas about ripping heads.
And on Friday, June 10, Mick Garris dove with The Nautilus to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Residuals
Elsewhere on the blog, Joe Dante laid out his take on the week’s Drive-In Double Features on TCM.
We brought you some further reading in the form of a very smart essay on one half of the actors in the famous Gill-man suit, Ben Chapman.
We checked in again with the guru blotter, parsing out bits from the web about Brian Trenchard-Smith, Ernest Dickerson, John Sayles and more.
- 6/12/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
One doozy bit of Ben Chapman appreciation, coming right up!
Every so often those of us who Think We Know a Lotta Stuff are surprised and pleased to find out things we don’t know. And Kathy Shaidle, whose political blog Five Feet of Fury has linked to many of our Trailers from Hell commentaries (proving that the love of movies knows no ideological stripe), recently linked to Howard Rodman’s Creature from the Black Lagoon entry. She included a link of her own to a piece she wrote for The National Post several years ago upon the death of original Creature portrayer Ben Chapman which is a definite must-read for Creature fans.
Ben Chapman was one of the “Chosen Few.”
Amputations were commonplace among the “Frozen Chosin,” those U.S. Marines who endured brutal conditions in the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. Doctors wanted to amputate Chapman’s frostbitten feet,...
Every so often those of us who Think We Know a Lotta Stuff are surprised and pleased to find out things we don’t know. And Kathy Shaidle, whose political blog Five Feet of Fury has linked to many of our Trailers from Hell commentaries (proving that the love of movies knows no ideological stripe), recently linked to Howard Rodman’s Creature from the Black Lagoon entry. She included a link of her own to a piece she wrote for The National Post several years ago upon the death of original Creature portrayer Ben Chapman which is a definite must-read for Creature fans.
Ben Chapman was one of the “Chosen Few.”
Amputations were commonplace among the “Frozen Chosin,” those U.S. Marines who endured brutal conditions in the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. Doctors wanted to amputate Chapman’s frostbitten feet,...
- 6/6/2011
- by Joe
- Trailers from Hell
With pop’s first lady of bizarre – the indomitable Lady GaGa – returning to the o2 Arena tomorrow for a third time this year, crazy costumes, elaborate set pieces and irritatingly catchy electro/pop beats will once again reign supreme. Whilst GaGa has caused oodles of controversy with a large number of her outfits, there’s no denying that her fashion choices are anything less than theatricality at its most elaborate!
So when would be a better time to take a look at the bizarre offerings from movieland!? Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, but below are ten costumes that have caused as much controversy, generated as many sniggers and left equal numbers perplexed as Lady GaGa’s pyjamas probably do…
10. Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton (1932)
Ok, so depending on taste this isn’t exactly terrible attire, but it is bizarre! Apparently Crawford hated her shoulders, which were very broad...
So when would be a better time to take a look at the bizarre offerings from movieland!? Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, but below are ten costumes that have caused as much controversy, generated as many sniggers and left equal numbers perplexed as Lady GaGa’s pyjamas probably do…
10. Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton (1932)
Ok, so depending on taste this isn’t exactly terrible attire, but it is bizarre! Apparently Crawford hated her shoulders, which were very broad...
- 12/15/2010
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
By Scott Essman
In the history of the modern American cinema, there are but few legacies of makeup artists. While the legendary Burman and Dawn names each include three generations of makeup artists, there is but one lasting family that features four working generations: the Westmores of Hollywood. With ties to virtually every studio in the annals cinema, the Westmores have created classic makeups in top contemporary film and TV shows back to the earliest years of silent film.
George Westmore, the patriarch of the Westmore clan at the turn of the century, worked as a wigmaker in his native England — where he was born in 1879 — and gave birth to sons Mont (born in 1902), twins Perc and Ern (born in 1904), Wally (born in 1906), and a daughter, Dorothy (born in 1907). The young family traveled to the U.S. to seek better opportunities and maintained a wig-making and beauty salon business which floated amongst various cities,...
In the history of the modern American cinema, there are but few legacies of makeup artists. While the legendary Burman and Dawn names each include three generations of makeup artists, there is but one lasting family that features four working generations: the Westmores of Hollywood. With ties to virtually every studio in the annals cinema, the Westmores have created classic makeups in top contemporary film and TV shows back to the earliest years of silent film.
George Westmore, the patriarch of the Westmore clan at the turn of the century, worked as a wigmaker in his native England — where he was born in 1879 — and gave birth to sons Mont (born in 1902), twins Perc and Ern (born in 1904), Wally (born in 1906), and a daughter, Dorothy (born in 1907). The young family traveled to the U.S. to seek better opportunities and maintained a wig-making and beauty salon business which floated amongst various cities,...
- 1/12/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Andy's first interview since the announcement of his first book, The Sticks!
What happens when you get two assholes -both with a reputation for running off at the mouth --together and tell them to talk? The result is a four-thousand word interview, such as the one below. Although I take the heavy-weight belt for being an asshole, Andy Deane -author and lead singer of Bella Morte --can out class me on talking any day. Even when you’re putting him in the trunk he talks, and talks, and talks. It’s a good thing this was an interview, otherwise I’d have to stick a dirty sock in his mouth again.
Andy, amongst the merits I listed above, is a hell of an interesting cat. He is the founder of Bella Morte, the author of The Sticks -a new supernatural thriller about hairy, bestial… Andy, did you write it about me?...
What happens when you get two assholes -both with a reputation for running off at the mouth --together and tell them to talk? The result is a four-thousand word interview, such as the one below. Although I take the heavy-weight belt for being an asshole, Andy Deane -author and lead singer of Bella Morte --can out class me on talking any day. Even when you’re putting him in the trunk he talks, and talks, and talks. It’s a good thing this was an interview, otherwise I’d have to stick a dirty sock in his mouth again.
Andy, amongst the merits I listed above, is a hell of an interesting cat. He is the founder of Bella Morte, the author of The Sticks -a new supernatural thriller about hairy, bestial… Andy, did you write it about me?...
- 4/12/2009
- Fangoria
By Matt Singer
We're getting into the Halloween spirit at IFC.com this week by taking a look back at some famous movie makeup jobs (that are, at minimum, 25 years old) that have maintained their power to scare the bejeezus out of viewers. These kids today with their computer generated imagery and their Blu-rays and their "Saw V"s! Back in our day, we didn't have computers to do our imagination's dirty work for us. Visionary artists had only prosthetics, wire, plaster, rubber and a whole lot of Karo syrup to bring their creations to life! Back in our day, these were the movies you rented on Halloween! At the video store! As far as we're concerned, they still should be. And don't you dare teepee our Web site or we're calling the cops. [Part two of our list can be found here.]
10. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Directed by Paul Leni
Makeup by Jack Pierce
To get a sense...
We're getting into the Halloween spirit at IFC.com this week by taking a look back at some famous movie makeup jobs (that are, at minimum, 25 years old) that have maintained their power to scare the bejeezus out of viewers. These kids today with their computer generated imagery and their Blu-rays and their "Saw V"s! Back in our day, we didn't have computers to do our imagination's dirty work for us. Visionary artists had only prosthetics, wire, plaster, rubber and a whole lot of Karo syrup to bring their creations to life! Back in our day, these were the movies you rented on Halloween! At the video store! As far as we're concerned, they still should be. And don't you dare teepee our Web site or we're calling the cops. [Part two of our list can be found here.]
10. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Directed by Paul Leni
Makeup by Jack Pierce
To get a sense...
- 10/30/2008
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
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