We've only mentioned him before, but today we go all out with our love for that mysterious and dangerous, yet misunderstood, monster from the depths - the Creature from the Black Lagoon! If you've been listening to Planet 8 for any length of time, you've probably heard us heap praises on Creech, but now we have a whole episode devoted to the Gill-Man.
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| Engineer Bob with Creech in Bob Burn's place |
What is it about the Creature that makes him so appealing? Certainly he has a fantastic look. His design was ahead of his time, and so has become a classic. Your Planet 8 crew discusses that amazing suit, and some differences in the design for the water scenes versus land. There's been a lot of awareness of Millicent Patrick's role in designing the Creature lately, and we touch on that, as well as the work of Jack Kevan, Chris Mueller, and Bud Westmore. And of course, the men who wore the suit on land and underwater, Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning, must be recognized.
We'll take a look at each of the films (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature , The Creature Walks Among Us), and which is our favorite -and you might be surprised! And what would a fourth Creature film have been like?
It's hard to discuss the Creature without talking about his desire for human ladies -of course in the first film, it was Julie Adams, and the sequence with the Creature swimming below her has become iconic. This leads into a discussion of Shape of Water...
We all have our Creature Collectibles -Bob has a whole basement devoted to the Creature. His favorite Creature item though, is his Bally pinball machine. Karen's favorite (which she's mentioned many times before) is the Sideshow premium format figure of the Creature swimming. Last but not least, Larry's favorite is his Anchor Hocking Creature glass.
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| Bob's Creature basement |
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| Karen's Creech bust |
All this, and so much more! It's a Creature-palooza this time on Planet 8!
For our Sensor Sweep, Karen shares an appropriate item: a wonderful book called The Creature Chronicles, by Tom Weaver, friend of the show David Schecter, and Steve Kronenberg. It's from McFarland Books, and you can order it from McFarland or Amazon. It has a wealth of info on the Creature, including overviews and inside info on each film, but also background on the music, other underwater monster films, and the Creature films that were never made. It would be a great addition to anyone's library.
That's it for us! As the late, great Julie Adams used to say, Stay out of dark water!
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Thanks for Listening!
Seriously, man, Bob answered the question about the fourth creature right from the start: Shape of Water is it, bringing together all of the elements you mentioned, i.e., more creatures out there in the Amazon, the possibility of a lady creature, etc.
ReplyDeleteAs to the question of who would raise the hybrid baby, well, the obvious answer is a lighthouse keeper who ends up fathering him anyway. Or did none of you guys see Aquaman? ...
-Edo Bosnar
Lol, I have seen Aquaman!! In fact I took a picture with him at this years Silicon Valley Comic Con. Thanks for listening Edo!
DeleteAquaman? I thought you were leading up to a MONSTER FROM PIEDRAS BLANCAS reference at first, another of my favorite movies!
DeleteShame on Cmdr. Larry for mentioning "Dances with Blue Cat People" in the same breath as The Creature from the Black Lagoon! I almost stopped listening right there, but I continued on...,
ReplyDeleteVery cool episode, but seemed really short, especially with the subject matter. Too bad it wasn't a two parter, with ep. #1 concentrating on The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and #2 for the Sequels, but it is what it is. The Creature is definitely my favorite Monster from the United States Godzilla still kicks his scaly keister out of Top Monster Spot for me though. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is an awesome achievement for it's time, and a rubber monster suit way beyond it's time! It retains Beauty, Life, and Character that is rarely matched with today's digital effects.
On to Merchandise! (with a bonus female element):
As was touched on briefly, there were comics made of this Monster. Dell Comics' "The Creature" in the 1960's which strayed from the movie's story quite a bit, and had a male/female creature, and added a surprise ending with a gelatinous mass stuck to the scientist's boat. Inside that mass contained infant Creatures. Then Dark Horse Comic's movie adaptation from the 1990's, drawn by Arthur Adams. Both very cool in their own way.
The idea of a Male and Female Creature even made into the AHI Monster toy line. They produced two distinct Creature from the Black Lagoon Action Figures. One was a broader, slightly squatter sculpt, with a darker paint scheme (Male), and the other was a thinner, taller, more feminine sculpt, with a much lighter paint scheme (Female). The Aurora "Fat Box" Creature from the Black Lagoon (with Glow Parts) was my first Creature "Toy", and soon after that, I was given a Red Party spoon with a Creature at the end of its handle. There were other monsters in this utensil set, but I only ever got the Creech and Frankenstein's Monster.
So much cool Creech merch out there to buy!
Thanks for another cool episode folks!
- Kevin deAntonio
We recorded this episode the same day we did Planet of the Apes. We put a lot of research and effort into the Apes episode, thinking we could wing The Creature. I agree with the length (which is why I padded it a bit with the three trailers at the beginning). You never know, we may visit the Black Lagoon again sometime, when we can do it more justice...
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