The Beast From twenty thousand Fathoms. A Ray Harryhausen classic.

[the ringo kid]

Last night since nothing much was on,I watched: The Beast From twenty thousand Fathoms. It had a few familiar Sci Fi "faces"in it. Also,two unbilled personnel included: James Best--who was in several scenes near the beginning of the movie--and then Lee Van Cleef--in several scenes near the end.

I dont know if to laugh or cry at something said in it--between the professor and Lee Van Cleef--who was the guy who was chosen to shoot something into the monster.

Anyway, heres how a brief exchange went:
The Professor to Lee Van Cleef:" Do you know how to use a grenade rifle?"

Lee Van Cleef: "I pick my teeth with them." Thankfully I wasnt drinking or eating anything at the time, because it would have ended up on the TV, the floor--etc.

Also,that ""grenade rifle"" was the naked version of an MI carbine--or so it looked to me.

 

[GatorFarmer]

A shame that more giant monster movies are not made. I believe that a Beast from 20000 Leagues sequel came out in the form of a graphic novel a few years ago. I remember downloading it on my Kindle.

 

[the ringo kid]

A shame that more giant monster movies are not made. I believe that a Beast from 20000 Leagues sequel came out in the form of a graphic novel a few years ago. I remember downloading it on my Kindle.

Id like to see more ""big monster""movies too--but not in the King Kong and Godzilla vein. The last of this type I saw--was a cheapo one made by the SciFi channel and what I liked about it--was that Danny Bonaduce-was killed by a giant Bigfoot.This movie had him at rivals with "Greg" from the Brady Bunch.

 

[LVSteve]

That's some good stuff, for kids of all ages.

 

[soFlaNative]

Love those movies.
Valley of Gwangi (?) with the cowboys roping the T-Rex is can't miss entertainment.

 

[Mydogmax]

I miss the old monster (si fi ) movies also. My favorites were the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Creature Walks Among Us, etc.

 

[e3mrk]

I love those old Monster Movies.
Some of My Favorites are.

Kaltiki the immortal Monster.
From Hell it came.
Twenty Million Miles to Earth.
Them,with James Arness and Fess Parker and James Whitmore.
The Giant Behemoth.
They don't make them like that anymore.

 

[Grayfox]

I grew up on this stuff and still love it.

 

[WR Moore]

Undoubtably the source for the term "creature feature" to describe the genre.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Id like to see more ""big monster""movies too--but not in the King Kong and Godzilla vein. The last of this type I saw--was a cheapo one made by the SciFi channel and what I liked about it--was that Danny Bonaduce-was killed by a giant Bigfoot.This movie had him at rivals with "Greg" from the Brady Bunch.

Cloverfield was a stinker on some levels, but worth watching, as was Pacific Rim.

 

[kaaskop49]

The older creature features can't be topped IMHO. Just finished re-watching for most of the past week "The Crawling Eye" aka "The Trollenberg Terror" in Britain. A favorite of mine, and maybe campy, but the actors gave it their all and it puts the modern giant snake/shark/croc flicks to shame. Also IMHO.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[stormbringerr]

i wish they would make more horror movies with gargoyles in them.
[ i Frankenstein ] was a good one. i like gargoyles. frank and the gargoyles are the good guys in this movie.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftTlMv9szYg&spfreload=1"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftTlMv9szYg&spfreload=1[/ame]

 

[walkin jack]

We love those campy old rubber monster movies. A couple of my favorites are The Attack of the 50' Woman and my all time favorite "20 Million Years to Earth". I can not think of the guys name but he played Raymond Burr's private detective on the old Perry Mason tv show. tall gray haired distinguished lookin' guy. Probably the worst actor in the history of movies but it proves the old saying, "a pretty face will take you a long way in life.

 

[e3mrk]

His name was William Hopper,He died a couple of years ago.
I dont know about Him being the worst Actor in Movies,There were a few really bad ones out there.
One stinker was when Ken Curtis(Festus) played a part in the original attack of the killer shrews,I dont see how He ever worked again after that movie.

 

[the ringo kid]

I miss the old monster (si fi ) movies also. My favorites were the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Creature Walks Among Us, etc.

Speaking of The creature--recently at Walmart--I saw a dvd set of the movies. I know at least two were made but apparantly there was a third made.I THINK this set was for sale for five bucks--or no more than a sawbuck. They also have a dvd set of the original Frankenstein movies--seven or so movies--for around ten.

 

[the ringo kid]

I love those old Monster Movies.
Some of My Favorites are.

Kaltiki the immortal Monster.
From Hell it came.
Twenty Million Miles to Earth.
Them,with James Arness and Fess Parker and James Whitmore.
The Giant Behemoth.
They don't make them like that anymore.

Ive never seen the first on your list but will at somepoint. WM also has a two movie set for a five spot--which has: The Beast From twenty thousand Fathoms and THEM. Im watching THEM tonight before the two hour premier of season two of: Turn.

 

[the ringo kid]

The older creature features can't be topped IMHO. Just finished re-watching for most of the past week "The Crawling Eye" aka "The Trollenberg Terror" in Britain. A favorite of mine, and maybe campy, but the actors gave it their all and it puts the modern giant snake/shark/croc flicks to shame. Also IMHO.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I havent seen The Crawling eye--for at least thirty or so years and dont remember anything. It reminds of of that one with a craling hand--kind of like: THING--from the Addams Family.The hand kills people its attached to--or somehting like that?

There is a Caesar Romero classic thats availabe too--but I cant think of its name off-hand?It has something to do with a few astronauts who get lost in space somewhere--and eventually wind upon a planet inhabited with dinosaurs. This one might even have John Agar too--but I cant recall correctly?

 

[the ringo kid]

i wish they would make more horror movies with gargoyles in them.
[ i Frankenstein ] was a good one. i like gargoyles. frank and the gargoyles are the good guys in this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftTlMv9szYg&spfreload=1

TCM recently showed one that was British made and I THINK--madein the late fifties or early sixties? anyway,it was in color--had someting to do with a three person crew landing on some planet that had creatures sort of like Gargoyles--but looked more like ""to me"" large Crickets without wings. The only actors name I remember in this one is: Lionel Jeffries. Anyway, this one was pretty good.

 

[the ringo kid]

We love those campy old rubber monster movies. A couple of my favorites are The Attack of the 50' Woman and my all time favorite "20 Million Years to Earth". I can not think of the guys name but he played Raymond Burr's private detective on the old Perry Mason tv show. tall gray haired distinguished lookin' guy. Probably the worst actor in the history of movies but it proves the old saying, "a pretty face will take you a long way in life.

I THINK thats the tittleI couldnt remember when i was replying to stormbringers post--before I made it down this far. If it is? then Lionel Jeffries is your guy.

 

[the ringo kid]

His name was William Hopper,He died a couple of years ago.
I dont know about Him being the worst Actor in Movies,There were a few really bad ones out there.
One stinker was when Ken Curtis(Festus) played a part in the original attack of the killer shrews,I dont see how He ever worked again after that movie.

Its sad to say that John Agar,made a few stupid movies moves after doing great in Fort Apache, Sands of Iwo Jima and a few others.

 

[Watchdog]

Last night since nothing much was on,I watched: The Beast From twenty thousand Fathoms.

I never tire of watching those old sci-fi/monster films like Beast...and It Came From Beneath the Sea, or the original The Thing.

Ken Tobey played the military guy in all of them, of course.

We probably wouldn't be here today if Kenneth Tobey hadn't been there to save us from the monsters.

 

[Watchdog]

Id like to see more ""big monster""movies too--but not in the King Kong and Godzilla vein.

Well, the original 1933 King Kong is a true classic, and even though the original metaphor of the idea (the "Beauty and the Beast" theme) might seem a bit hokey today, it's sort of sad, and the film both moved and terrified the original audiences. I much prefer the original to any of the remakes. And don't forget the seldom-seen Son of Kong, the sequel made just nine months after the original.

The original King Kong also has at least one line in it that might not make it past the PC Hall Monitors today. I won't repeat it here, even though it isn't offensive. But if you watch the film, you can probably figure it out. You have to be paying attention to catch it...but it's there.

One of my little kid buddies and I went to see Godzilla when it was first released back in '57. It even had Raymond Burr (aka Perry Mason) in it. It was chintzy and scary at the same time, and played off the atomic bomb fears of the time. The original film later went on to become a genuine cult classic and inspired even more cheapo Japanese monster flicks. I still get kind of a kick out of watching it today.

 

[PatriotX]

Ray Harryhausen - you will be missed.

 

[the ringo kid]

I never tire of watching those old sci-fi/monster films like Beast...and It Came From Beneath the Sea, or the original The Thing.

Ken Tobey played the military guy in all of them, of course.

We probably wouldn't be here today if Kenneth Tobey hadn't been there to save us from the monsters.

For the life of me--I couldnt think of his name even though I know it well. I think the last movie I saw him in--and didnt know it at the time? was Airplane. He was one of the control tower personnel. more recenty--I THINK it was him as Jim Bowie in: The Man from The Alamo? but for sure--he wasin one or more of the Disney Davy Crockett episodes.

 

[the ringo kid]

Well, the original 1933 King Kong is a true classic, and even though the original metaphor of the idea (the "Beauty and the Beast" theme) might seem a bit hokey today, it's sort of sad, and the film both moved and terrified the original audiences. I much prefer the original to any of the remakes. And don't forget the seldom-seen Son of Kong, the sequel made just nine months after the original.

The original King Kong also has at least one line in it that might not make it past the PC Hall Monitors today. I won't repeat it here, even though it isn't offensive. But if you watch the film, you can probably figure it out. You have to be paying attention to catch it...but it's there.

One of my little kid buddies and I went to see Godzilla when it was first released back in '57. It even had Raymond Burr (aka Perry Mason) in it. It was chintzy and scary at the same time, and played off the atomic bomb fears of the time. The original film later went on to become a genuine cult classic and inspired even more cheapo Japanese monster flicks. I still get kind of a kick out of watching it today.

The first version of King Kong--with Fay Wray--is my favorite of the Kong movies.Ive seen Son of Kong--once and a long time ago. I also liked Mighty Joe Young--partly because it was Ben Johnsons first starring role. The special effects I thought were very top notch for the day..I heard somewhere that Ray Harryhausen did some work in King Kong. I am familiar with what your talking about in Kong. That same thing about the pcers going ape would happen with many Three Stooges episodes and the kardashian mom--hates Al Jolson.

 

[Watchdog]

I heard somewhere that Ray Harryhausen did some work in King Kong.

No, not on Kong, but he was mentored by Willis O'Brien who was the animator for Kong. Ray Harryhausen highly admired O'Brien. Harryhausen and O'Brien worked together on Mighty Joe Young, and it was actually Harryhausen who did most of the stop motion work on that film.

Harryhausen went on to be the true successor to Willis O'Brien. Everyone else was just playing catch-up on monster/sci-films of the fifties and sixties.

 

[the ringo kid]

No, not on Kong, but he was mentored by Willis O'Brien who was the animator for Kong. Ray Harryhausen highly admired O'Brien. Harryhausen and O'Brien worked together on Mighty Joe Young, and it was actually Harryhausen who did most of the stop motion work on that film.

Harryhausen went on to be the true successor to Willis O'Brien. Everyone else was just playing catch-up on monster/sci-films of the fifties and sixties.

I knew there was some kind of a connection. I know that when they had featured Harryhausen on some interview that TCM did--he mentioned that but--I had forgot that.

 

[kaaskop49]

attn the Ringo Kid

$5 for Them and Beast from 20,000 Fathoms!? Gotta look for that pkge. John Agar in bad flicks? Listen, it's a check, the hardest thing to come by in the acting world! Or anywhere else for that matter...Olivier was quoted as saying he made zip in his famous Oscar/Shakespeare roles and cleaned up in end-of-career pablum.

Ken Tobey was also the NCO guard that Gregory Peck upbraided at the beginning of 12 O'Clock High. Forrest Tucker of Crawling Eye also starred in another monster flick about a year later, one with giant insects. James Arness, the alien in The Thing, was the FBI man in Them.

And nobody has mentioned Gorgo, the best 75-minute flick of all time. Bill Travers in that one, IIRC.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. Ringo, see my PM.

P.P.S. Why can't there be a forum entitled ' the ringo kid.' I vote for it!

 

[dougb1946]

If you watch the Science Fiction channel, you will see that they are making these again. A little better on special effects-CGI instead of claymation-but the same great acting. The girls wear less and might carry guns, but the same great idea. Battleship, Battlefield LA, Thor, Godzilla. What goes around comes around.

 

[Grayfox]

Ah yes, Gorgo! One of my favorites.
[ame=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKjO5GXstVw]Gorgo - Full Movie[/ame]

Someone also mentioned Caltiki.
[ame=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqorUZAuX4U]Caltiki, The Immortal Monster[/ame]

You can find a bunch of these old sci-fi/monster movies on YouTube.