Teenage Cave Man (1958)

User Rating:

2.4/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

R. Wright Campbell (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The future of humanity is in his hands

Plot:

A young man defies tribal laws and searches for answers. The result of his quest yields knowledge of past generations.

Plot Keywords:

Caveman | Post Apocalyptic | Great Dane | Post Nuclear War | End Of Civilization

Cast

Robert Vaughn	...	The Symbol Maker's teenage son
Darah Marshall	...	The Blond Maiden
Leslie Bradley	...	The Symbol Maker
Frank DeKova	...	The Black-Bearded One
Charles P. Thompson	...	Member of the tribe (as Charles Thompson)
June Jocelyn	...	The Symbol Maker's wife
Jonathan Haze	...	The curly-haired boy
Beach Dickerson	...	Fair-haired boy / Man from Burning Plains / Tom-tom player / Bear
Ed Nelson	...	Blond tribe member
Robert Shayne	...	The Keeper of the Small Fire
Marshall Bradford	...	Member of the tribe
Joseph Hamilton	...	Member of the tribe (as Joseph H. Hamilton)

Also Known As:

Out of the Darkness
Prehistoric World
Teenage Caveman (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (Certificate #19088)

Filming Locations:

Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Malibu Productions

Trivia:

Robert Vaughn said in an interview that he considered this to be the worst film ever made.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Well, I liked it.

A young pre-stardom Robert Vaughn stars in this early Roger Corman effort in which Vaughn plays a young member of a prehistoric tribe. He begins to question everything, including the rigid set of rules set down by the tribe long ago, and yearns to venture "beyond the river" to unravel the mystery of the area. This, despite warnings that a "god" that the tribe fears brings the touch of death to those it encounters.

I was rather pleasantly surprised by this one. It has intellectual aspirations that transcend it being merely just a cheap prehistoric epic. It explores issues such as the stubborn adherence to classic traditions, the inability of some individuals to open their minds, and how fear, paranoia, and ignorance can prevent people from moving forward or making connections with other people. I couldn't talk about too many more of its messages without revealing the ultimate, last-minute twist, which I rather liked and fits right in with other films from the same era. It's one of those cases where the cheapness / cheesiness of the whole affair ends up not so much of an issue. There's a goofy monster present that would seem to be much more at home in one of Roger Corman's sci-fi films of the period; the revelation regarding this creature does not come as a surprise given its incongruous presence, but considering how it fits into the film's overall scheme, I was able to accept it.

I found the acting generally decent. Vaughn does well as the inquisitive and philosophical young man, with Leslie Bradley as his "symbol maker" father and Frank DeKova as an antagonistic member of the tribe. Corman regulars such as Jonathan Haze, Beach Dickerson, and Ed Nelson appear as other tribe members. Darrah Marshall is very, very attractive as the blond maiden who becomes involved with Vaughn.

"Teenage Cave Man" is reasonably interesting entertainment and clocks in at just over an hour, so even those who don't care for it won't have to stick it out for very long.

Remade for T.V. as part of the "Creature Features" series in 2002.

7/10