Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Harry Essex (screenplay) and
Arthur A. Ross (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Not since the beginning of time has the world beheld terror like this!

Plot:

A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study.

Plot Keywords:

Expedition | Gill Man | Lagoon | Creature | Scientist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Carlson	...	David Reed
Julie Adams	...	Kay Lawrence (as Julia Adams)
Richard Denning	...	Mark Williams
Antonio Moreno	...	Carl Maia
Nestor Paiva	...	Lucas
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Edwin Thompson
Bernie Gozier	...	Zee
Henry A. Escalante	...	Chico (as Henry Escalante)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ricou Browning	...	The Gill Man (in water) (uncredited)
Ben Chapman	...	The Gill Man (on land) (uncredited)
Perry Lopez	...	Tomas (uncredited)
Sydney Mason	...	Dr. Matos (uncredited)
Rodd Redwing	...	Louis - Expedition Foreman (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Arnold

Writing credits
Harry Essex		(screenplay) and
Arthur A. Ross		(screenplay) (as Arthur Ross)
Maurice Zimm		(story)
William Alland		idea (uncredited)

Produced by
William Alland	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini		(uncredited)
Hans J. Salter		(uncredited)
Herman Stein		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William E. Snyder		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ted J. Kent

Art Direction by
Hilyard M. Brown		(as Hilyard Brown)
Bernard Herzbrun

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Ray Jeffers

Makeup Department
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist
Robert Hickman	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Jack Kevan	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Chris Mueller	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Foster Thompson	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Frank	....	assistant director
Russ Haverick	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
Joe Lapis	....	sound
Ray Craddock	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Albert E. Kennedy	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Polly Burson	....	stunt double: Julie Adams (uncredited)
Ginger Stanley	....	underwater stunts (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	....	fire stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Scotty Welbourne	....	special photography (as Charles S. Welbourne)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Odell	....	wardrobe: Miss Adams

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	musical director
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Milton Rosen	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
James Curtis Havens	....	director: underwater sequences (as James C. Havens)
Milicent Patrick	....	creature designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Film (1954) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Universal (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• J.Arthur Rank-Film (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Universal International Pictures (UI) (1954) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Doperfilme (Portugal)
• Emerald (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Hollywood Movie Greats (video)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:PG | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-12 (1954) | Finland:K-15 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #16854) | Spain:T | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Originally produced in 3-D.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mark Williams shoots the Gill-Man in the water with the harpoon, the creature is clearly facing Mark when shot, and the spear is lodged between the creature's ribcage and the abdomen. The Gill-Man is holding the spear in place in the establishing shot. In the next shot, as the Gill-Man swims away, the spear and the wound have moved to the creature's back, as if Mark had shot him from behind. From that angle, the Gill-Man can't hold the spear in the same manner.

Quotes:

Lucas:There are many strange legends in the Amazon. Even I, Lucas, have heard the legend of a man-fish.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)

Lonely In The Serene Lagoon

Unlike other sci-fi flicks from the 1950s, "Creature From The Black Lagoon" is not a film to laugh at. It's better made. Just by the title we know there's a monster lurking about. Yet, for the film's first 24 minutes we don't actually see it, only one of its claws. And that holding back of the monster's appearance fosters suspense and mystery. In addition, the film's B&W cinematography is good, for its time, with lots of credible underwater shots. And while the dialogue does contain lots of exposition, the film at least tries to educate viewers.

There's nothing complex about the story. A scientific crew heads for the Amazon to do an archaeological dig, after a large fossil is found. The crew ends up at the Black Lagoon, a place of serenity, with its still waters, surrounded by palm trees and the sounds of monkeys and exotic birds. Through much of the film the peaceful setting together with soothing background music actually makes for a rather relaxing movie. Even when we see the monster, it seems lonely and hardly threatening as it glides gracefully through its watery home.

I suspect that the film's popularity when it was first released relates to the creature's distinctive appearance, with those moving gills and those bulging dark eyes. And of course, back in those days, the film was made for 3-D viewing, a novelty then that made the monster seem more real. Today, the film has an ever-so-slight environmental theme, given that at least one of the scientists prefers that the monster not be harmed, and given that humans obviously are encroaching into its habitat.

Because so much of the plot takes place underwater and therefore lacks dialogue, and given a runtime of only about 78 minutes, there really isn't that much to this movie. But what there is of it is interesting for its historical significance as a precursor to later sci-fi films, and for a monster that's not only photogenic but also alone and arguably lonely in a world that has passed it by, after eons of time.