Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writer:

Mark Hanna (written by)

Release Date:

19 May 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A titanic beauty spreads a macabre wave of horror! A terrifying masterpiece of shock and chills!

Plot:

When an abused wife grows to giant size because of an alien encounter and an aborted murder attempt, she goes after cheating husband with revenge on her mind.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Revenge | Giant | Husband Wife Relationship | Radiation Induced Growth

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Allison Hayes	...	Nancy Fowler Archer
William Hudson	...	Harry Archer
Yvette Vickers	...	Honey Parker
Roy Gordon	...	Dr. Isaac Cushing
George Douglas	...	Sheriff Dubbitt
Ken Terrell	...	Jess Stout
Otto Waldis	...	Dr. Heinrich Von Loeb
Eileen Stevens	...	Nurse (as Eileene Stevens)
Michael Ross	...	Tony the bartender / Space Giant (as Mike Ross)
Frank Chase	...	Deputy Charlie

Also Known As:

Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18976)

Filming Locations:

Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

The movie's poster was as #8 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr. Archer is packing his wife's suitcase to send her to the insane asylum, you see that he closes it with a lot of her clothes hanging out the sides. As he walks down the stairs, all of the clothes that were hanging out are tucked neatly into the suitcase.

Quotes:

Harry Archer: You know everyone's seeing satellites these days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Coupling: Unconditional Sex (#3.3)" (2002)

Guilty pleasure? No way! I like it and I don't feel guilty!

How can you NOT like this film? It's very absurdity makes it an instant classic. What absurdity you ask? Well how about the fact that when the sheriff (George Douglas) and Jess the butler (Ken Terrell) enter the giant's space ship everything is scaled to our size? How about the fact that when the giant (Mike Ross) picks up the sheriff's car it's a station wagon, when he throws it to the ground it's a sedan, and when the sheriff checks the wreckage it's a station wagon again? Or maybe the fact that Alison Hayes height seems to vary from scene to scene; sometimes she's a mere 18 feet tall and in others she is much larger. Did I, or should I?, mention that you can see right through both giants in almost every scene?

And when she reaches through the roof of the bar to pick up her philandering husband (William Hudson, who also went face-to-ankle with THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN a year earlier) why didn't they cut the scene before you saw the doll Alison was picking up had no legs? Should I even mention the fact that this movie is set in California and the deputy (Frank Chase) has a Boston accent ("Hi ya Mistah Ahhhhcha!")?

You can spot Ken Terrell doing stunts in most of the Republic serials during the 40's. Roy Gordon (Dr. Cushing) appeared in THE WASP WOMAN in 1959, Yvette Vickers (Honey Parker) had a run-in with giant bloodsuckers in ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES. And Alison Hayes . . .ah, she was my dream girl when I was growing up.

Let the sourpusses deride this film, I think it's great fun. Don't waste your time with the remake, THIS is the one to catch.