The Giant Claw (1957)

Global panic ensues when it is revealed that a mysterious UFO is actually a giant bird that flies at supersonic speed and has no regard for life or architecture.

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers:

Samuel Newman, Paul Gangelin

Stars:

Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeff Morrow	...	Mitch MacAfee
Mara Corday	...	Sally Caldwell
Morris Ankrum	...	Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
Louis Merrill	...	Pierre Broussard (as Louis D. Merrill)
Edgar Barrier	...	Dr. Karol Noymann
Robert Shayne	...	Gen. Van Buskirk
Frank Griffin	...	Pete - Pilot (as Ruell Shayne)
Clark Howat	...	Maj. Bergen
Morgan Jones	...	Lieutenant - Radar Officer

Storyline

When electronics engineer Mitch MacAfee spots a UFO as "big as a battleship," from his plane, the Air Force scrambles planes to investigate. However, nothing shows up on radar, and one of the jets is lost during the action. MacAfee is regarded as a dangerous crackpot until other incidents and disappearances convince the authorities that the threat is real. Some believe it is a French-Canadian folk legend come to life, but it turns out to be an extraterrestrial giant bird composed of anti-matter whose disregard for human life and architecture threatens the world.

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Plot Keywords:

anti matter | giant egg | muonic atom | giant bird | supersonic speed | 

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Taglines:

Air Missile Strikes! Big as a Battleship! Flies 3000 M.P.H.! 700 ft. wingspan! Rockets Into Stratosphere! Attacks cities...coast-to-coast!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the stock footage of panicked crowds running was taken from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

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Goofs

Many of the scenes are supposedly in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. But the vegetation and terrain are clearly California.

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Quotes

Dr. Karol Noymann: Uh, you are both right. And wrong. The bird itself is not antimatter, but the bird unquestionably radiates some sort of force - an energy screen, some invisible barrier - and that energy screen is antimatter.

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Connections

Featured in The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)

User Reviews

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Puppet!

What a hoot!!!! This film tops them all......and the 50's had some real "winners" in the genre. And like all that went before and after, this will win your heart. Knowing that computer generated effects and advanced use of the blue screen were things yet to come, we usually have to bite the bullet and figure they did the best they could with what they had. BUT, in this case, they really hit bottom with the monster bird. It has to be the worst of all.....it's a damn wooden puppet on strings that bobs around like Big Bird on a binge......pretty pitiful. Jeff Morrow probably wanted to commit suicide or die of terminal embarrasment after seeing this film in its finished state. And the lovely Mara Corday, who was always stuck in the lower echelon of film making, had to count this as a low point in her career. She deserved better. And of course Morris Ankrum never learned....he just kept plugging away in "B" films and became on of the most famous faces seen in supporting roles. Now, after saying all those negative things, I can honestly say that I love this movie....it is so outrageous that you are just sucked in, forever becoming a fanatic of low budget, 50's horror/science fiction films. Yes, it is really bad, really bad.....but somehow you can't quit watching. Have fun with it!!!!!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mark of the Claw

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clover Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1