Black Zoo

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Black Zoo
BlackZooposter.jpg
Film poster by Reynold Brown
Directed by Robert Gordon
Written by Aben Kandel
Herman Cohen
Produced byHerman Cohen
Starring Michael Gough
Jeanne Cooper
Rod Lauren
Virginia Grey
Cinematography Floyd Crosby
Edited by Michael Luciano
Music by Paul Dunlap
Distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation
Release date
May 15, 1963 (U.S. premiere)
Running time
88 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Black Zoo is a 1963 American horror film directed by Robert Gordon and starring Michael Gough, Jeanne Cooper, Rod Lauren, Virginia Grey, Jerome Cowan, and Elisha Cook, Jr. It was produced and co-written by Herman Cohen. It is a violent, gore-filled tale.

Contents

Plot

Michael Conrad is a private zookeeper who owns Conrad's Animal Kingdom. He leads a cult group who literally worship the animals he tends — especially the big cats: 3 lions, a lioness, a pair of cheetahs, a tiger, a cougar, and a black leopard; as well as a gorilla. [1] Conrad plays organ music to the animals in his living room, and uses them to kill anyone who gets in his way. Conrad is married to Edna and forces his mute son Carl to assist him.

Cast

Production

Herman Cohen had the idea for the film, and hired Aben Kandel to work with him on the script.

Cohen had worked with Gough previously in Horrors of the Black Museum and Konga .

The animals were provided by Ralph Helfer, most notably Zamba, who played one of the two male lions (Zamba Jr. and Tammy also appeared playing another lion and a lioness, respectively). The zoo was built at Raleigh Studio (formerly Producers Studio) on North Bronson in Hollywood, California. The entire zoo seen in the picture was an interior set. [2]

Publicity was done with the cats—including an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . [2] Cohen did not like the title, preferring Horrors of the Black Zoo. [2]

Home media

Black Zoo was released on a VHS tape by The Fang (Floral Park, NY) in 2001. OCLC   48234539

Footnotes

  1. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 218. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
  2. 1 2 3 Tom Weaver, Attack of the Monster Movie Makers (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. 1994, ISBN   0-7864-0018-8, ISBN   978-0-7864-0018-8) "Herman Cohen -- Interviews, Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Herman Cohen, Terror & the Zoo". Archived from the original on 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2007-11-01.

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