The Snow Creature (1954)

American botanical expedition in the Himalayas stumbles across a Yeti den, capture one and transport it back to Los Angeles, where it escapes while customs officials are debating whether it is animal or human.

Director:

W. Lee Wilder

Writer:

Myles Wilder (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Langton, Leslie Denison, Teru Shimada

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Langton	...	Dr. Frank Parrish
Leslie Denison	...	Peter Wells
Teru Shimada	...	Subra
Rollin Moriyama	...	Leva
Robert Kino	...	Insp. Karma
Robert Hinton	...	Airline Manager
Darlene Fields	...	Joyce Parrish
George Douglas	...	Corey Jr.
Robert Bice	...	Fleet
Keith Richards	...	Harry Bennett
Rudolph Anders	...	Dr. Louis Dupont
William Phipps	...	Lieutenant Dunbar (as Bill Phipps)
Jack Daly	...	Edwards
Rusty Wescoatt	...	Guard in Warehouse

Storyline

Botanist Frank Parrish leads an expedition to the Himalayas to seek out new flora, accompanied by hardboiled news photographer Peter Wells. When their lead guide, Subra, learns his wife has been kidnapped by a Yeti, Parrish disbelieves him, so the sherpas commandeer the expedition at gunpoint and turn it into a search-and-rescue party. To Parrish's surprise, they discover a whole family of Yetis in a cave, and are able to subdue the male and carry it back to civilization, to ship to the USA for study. Subra is forgiven his acts because he was right after all. Wells, meanwhile, phones in the story and Parrish finds his discovery - shipped upright in a meat cooler to maintain its natural environment - detained in the US because Wells' story refers to it as a snowMAN, and a decision must be made whether this is a customs or immigration matter. During this bureaucratic snafu, the creature escapes its containers and disappears into Los Angeles, mysteriously appearing in different parts of ...

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Plot Keywords:

yeti | himalayas | sherpa | raped by monster | los angeles sewer system | 

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Taglines:

Brought back alive ... only to escape and leave a trail of death and destruction in the frightened city

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'Abominable homme des neiges

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Planet Filmplays

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min 71 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This low budget 1954 release is believed to be the first American film about the Yeti, although another film featuring a Yeti-like snowman, _Pekka ja Pätkä lumimiehen jäljillä (1954_, was released four months earlier.

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Goofs

When the expedition are chasing the Yeti into the caves, you see the "rocks" that are falling hit some of the people with no apparent effect.

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Connections

Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: Snow Creature + the Atomic City (1978)

User Reviews

Poor snowman costume sinks this one.

This film really isn't all that bad. The photography is moody and atmospheric. The music is sometimes quite good. Director W.Lee Wilder occasionally shows some visual flair. The cast is at worst adequate. The snowman is another story. It it simply a very tall man wrapped in what looks like rabbit fur. Granted, director W. Lee Wilder tries to keep the snowman hidden in the shadows most of the time. But when he is seen full view it looks amazingly unconvincing. Had this film not employed such a poor snowman costume, it probably would have been regarded as a slightly better than average low budget early fifties monster picture.