Gorgo (1961)

Greedy sailors capture a giant lizard off the coast of Ireland and sell it to a London circus. Then its mother shows up.

Director:

Eugène Lourié (as Eugene Lourie)

Writers:

Robert L. Richards (screen story), Daniel James (screen story)

Stars:

Bill Travers, William Sylvester, Vincent Winter

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bill Travers	...	Joe Ryan
William Sylvester	...	Sam Slade
Vincent Winter	...	Sean
Christopher Rhodes	...	McCartin
Joseph O'Conor	...	Prof. Hendricks
Bruce Seton	...	Prof. Flaherty
Martin Benson	...	Dorkin
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Radio Reporter (as Maurice Kauffman)
Basil Dignam	...	Admiral
Barry Keegan	...	Mate
Tommy Duggan	...	1st Naval Officer (as Thomas Duggan)
Howard Lang	...	1st Colonel
Dervis Ward	...	Bosun

Storyline

A salvage vessle is nearly sunk off the Irish coast by an undersea earthquake. A few nights later, a walking sea monster tangles with the fishing boats and enters the town. The salvage vessel captures Gorgo and takes it to London for display. Gorgo's mother, who is upset and significantly larger follows his trail to London leaving a wake of destruction in her path.

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Plot Keywords:

animal character name as title | psychotronic film | sailor | boat | giant lizard | 

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Taglines:

Neither Bombs, Bullets, Jets or Rockets Can Stop Gorgo...But This Little Boy Knew His Secret!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

29 March 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fornaldar-skrímslið

Filming Locations:

Coliemore Harbour, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The paperback novelization by Dean Owen is noted for its inclusion of gratuitous sexual scenarios entirely unrelated to the film. Owen penned the similarly erotic novelization of Reptilicus (1961), which so angered that film's director, Sidney W. Pink, that he sued its publisher, Monarch Books.

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Goofs

As she is rampaging through London, Gorgo's mother knocks over a wall of bricks with the company name "Robinson" more than once.

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Quotes

Radio Reporter: Attention. This is a special bulletin. Civil defense authorities have declared a state of emergency for all London areas within three miles of the River Thames.

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Connections

Referenced in Monster Man: Devoman vs. Clevezilla (2012)

User Reviews

Good Godzilla Knock-Off That I'll Take Over the Early Gamera's Any Day

First off, let me say that I am indeed an MST3K fan, but I saw, and have owned this movie, long before i ever even became a MSTie myself. And as for the original himself, Godzilla, i have been a Godzilla fan longer than I have ever even walked (literally). So in that respect, my priorities come Godzilla first, MST3K second.

With that out of the way, this isn't an all that bad Godzilla knock off. For one thing, it isn't dubbed, though the actors are still hard to hear clearly. Second, the monster effects are fairly good. Simple man-in-suit technique that still works today. Third, there is a plot, involving the young Gorgo being taken by British entrepeneurs for exploitation back on their ol' isle. Then daddy/mommy/whatever Gorgo comes to his/her/its baby's rescue. She smashes through some British landmarks in typical Godzilla fashion, with typically poor military resistance. There are human characters thrown in, but they do little more than observe.

Why do i actually like this movie? Because I like Godzilla, and Godzilla knock-offs that don't go the way Gamera did after his second movie: Helping people all the time and being "Friend to all children!" Yes, there is a child that somewhat befriends baby Gorgo, but even the kid knows that baby Gorgo don't give a crap about him when his mommy shows up.

Its not campy, its not deathly serious, its just good old fashioned Godzilla-type city stomping. If you're a Godzilla fan , you'll enjoy it easily. If not, you'll at least sit through it and have some fun nonetheless.

And if you're a biased MST3K fan, unlike myself, you'd hate the Godfather if it was shown in front of MIke and the Bots. Even they admitted it wasn't all that bad of a movie!