CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Stunning portrait of the Gill Man

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954). Director: Jack Arnold. Colorized.  

A group of scientists go the Amazon to search for more fossils from a presumably extinct creature, possibly the missing link. Dr. Reed (Richard Carlson), his girlfriend, Kay (Julie Adams) Dr, Maia (Antonio Moreno), Dr. Thompson (Whit Bissell), and the ambitious project head Dr. Williams (Richard Denning) should have known something was up after they find the torn bodies of Maia's crew, but they proceed to the "black lagoon" where this creature hangs out anyway, upon the advice of ship's captain, Lucas (Nestor Paiva). Williams wants to capture the creature and bring it back to civilization for study, but as this clawed and dangerous animal begins to decimate the members of the party, this seems more and more unlikely ... 

the gill man is fascinated by Kay swimming above

Creature from the Black Lagoon gets points for being something decidedly different from the other Universal monsters. Although at times the creature looks perhaps more comical than frightening, he is still a formidable figure. Creature is often illogical -- and forget about the "science" of the piece -- but that doesn't matter up against the tension and atmosphere that the film often generates. The best scene has the lonely gill man (why does no one wonder if he has a mate or if there are others of its kind in the vicinity?) swimming underneath Kay and reaching out to nearly touch her, a strangely erotic moment. 

Denning, Paiva, Adams, Carlson

The acting is credible even if no one in the film has much of a reaction to the horrible deaths of the hired men, and the characters only seem to show emotion towards the end when one of their number is mauled. The colorization process is generally good on the version I watched, giving the film a new dimension, and helping with the often murky underwater scenes. The blasting musical score, from a variety of sources, helps put over some of the slower sequences. There were two sequels to this film, although neither were as good, and a projected remake never materialized. Originally shown in 3-D.

Verdict: Entertaining classic horror flick with a very lively and unusual monster. ***. 

STEVE CANYON

Dean Fredericks as Col Stevenson B. Canyon

STEVE CANYON (1958 ABC television series). 

Steve Canyon was based on the popular comic strip written and drawn by the famous Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates). Canyon is an Air Force colonel who in the first few episodes is assigned to various bases as the mission dictates. Eventually he becomes the commanding officer at a base in the town of Big Thunder, California, where the townies initially resent and even hate the military men. Canyon worked at Big Thunder for the remaining episodes, although his assignments still took him to foreign locales. Some of the earlier episodes were a bit on the dull side, but others were quite suspenseful and exciting. Although unconventionally handsome, unlike the character in the comic strips, Dean Fredericks (of Jungle Jim) is perfect as Steve Canyon, displaying strength and compassion in equal measure. 

Dean Fredericks and Julie Adams

One main difference between the strip and the TV series is the female element. At Big Thunder a very sexy and curvaceous secretary (Ingrid Goude) struts through the offices from time and time and gets stared at but hasn't much to do otherwise. A girlfriend for Canyon is introduced and there's some smooching but she isn't around for long. In the comic strip Canyon was consistently involved with a variety of women, including femme fatales, but these don't really show up in the TV series, unfortunately. Julie Adams plays a slightly nefarious character in one episode but there's no hint of romance or sexual tension between her and Canyon. 

James Drury with Fredericks.

Steve Canyon lasted for one season and 32 half-hour episodes. The best episodes include "Operation Nosewheel" in which the front wheel of Steven's plane comes off in flight and there are problems with ejecting the paralyzed-with-fright passenger (played very well by actor and later director Lamont Johnson). "Operation Intercept" shows what happens when a stray bullet fired at a plane by young boys causes a crack in the window that ultimately leads to tragedy. Steve isn't sure that everyone in the crew is dead but as the plane heads into Soviet air force he wrestles with the possibility of having to shoot it down. "The Muller Story" stars a superb George Macready as a Nazi war criminal who claims that an Air Force lieutenant (James Drury) is his son. 

Dean Fredericks

In "The Bomb" some little boys manage to carry off a bomb by wagon and hide it in a shed, unaware that it could go off at any moment and blow the whole neighborhood to smithereens. "Sabotage" presents six Oriental trainees, one of whom is suspected of being a spy responsible for treacherous and deadly actions. In "Room 313" a lady reporter (Amanda Blake of Betrayal) comes afoul of an assassin planning a hit on a visiting Eastern potentate (Ross Martin). Many of the episodes feature some striking aerial photography and examine the latest 1950's style technology. Ted de Corsia appeared in a few episodes as the Big Thunder police chief and Jerry Paris (of Man on the Prowl) had a recurring role as Major Williston. The DVD set for this show is rather expensive considering it only lasted one season, but the episodes have been beautifully digitally remastered and the show looks and sounds great. There are also extras on the DVDs.

Verdict: Not quite a classic show, but some of the episodes are winners. **3/4.