Dinosaurus!

Last updated
Dinosaurus!
Dinosaurus DVD.jpg
DVD cover (2002)
Directed by Irvin Yeaworth
Written byDan E. Weisburd
Jean Yeaworth
Produced by Jack H. Harris
StarringWard Ramsey
Paul Lukather
Kristina Hanson
Alan Roberts
Gregg Martell
Cinematography Stanley Cortez
Edited byJohn A. Bushelman
Music by Ronald Stein
Production
companies
Fairview Productions
Jack Harris Productions
Distributed by Universal International
Release date
  • June 24, 1960 (1960-06-24)(New Orleans)
[1]
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400,000 [2]

Dinosaurus! is a 1960 science fiction film directed by Irvin Yeaworth and produced by Jack H. Harris. [3]

Contents

Plot

The film is about an American engineering team led by Bart (Ward Ramsey) building a harbor on a Caribbean island when they accidentally uncover two dinosaurs that have been frozen in suspended animation for millions of years. They are a Brontosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus rex . That night, during a storm, the beasts are struck by lightning and come back to life. The islanders have no idea that the dinosaurs are alive because of the storm and are now roaming the island. Also awakened is a caveman (Gregg Martell), whom initially is unknown to the islanders as he was buried some distance away. The Tyrannosaurus hunts across the island, attacking a beach guard and trolley cart. The caveman meanwhile stumbles into, and is bewildered, by a modern house. There he meets and befriends an island boy with a love of dinosaurs, Julio. The caveman introduces Julio to the Brontosaurus, whom he is friendly to, and they go on a ride across the island.

The Tyrannosaurus catches up to them and menaces Julio and the caveman, leading to it battling the Brontosaurus as the others hide in an abandoned mine shaft. After the Tyrannosaurus seemingly kills the Brontosaurus by biting its neck, it noticed the humans hiding in the mine and begins furiously kicking and clawing at it. The engineers briefly drive the Tyrannosaurus back by lobbing a Molotov cocktail into its mouth. As Bart goes in to save Julio and the others, the caveman sacrifices himself holding up a collapsing beam to keep the mine shaft from caving in entirely, allowing others to escape. The Brontosaurus, still alive, accidentally stumbles away and into a quicksand pit that swallows it up.

Meanwhile, the islanders have found refuge from the Tyrannosaurus by hiding in the old fortress, which is protected by a ring of burning fuel. To ensure the Tyrannosaurus does not get in, Bart drives out to face the beast in a mechanical digger. They duel on the edge of an island cliff and, after a tense fight, the Tyrannosaurus is knocked into water, ending the island terror. [4] The film ends with a picture of the apparently dead Tyrannosaurus on the sea bed. In an ending similar to his previous films The Blob and 4D Man , the words "THE END" are shown, followed by a question mark.

Production

Parts of the film were shot on location. Some location shooting took place on the Island of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The dinosaurs were filmed using the technique of stop-motion animation as well as puppets for close-ups.

During special-effects work on this picture, the crew used their Brontosaurus model and miniature jungle set to film a shot for an episode of TV's The Twilight Zone (1959) called "The Odyssey of Flight 33". A shot of the Tyrannosaurus was also borrowed for "The Secret of Gilligan's Island", a third-season episode of Gilligan's Island in which Gilligan dreams the castaways are all cave dwellers living on the island in the Stone Age.

The roars and growls of the Tyrannosaurus were used numerous times for creatures in The Outer Limits (1963 TV series) in episodes such as The Invisibles, and can also be heard from various other film monsters.

The toy dinosaurs Julio shows everyone at the cantina were Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex plastic figures made by Marx Toys.

The leading role was intended for Steve McQueen, who starred in The Blob two years earlier, [5] also produced by Harris and directed by Yeaworth. McQueen passed on the film to make The Magnificent Seven instead.

Release

The film had its premiere on June 24, 1960, at the Joy Theater in New Orleans and then opened in Cincinnati, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana. [1] [6]

Reception and legacy

Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote, "If ever there was a tired, synthetic, plodding sample of movie junk, it's this 'epic' about two prehistoric animals hauled from an underwater deep-freeze by some island engineers." [3]

The film was adapted into a comic book of the same name. [7]

It was parodied by RiffTrax on August 28, 2014. [8] [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Tyrannosaurus</i> Genus of Late Cretaceous theropod

Tyrannosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species Tyrannosaurus rex, often shortened to T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the latest Campanian-Maastrichtian ages of the late Cretaceous period, 73.2 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> (film) 1993 film by Steven Spielberg

Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It is the first installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the first film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, and is based on Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, off Central America's Pacific Coast near Costa Rica, where a wealthy businessman John Hammond (Attenborough), and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors, including Hammond's grandchildren, struggle to survive and escape the now perilous island.

<i>Gilligans Island</i> American television series (1964–67)

Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series follows the comic adventures of seven castaways as they try to survive on an island where they are shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts to escape their plight, with the ship's first mate, Gilligan, usually being responsible for the failures.

"The Odyssey of Flight 33" is episode 54 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, the 18th episode of the second season. An unlikely break of the time barrier finds a commercial airliner sent back into the prehistoric age and then to New York City of 1939. The tale is a modern telling of the Flying Dutchman myth, and was written by series creator Rod Serling. It originally aired on February 24, 1961 on CBS.

<i>The Lost World: Jurassic Park</i> 1997 film directed by Steven Spielberg

The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 American science fiction action film. It is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the second film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy. A sequel to 1993's Jurassic Park and loosely based on Michael Crichton's 1995 novel The Lost World, the film was directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp. Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough reprise their roles from the original film with Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, and Arliss Howard joining the cast.

<i>The Blob</i> 1958 film by Irvin Yeaworth

The Blob is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. from a screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Kate Phillips, based on an idea by Irving H. Millgate. It stars Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe and Olin Howland.

<i>The Valley of Gwangi</i> 1969 American fantasy western film

The Valley of Gwangi is a 1969 American fantasy Western film produced by Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen, directed by Jim O'Connolly, written by William Bast, and starring James Franciscus, Richard Carlson, and Gila Golan.

Dinosaurs constitute a group of animals of the clade Dinosauria.

<i>The Land Before Time</i> (film) 1988 animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth

The Land Before Time is a 1988 animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Stu Krieger and a story by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss; it is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall. The film stars the voices of Judith Barsi, Burke Byrnes, Gabriel Damon, Bill Erwin, Pat Hingle, Candace Hutson, Will Ryan and Helen Shaver. It is the first film in The Land Before Time franchise.

<i>The Flintstone Kids</i> American animated television series

The Flintstone Kids is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is an alternative incarnation of the studio's original animated series The Flintstones. The series depicts juvenile versions of the main characters from the original show. It aired from September 13, 1986, to November 14, 1987, on ABC. It was the first Flintstones series not to have a laugh track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skull Island (King Kong)</span> Fictional island in King Kong movie

Skull Island is the name most often used to describe a fictional island that first appeared in the 1933 film King Kong and later appearing in its sequels, the three remakes, and any other King Kong-based media. It is the home of the eponymous King Kong and several other species of creatures, mostly prehistoric and in some cases species that should have been extinct long before the rise of mammalian creatures, along with a primitive society of humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabazon Dinosaurs</span> Roadside sculptures in California

Cabazon Dinosaurs, formerly Claude Bell's Dinosaurs, is a roadside attraction in Cabazon, California, featuring two enormous, steel-and-concrete dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. Located just west of Palm Springs, the 150-foot-long (46 m) Brontosaurus and the 65-foot-tall (20 m) Tyrannosaurus rex are visible from the freeway to travelers passing by on Southern California's Interstate 10. The roadside dinosaurs are best known for their appearance in the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985).

<i>The Missing Link</i> (1980 film) 1984 film directed by Picha

The Missing Link is a 1980 French–Belgian adult animated comedy film written and directed by Picha. Though it was not as successful as Picha's previous film, it was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Tyrannosaurus</i> in popular culture

Tyrannosaurus rex is unique among dinosaurs in its place in modern culture; paleontologist Robert Bakker has called it "the most popular dinosaur among people of all ages, all cultures, and all nationalities". Paleontologists Mark Norell and Lowell Dingus have likewise called it "the most famous dinosaur of all times." Paleoartist Gregory S. Paul has called it "the theropod. [...] This is the public's favorite dinosaur [...] Even the formations it is found in have fantastic names like Hell Creek and Lance." Other paleontologists agree with that and note that whenever a museum erects a new skeleton or bring in an animatronic model, visitor numbers go up. "Jurassic Park and King Kong would not have been the same without it." In the public mind, T. rex sets the standard of what a dinosaur should be. Science writer Riley Black similarly states, "In all of prehistory, there is no animal that commands our attention quite like Tyrannosaurus rex, the king of the tyrant lizards. Since the time this dinosaur was officially named in 1905, the enormous carnivore has stood as the ultimate dinosaur."

Gerald Fried was an American composer, conductor, and oboist known for his film and television scores. He composed music for well-known television series of the 1960s and 1970s, including Mission: Impossible, Gilligan's Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Shotgun Slade, Roots, and Star Trek. Early in his career, he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick, scoring several of his earliest films.

<i>Stegosaurus</i> in popular culture

Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable types among cultural depictions of dinosaurs. It has been depicted on film, in cartoons, comics, as children's toys, as sculpture, and even was declared the state dinosaur of Colorado in 1982. Stegosaurus is a subject for inclusion in dinosaur toy and scale model lines, such as the Carnegie Collection.

<i>Planet of Dinosaurs</i> 1977 film by James Shea

Planet of Dinosaurs is a 1977 science fiction film. Set in an unspecified future, the film follows the journey of Captain Lee and his crew after they crash land on a planet with similar life conditions as Earth, but millions of years behind in time. Encountering a wide variety of dangerous dinosaurs, the crew decides that its best chance for survival lies on finding higher ground and setting up a defensive perimeter on a higher plateau for refuge to wait for when their rescuers arrive. They soon encounter a deadly Tyrannosaurus and must figure out a way to defeat the creature and survive on the planet.

<i>Dinosaur!</i> (1985 film) 1985 American TV series or program

Dinosaur! is a 1985 American television documentary film about dinosaurs. It was first broadcast in the United States on November 5, 1985, on CBS. Directed by Robert Guenette and written by Steven Paul Mark, Dinosaur! was hosted by the American actor Christopher Reeve, who some years before had played the leading role of Superman.

References

  1. 1 2 Dinosaurus! at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. "Harris' How-To-Do-It". Variety. September 21, 1960. p. 21. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Thompson, Howard (1960-09-09). "Dinosaurus! (1960), From the Deep-Freeze". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  4. Webber, Roy P.; Aupperle, Jim; Maylone, Bill (2004). The dinosaur films of Ray Harryhausen: features, early 16mm experiments and unrealized projects. McFarland. p. 152. ISBN   0-7864-1666-1.
  5. DINOSAURUS! (Dir. Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr., 1960) on Vimeo
  6. "Dinosaurus! Is A Box Office Giant! (advertisement)". Variety . June 29, 1960. p. 16. Retrieved February 13, 2021 via Archive.org.
  7. Isabella, Tony (15 October 2009). 1000 Comic Books You Must Read. F+W Media. ISBN   9781440213342.
  8. RiffTrax
  9. Dinosaurus Sample - RiffTrax on YouTube