Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

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.

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Harry Essex (screenplay), Arthur A. Ross (screenplay) (as Arthur Ross)

Stars:

Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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. Thompson
Bernie Gozier	...	Zee
Henry A. Escalante	...	Chico (as Henry Escalante)

Storyline

A scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discovers a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one in the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love.

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Plot Keywords:

b movie | amazon | swimming | scientist | fossil | 

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Taglines:

Terrifying monster ravages mankind!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Lagoon

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Lovejoy was considered to play Dr. Reed.

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Goofs

When David and Mark leave the ship for the first time in a little boat to disperse rotenona in the lagoon, Kay stays on the ship desk smoking, with her right elbow leaning on her left folded arm. Between shots, from the boat point of view, she appears with both hands on the lateral rope.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the Earth was without form and void. This the planet Earth, newly born and and cooling rapidly from a temperature 6,000 degrees to a few hundred in less than 5 billion years. Heat rises, meets the atmosphere, the clouds form, and rain pours down upon the hardening surface for countless centuries. The restless seas rise, find boundaries, are contained. Now, in their warm depths, the miracle of life begins. In infinite ...

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Alternate Versions

Originally shown in theatres in 3-D.

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Connections

Referenced in Kingdom of the Vampire (2007)

User Reviews

The "Gill-Man" Gets His Sea Legs

In South America, ecologist Antonio Moreno (as Carl Maia) leads an expedition; he is startled to find a webbed, but human-like, hand protruding from a rock. Mr. Moreno snaps the fossil from the rock, and brings it to ichthyologist Richard Carlson (as David Reed), for examination. Mr. Carlson is intrigued by the hand, and wants to find more of the Creature's remains. Carlson is also enamored with bushy-eyed beauty Julie Adams (as Kay Lawrence); but, so is Carlson's wealthy colleague Richard Denning (as Mark Williams). The group decide to boat the Amazon, and find the Creature…

Created by Milicent Patrick (with Jack Kevan and Chris Mueller), the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (or "Gill-Man") made a big splash at the box office. Much of the time, the film displays a rushed, "low-budget" quality; and, it was made for viewing in "3-D" glasses. Still, the movie entertains. The "Creature" is conceptually quite interesting; and, he has a great "look". More importantly, the title character has personality. Mainly, this is due to his obvious attraction to Ms. Adams' character. Perhaps, he was the last of his type, and was responding to the mating urge?

The underwater photography, by William Snyder, is superior. It's nice to see Moreno, a former "silent film" star, among the supporting players. Future "Flipper" producer Ricou Browning performs swimmingly alongside Adams. Mr. Browning was the underwater "Creature", and Ben Chapman served as the surface "Gill-Man". Only Browning returned, for the two sequels: "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us". Watch out!

******* Creature from the Black Lagoon (3/5/54) Jack Arnold ~ Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Antonio Moreno, Richard Denning