Uncle Thaddeus strikes again!
I was working in the crypt the other day when I heard a banging from the old iron door knocker . Opening the door I found Uncle Thaddeus standing there, a sly grin on his old withered face. He held a plastic bag in his hand.
Granny,” he said, “I have found something I know you will like. I was over at the old Squirrel Hollow Antique Mall to see what was new, and I found this.”
He handed me the bag and I opened it. A big smile crossed my face.
“You found it!,” I exclaimed. “I’ve been searching high and low and hither and thither for this.”
“I know,” said Uncle Thaddeus. “It’s a shame it has come a few weeks too late.”
“I’ll make it work,” I said. “Better late than never.”
He left with a couple jars of brew in payment, and I examined the treasure carefully.
The Giant Gila Monster…radio spots for the missing half of a successful double feature from 1959. I had featured spots for its companion feature The Killer Shrews a while back, but these had eluded my and The Radio Reaper’s best efforts in locating them. But now, thanks to Uncle Thaddeus, here they were, and I couldn’t wait to upload them.
Released in 1959, The Giant Gila Monster was filmed at the same time and at the same location as The Killer Shrews. It was produced by radio pioneer Gordon McLendon, his father B.R. McLendon, and actor and vocalist Ken Curtis. It was directed by veteran special effects man Ray Kellogg, and starred Don Sullivan, France’s entry to the 1957 Miss Universe Pageant Lisa Simone, veterans Fred Graham and Shug Fisher, and two of Gordon McLendon’s family – his wife and daughter, plus many others. It was filmed at McLendon’s Cielo Studio north of Dallas, Texas.
The movie has everything that a teenage audience could wish for: a giant monster, hot rods, rock music, a record hop, and a groovy, cool disc jockey – real life DJ Ken Knox from McLendon’s KLIF radio station. It is a surprisingly well made movie despite its low budget, due primarily to the connections that McLendon and Curtis brought to the production. Many Hollywood veterans, including cinematographer Wilfrid M. Cline, screenwriter Jay Simms, and special photographic effects experts Ralph Hammeras and Wee Risser added their creative know-how. Curtis convinced former 20th Century Fox special effects head Kellogg to supervise the special effects in return for giving him the director’s chair. Kellogg’s specialty was miniatures.
Even though the movie featured a giant monster, the special effects were basic: There were no composite shots, no split screens and no matte paintings. Instead, Kellogg did what he did best, creating a miniature scaled world where the Mexican beaded lizard (which doubled for the Gila Monster because it was a larger breed), could operate. Miniature foliage, model cars, a model train, and a well-constructed trestle bridge completed the illusion. Havoc and terror were created by effectively using screams and other sound effects rather than showing the actual carnage. The mind’s eye filled in the rest.
Having watched the movie several times, my nephew Crazy Gary says the special effects team probably used a few specially constructed props for certain monster scenes. He thinks the giant claw and arm which extends toward the camera was a fabricated glove of some sort, and that two fake heads for the monster were created: one for when the monster’s head busts through the barn and one for when the hot rod runs into the beast and explodes from the nitro glycerine, killing it and setting it on fire. Ray Kellogg would have certainly known how to do that.
The eight radio spots are excellent, especially the 60-second one about the train. All are narrated by Gordon McLendon. He uses graphic words to set the stage for the spots which paint a strong visual picture. No doubt they helped “fill in the blanks” for the film’s lack of any graphic presentation.
So sit back and listen, and imagine the terror of… The Giant Gila Monster!