Roger Corrman wasn’t the only producer of low budget drive-in films during the late ’50s. There was a wave of wannabe filmmakers who thought they could easily crank out a teen horror film. They swore the cinematic formula was cool looking teens, a few hot rods and a freaky looking monster. You didn’t even need to spring for color film. A lot of people tried and failed. Down in Texas was a man who had that urge to make a movie like Roger Corman. Unlike so many others, Gordon McGlendon had one advantage over those failed dreamers. He owned a chain of drive-in movie theaters and ran a network of radio stations. He knew that if he made a movie, he wasn’t going to struggle to find theaters or radio stations to promote them. He used his Hollywood connections to hook up with two very useful filmmakers. The first was Ken Curtis who is best known for playing Festus on Gunsmoke. He wanted was up for producing with the Texan. The second was Ray Kellogg who was best known for special effects at Fox. Instead of merely making one film, the trio plotted the creation of a double feature. The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews became a drive-in sensation in the summer of 1959 and not just for McGlendon’s chain.
The Giant Gila Monster (1959 – 75 minutes) warns kids that if they park on a lonely road to make out, there’s a chance a giant gila monster will kill you. That’s worse than catching mono. Sheriff Jeff (Vertigo‘s Fred Graham) and local teen Chase Winstead (Don Sullivan) go poking around and find the teenagers’ wrecked car. There’s blood inside and the bodies are missing. What could have happened to them? I’m not spoiling the film by letting you know that there’s a vicious Giant Gila Monster roaming the Texas countryside looking for more human snacks. The teenagers don’t seem to upset or nervous about the ravenous reptile. They’re too focused on the giant sock hop or what the Giant Gila Monster must consider his Texas Roadside Buffet.
This is a classic ’50s teenage monster film because it has both happening kids dancing and a live lizard going wild on model sets. You can imagine taking a date to the drive-in to see this film knowing you’ll be making out in the backseat before the Gila Monster destroys a bridge. For those who know their reptiles, the Gila Monster is played by a Mexican beaded lizard. Don’t complain to management. But he could have fooled me on the screen. That’s one of the best acting lizards in the business.
The Killer Shrews (1959 – 69 minutes) is about the nightmare of what would happen if a tiny shrew grew to be dog size. Captain Thorne Sherman (Dukes of Hazzard‘s James Best) and first mate Rook Griswold (“Judge” Henry Dupree) arrive on a remote island with a delivery of supplies for a research center. While they’re told by chief scientist Marlowe Craigis (The Pawnbroker‘s Baruch Lumet) they need to deliver and go, there’s a hurricane arriving and the captain insists they stay on the compound for the night. The scientist’s daughter Anna (Once Upon A Horse‘s Ingrid Goude) also wants the handsome captain to stay for dinner and drinks. There’s a lot of drinking in this movie as the “research center” has a full stocked bar. The scientist shows off the shrew research being conducted on the island. We learn that they are vicious creatures who have to eat every 8 hours. Later we discover the researchers are creating a race of man killing super shrews and they’re loose on the island because somebody got drunk. Looks like the Captain would have been safer on the hurricane.
The first time I saw Killer Shrews, it was teamed up with Attack of the Giant Leeches on the WLVI-56’s Creature Double Feature in Boston. This was a perfect Saturday afternoon horror movie since it wasn’t too scary. The main special effect for the giant shrews was putting pelts and masks on dogs. For the close ups, there are fangy puppets that attack the people trapped in the compound. As a kid, the biggest impact the film had was making me want to have a fully stocked bar.
Gordon McGlendon’ did’s Corman dream came true. His films did so well that they achieved Creature Double Feature immortality. Eventually they were both featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It doesn’t look like he did too many other films at this time although he was involved with United Artists for promotions of their films. Eventually he became a major shareholder at Columbia Pictures. He did executive produce Escape To Victory with Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and Pele. It was about a soccer match during World War II. The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews double feature shows what a man with a dream and a chain of drive-in theaters can produce.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic for both films. They’ve also included the 1.37:1 full frame version like what you would have seen on The Creature Double Feature. The 4K restorations on both films make both films look sharp. You’ll see even more details on the dogs dressed as shrews. The Audio is DTS-MA HD 2.0 Mono and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. You’ll hear the shrews and the lizards sounds clearly. The movies are subtitled.
Audio Commentary for Giant Gila Monster brings us the Monster Party Podcast team of Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan & Matt Weinhold. They get into the history of producer Gordon McLendon who made his own movie studio back in Texas. He hooked up with Ken Curtis to make The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews back to back. They were going to package them as a double feature. Ray Kellogg was brought into direct both films as part of a deal to have him also do the special effects. The four are very informative about cast and crew. The commentary is subtitled.
Original Trailer for The Giant Gila Monster (1:40) opens with the kids dancing at the record hop only to get attacked by a giant lizard. This is a danger to young people in love.
Recorded Interview with Don Sullivan (92:53) was conducted by Bryan Senn in 2009. This sounds like it was done over the phone. There are photos from the film to illustrate the talk about how a guy he ended up co-starring with a Gila Monster. He moved from Idaho with three dollars in his pocket to Los Angeles. He didn’t go out to be an actor, but hung out at Schwab’s Drugstore. That’s how he got involved.
The Audio Commentary is by Jason Ney. He is about giving details and not joking about the film. He does reference the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. He gets into how the film has grown into a cult favorite. The commentary is subtitled.
Ray Kellogg – An Unsung Master (16:12) reminds us that Ray did more than make these two films. We learn in history from this special written by C. Courtney Joyner and narrated by Larry Blamire. Kellogg got his start shooting film in the navy for John Ford’s unit. He filmed both the Battle of Midway and the Nurenberg Trails. After the military, Kellogg was able to work with Ford on Mighty Joe Young. He went to Fox for Special Effects including the masterpiece The Day The Earth Stood Still. After these two films, Kellogg was second unit director on Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor. Eventually he co-directed The Green Berets with John Wayne.
Vintage Radio Spots for The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews (12:43) as if you’d hear them on one of Gordon McGlendon’s radio stations. You’ll want to immediately race over to one of Gordon McGlendon’s drive-in theater to see “the reptile from hell.” Best is the ad that references shock therapy.
Booklet includes Don Stradley and James A. Ney about both.
Film Masters present The Giant Gila Monster: Special Edition. Directed by Ray Kellogg. Screenplays by Jay Simms. Starring Don Sullivan, Fred Graham, Lisa Simone, Shug Fisher, Bob Thompson, James Best, Ingrid Goude, Ken Curtis, Gordon McLendon, Baruch Lumet & “Judge” Henry Dupree. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on 2 Blu-rays. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: November 12, 2024.
Another reminder about how the Creature Double Feature started on WLVI-56.
