The Amazing Colossal Man | |
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Directed by | Bert I. Gordon |
Screenplay by | Mark Hanna Bert I. Gordon George Worthing Yates (uncredited) |
Based on | The Nth Man by Homer Eon Flint (uncredited) |
Produced by | Bert I. Gordon |
Starring | Glenn Langan Cathy Downs William Hudson Larry Thor |
Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
Edited by | Ronald Sinclair |
Music by | Albert Glasser |
Production company | Malibu Productions |
Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $138,000 [1] |
Box office | $848,000 (U.S.) [2] [3] |
The Amazing Colossal Man (also known as The Colossal Man) is a 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film from American International Pictures. Produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon, it stars Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson, and Larry Thor. It is an uncredited adaptation of Homer Eon Flint's 1928 short science fiction novel The Nth Man. [2] AIP theatrically released it as a double feature with Cat Girl .
The film's storyline concerns a U.S. Army Lt. Colonel who survives a plutonium explosion and grows 8 to 10 feet a day, ultimately reaching 60 feet tall, but loses his mind in the process.
During the 1960s, American International Television syndicated the film to television. It and its sequel, War of the Colossal Beast (1958), were mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000 . [4]
At a military site in Desert Rock, Nevada, a test explosion of the first atomic plutonium bomb does not detonate as expected. When an unidentified civilian aircraft crash lands near the site, Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning runs into the detonation area to rescue the pilot. Once in the detonation area, the bomb goes off, and Glenn gets caught in the radioactive blast.
Surviving the blast but suffering from third-degree burns over almost his whole body, Glenn is treated by specialist Dr. Paul Linstrom and military scientist Dr. Eric Coulter. Glenn's fiancée, Carol Forrest, anxiously awaits a prognosis, but Linstrom refrains from telling her that Glenn is extremely unlikely to survive. The following day, Linstrom and Coulter are stunned to discover that Glenn's burns have completely healed. That evening, Carol is not allowed to see him and learns the military moved Glenn to an army rehabilitation and research center in Summit, Nevada. She drives there and gets admitted entry. Upon entering his room, Carol faints in horror as Glenn has mutated into a giant about 16 feet tall.
The next day, Linstrom tells Carol that Glenn's exposure to the plutonium blast caused his body's cells to multiply at an accelerated rate, resulting in his abnormal growth. Linstrom admits that he and Coulter do not know if they can stop it and that if they do not, Glenn will keep growing until he dies. Awakening the day after, Glenn is initially frightened, then greatly disturbed. Carol sees him the following day to comfort him, but Glenn is now roughly 22 feet tall, distant, and depressed. While the public knows he survived the explosion, the military has kept the truth of his condition secret.
As Glenn reaches 30 feet tall, Linstrom recommends that Carol spend time with him. Despite her encouragement, Glenn is angry and bitter. Linstrom reveals that Glenn's heart is growing at only half the rate of his body, and soon it will not be able to support his enormous size and weight. He warns Carol that Glenn's sanity will decline before his heart finally explodes. That night, Carol tries to console Glenn, but he loses his temper and shouts at Carol to leave him alone.
The following morning, Glenn disappears as Coulter reports to Linstrom that he may have found a solution to Glenn's growth. Led by Colonel Hallock, the military conducts a 10-mile-wide search for the now 50-foot-tall Glenn, but with no results. When Carol asks Linstrom if she can help in their search, he cautions Carol that Glenn may no longer recognize her. Coulter reveals that he has created a special syringe filled with a serum that will stop his growth.
Meanwhile, the local news relays that a "giant man" was spotted approaching Las Vegas. As the military heads there, Glenn, now over 60 feet tall and confused, is drawn to the Vegas Strip. He wreaks havoc on various casinos. When his behavior alarms the police, they begin firing at Glenn, enraging him. He destroys the Pioneer Club's Vegas Vic sign, then heads toward Boulder Dam as army helicopters track his movements.
Linstrom, Carol, and Coulter attempt to intercept Hallock's troops. After landing at the dam, Lindstrom uses a bullhorn to try reasoning with Glenn, who seems to listen. Coulter and Linstrom take the enormous syringe and plunge it into Glenn's ankle. He removes it and angrily spears Coulter with it, killing him. Then Glenn grabs Carol and starts across the dam. Linstrom stops Hallock from attacking prematurely before he and Carol implore Glenn to release her. Though Glenn is disoriented, he complies. Once she's free, Hallock orders his men to open fire, causing Glenn to tumble into the Colorado River to his apparent death.
Actor | Role |
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Glenn Langan | Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning (credited as Glen Langan) |
Cathy Downs | Carol Forrest |
William Hudson | Dr. Paul Linstrom |
Larry Thor | Major Eric Coulter, MD |
James Seay | Colonel Hallock |
Frank Jenks | Truck Driver |
Russ Bender | Richard Kingman |
Hank Patterson | Henry |
Jimmy Cross | Sergeant at reception desk |
June Jocelyn | Nurse Wilson |
Stanley Lachman | Lt. Cline |
Harry Raybould | MP at Main Gate |
Jean Moorhead | Woman in Bathtub |
Scott Peters | Sgt. Lee Carter |
Myron Cook | Captain Thomas |
Michael Harris | Police Lt. Keller |
Bill Cassady | Lt. Peterson |
Dick Nelson | Sgt. Hansen |
Edmund Cobb | Dr. McDermott |
Paul Hahn | Attendant |
Diana Darrin | Hospital Receptionist |
Lyn Osborn | Sgt. Taylor |
Jack Kosslyn | Lieutenant in briefing room |
William Hughes | Bombsite Control Officer |
Keith Hetherington | Newscaster |
John Daheim | Soldier (uncredited) |
Judd Holdren | Robert Allen (uncredited) |
Harold Miller | Official (uncredited) |
Jim Nicholson of American International Pictures had the rights to Homer Eon Flint's novel The Nth Man (1928), about a man who was 10 miles high. Nicholson thought it could be adapted to cash in on the success of The Incredible Shrinking Man (released six months earlier in 1957) and originally announced Roger Corman as director. Charles B. Griffith was hired to adapt the novel, and he turned it into a comedy. Then Corman dropped out, and Bert I. Gordon was hired. Gordon worked on the script with Griffith, but the collaboration only lasted a day before Griffith quit. Instead, Griffith's regular writing partner Mark Hanna stepped in. [2]
Before Gordon became involved, the film was conceived with Dick Miller in mind for the lead. It was Gordon's first film for AIP. [5] Principal photography began late in June 1957. [6] AIP's special effects technician Paul Blaisdell designed and built all of the tiny-sized props used in the film. These props later appeared again in the film's 1958 sequel War of the Colossal Beast via flashback footage.
Distributed by American International Pictures (AIP) in 1957, the film appeared at the top of a double bill with Cat Girl. Critical reviews were generally positive, with film reviewer Richard W. Nason at The New York Times commenting: "... imaginative story premise". [7] A similar review in Variety , noted: "... Glenn Langan delivers persuasively ... Technical departments are well handled". [7]
At the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 38% based on 8 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 5.4/10. [8]
The film and its sequel were featured and riffed on the cult classic mocking series Mystery Science Theater 3000 ; actor Mike Nelson portrayed the title character twice in the mid-movie host sections of the series' season 3, episodes 9 and 19. On episode 9, the character seems more aggressive to Joel and the bots when the Satellite of Love hit him and nearly proceeds to attack the trio after Tom Servo unintentionally insulted Glenn before leaving when suffering from a brief heart attack, as portrayed in the film. [4]
The film was parodied on Season 1, episode 2 of Robot Chicken in 2005 when a large bald giant, wearing a sarong as a diaper, is struck in the crotch with a wrecking ball as he terrorizes a city, as part of the "Ode to the Nut Shot" sketch. [9]
The trailer has also been shown in the film projected at the Disney's Hollywood Studios restaurant, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. [10]
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 American science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, based on Richard Matheson's 1956 novel, The Shrinking Man. The film stars Grant Williams as Scott and Randy Stuart as Scott's wife, Louise. While relaxing on a boat, Scott is enveloped by a strange fog. Months later, he discovers that he appears to be shrinking. By the time Scott has reached the height of a small boy, his condition becomes known to the public. When he learns there is no cure for his condition, he lashes out at his wife. As Scott shrinks to the point where he can fit into a dollhouse, he has a battle with his family cat, leaving him lost and alone in his basement, where he is now smaller than the average insect.
Roger William Corman is an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
American International Pictures is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition by Filmways in 1979.
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 independently made American science fiction horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. It was produced by Bernard Woolner. The screenplay was written by Mark Hanna, and the original music score was composed by Ronald Stein. The film was distributed in the United States by Allied Artists as a double feature with War of the Satellites.
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I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 American science fiction horror film directed by Gene Fowler Jr., and starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime and Whit Bissell. Co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, it was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures (AIP).
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Attack of the Puppet People is a 1958 American black-and-white science fiction horror film produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon. It stars John Agar, John Hoyt and June Kenney. Gordon also supervised the film's special effects. American International Pictures released the film on June 30, 1958 as a double feature with War of the Colossal Beast.
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