The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

Director:

Ray Kellogg

Writers:

Ray Kellogg (story)
Jay Simms (screenplay)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Only Hell could breed such an enormous beast. Only God could destroy it!

Plot:

A giant lizard terrorizes a rural Texas community with a heroic teenager attempting to destroy the creature.

Plot Keywords:

Archive Footage | Teenager | Slang | Teenage Boy | Texan

Cast

Don Sullivan	...	Chase Winstead
Fred Graham	...	Sheriff Jeff
Lisa Simone	...	Lisa
Shug Fisher	...	Old Man Harris
Bob Thompson	...	Mr. Wheeler
Janice Stone	...	Missy Winstead
Ken Knox	...	Horatio Alger 'Steamroller' Smith
Gay McLendon	...	Mom Winstead
Don Flournoy	...	Gordy
Cecil Hunt	...	Mr. Compton
Stormy Meadows	...	Agatha Humphries
Howard Ware	...	Ed Humphries
Pat Reeves	...	Rick
Jan McLendon	...	Jennie
Jerry Cortwright	...	Bob

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #19329)

Filming Locations:

Cielo, Texas, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures Corporation (II)

Trivia:

This was one of two features produced by an independent company in Texas and meant for release as a double feature. The other feature was The Killer Shrews (1959). Unlike many such features produced in the South, these films received national distribution.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Gila Monster used in this film is not a Gila Monster. It is actually a Mexican Beaded Lizard.

Quotes:

Chase Winstead: Where's Pat and Liz?
Bob: Maybe their car broke down?
Chase Winstead: Hey! I worked on that car myself!
Bob: That wouldn't make any difference if he goofed the speed shift or something!
Chase Winstead: And that squirrel is just the one that could do it!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Mushroom Song

A Pleasurable Guilty Pleasure

I know this film is bad. I know the gila monster is nothing more than a live one put on the ground with some miniature trucks, cars, buildings, and even a train. I know the acting is overall very poor. The script is full of holes, and the special effects are not special. But I really like this film overall. What this film DOES have is a whole lot of heart. The story deals with people missing in a very small town. The sheriff(played very nicely by Fred Graham) is pressured by the local industrialist to find his son that has been missing. Where does the lawmen go for help? Well, he goes to a teenager that happens to work at a local garage, drive a souped up hot-rod, sing rock and roll in his spare time, and is a swell guy in general. Don Sullivan plays the young man, and I think he is actually pretty good. Sure, the film is hokey. What film wouldn't be with a title like The Giant Gila Monster? But this film is more than your typical B science fiction film of the 50's. It really tries hard to create characters rather than just stereotypes. There are scenes that you just would not find in your average teen science fiction flick. The scene where Chase sings to his crippled sister is just one example. This film was produced by Festus..I mean Ken Curtis who also had his hand in that other fun, campy science fiction film of the same year The Killer Shrews.