The Blob (1958)

Director:

Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Writers:

Theodore Simonson (screenplay) and
Kay Linaker (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Beware of the Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor.

Plot:

An alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.

Plot Keywords:

Blob | Doctor | Alien | Meteorite | Police

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Steve Andrews (as Steven McQueen)
Aneta Corsaut	...	Jane Martin
Earl Rowe	...	Lt. Dave
Olin Howland	...	Old Man (as Olin Howlin)
Alden 'Stephen' Chase	...	Dr. T. Hallen (as Steven Chase)
John Benson	...	Sgt. Jim Bert
George Karas	...	Officer Ritchie
Lee Payton	...	Kate the Nurse
Elbert Smith	...	Henry Martin
Hugh Graham	...	Mr. Andrews
Vincent Barbi	...	George - Cafe Owner (as Vince Barbi)
Audrey Metcalf	...	Elizabeth Martin
Jasper Deeter	...	Civil Defense Volunteer
Tom Ogden
Elinor Hammer	...	Mrs. Porter

Also Known As:

The Glob (USA) (working title)
The Glob That Girdled the Globe (USA) (working title)
The Meteorite Monster (USA) (working title)
The Molten Meteorite (USA) (working title)
The Night of the Creeping Dead (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

86 min | USA:82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | UK:12 (re-rating) | Italy:T | Australia:M (alternate rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Canada:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Fairview Productions

Trivia:

The title song "The Blob" was co-written by Burt Bacharach and is on his CD, "Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection". Paramount tapped Bacharach and Mack David (brother of Hal David) to come up with a non-threatening theme that would prevent the faint of heart from going into nostril-flaring terror during the opening credits. Together the two men concocted "The Blob", a goofy musical creature that is one part "Temptation" to two parts "Tequila". Session singer Bernie Nee does the champagne-cork-popping honors by pulling his finger out of his cheek seven times. Only Ralph Carmichael's score received a screen credit, giving credence to the notion that the song was a last-minute addition. The Five Blobs turned out to be a phantom group that consisted of Bacharach, a bunch of musicians for hire and Nee, who tracked his voice five times to achieve that Boris Karloff-esque quality.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A crewmember can be seen in front of the box office of the movie theater when the audience is fleeing the blob.

Quotes:

Lieutenant Dave: Mrs. Porter, did you hear any gunshots tonight?
Mrs. Porter: I sure did, tonight and every other night. The people downstairs have them old movies on their televisions. There's always some shooting or screaming.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: Operation Noselift (#2.18)" (1974)

Soundtrack:

THE BLOB

Nothing Can Stop It, Janey Girl!

Who would think Andy Griffith's "Helen Crump" (Aneta Corsaut) had a Steve McQueen movie in her past? But that is only one of several weird and wonderful things about the ultimate 1950s teenagers-battle-creatures movie, which might best be described as Rebel Without A Cause meets God Knows What From Outer Space. The Rebel is Steven McQueen (who would shortly decide that "Steve" sounded less prissy), a good boy with just enough wild to be interesting; the very wholesome yet understanding girlfriend is the aforementioned Aneta Corsaut. It was bad enough when their date was disrupted by teenage hot-rodders, but they are considerably more nonplussed when they encounter a gelatinous, man-eating What Is It that rides down to earth on its own hotrod meteor--and begins gobbling up townfolk right and left. But will the grown ups believe them? Of course not, what do they know, they're just kids!

The movie is teeny bopper at its teeny bopping best. The actors take the rather pretentious script very seriously, with many a soulful look into each other eyes, and the "adult" supporting cast probably says "Kids!" very third sentence or so. But the real pleasure of the film its creature, which is well imagined, well-executed, and often manages to generate a surprising degree of suspense. And although clearly on the cheap side (check out those miniature sets, guys!), THE BLOB is actually a fairly well-made film--and there's that catchy little theme song thrown in for good measure. The 40-plus crowd (myself included) will enjoy the movie as nostalgia, but that won't prevent them from hooting right along with the younger set at its whole-milk-and-white-bread 1950s sensibility, and the film would be a great choice for either family-movie night or a more sophisticated "grown ups only" get together. Make plenty of Jello cubes for movie snacking! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer