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:

Clawing Monster From A Lost Age strikes from the Amazon's forbidden depths!

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Genres:

Horror

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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

Jenny Clack (University of Cambridge) discovered a fossil amphibian, found in the remnants of what was once a fetid swamp and named it Eucritta melanolimnetes - literally "the creature from the black lagoon".

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Goofs

When the Creature is deep at the bottom of the lagoon looking up at Kay as she swims, the dark silhouette of a very long and large cable suspended above the water can be seen above her.

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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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Connections

Featured in To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill (1997)

User Reviews

Another Universal Studios Monster on the loose!

"Creature from the Black Lagoon" is a movie I saw on a Saturday afternoon TV show called "Monster Movies". I loved it from the start. I now own the DVD collection and I find all the movies entertaining. The first of the series was, of course, "Creature from the Black Lagoon". Richard Carlson, Whit Bissell, Richard Denning, Nestor Paiva and Julia Adams are awesome in their roles. A fossil is discovered of a prehistoric "gill-man" by a Dr. Maia. He enlists his scientist friend(Carlson) and the research team he works for that is headed by Denning. They travel up a river that ends into an area known as "The Black Lagoon". Looking for more fossils, they discover the "Gill-Man" is alive! The Creature is captured and then escapes but is shot and severely wounded at the end. He sinks toward the bottom of the lagoon but don't worry; he made it back for two more sequels. The team of Jack Arnold(director), William Alland(producer) and Joseph Gershenson(music director, with help from young composer Henry Mancini) help make this film unique. The photography and locales are beautiful. The acting is superb and there is enough action and suspense to keep you at the edge of you seat. This is required viewing for 1950s sci-fi/horror movie fans.