Post by Doghouse6 on Jul 18, 2021 1:58:07 GMT
Those 1950s science-gone-wrong creature features don't normally light my Bunsen burner, but The Alligator People proved remarkably diverting for the type, drawing a viewer in with an irresistible premise that was reminiscent of 1953's The Maze: the suddenly-absent and uncommunicative male half of a romantic couple is traced by his loved one to a remote, mysterious estate where everyone is terribly secretive, until the human-to-amphibious-creature-transformation nature of those secrets is exposed. Where both fall short of their promise is in the graphic depiction of those transformations, but, oh well. George Macready, Frieda Inescort and Bruce Bennett are solid casting, and Lon Chaney steals the show with an exuberant characterization that's part Capt. Ahab and part Capt. Hook.
The film's trailer itself displays some sly wit. A popular song of the mid-30s recorded by Bing Crosby, Guy Lombardo and others begins with the lyric, "Did you ever see a dream walking? Well I did." The opening seconds of the trailer feature sensationalistic text asking, "Have you ever seen a nightmare...crawling? Well, you will." A bit of esoteric humor I'll bet was lost on younger audiences of 1959, but I give the marketing people points for the cleverness.
The film's trailer itself displays some sly wit. A popular song of the mid-30s recorded by Bing Crosby, Guy Lombardo and others begins with the lyric, "Did you ever see a dream walking? Well I did." The opening seconds of the trailer feature sensationalistic text asking, "Have you ever seen a nightmare...crawling? Well, you will." A bit of esoteric humor I'll bet was lost on younger audiences of 1959, but I give the marketing people points for the cleverness.