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Post by petrolino on May 6, 2017 23:24:31 GMT
Tha cajun creeper 'The Alligator People' is an emotional horror outing for director Roy Del Ruth who wrings every drop of torment from a tragic situation. It's shot in Cinemascope by Karl Struss and features music from Irving Gertz. This was to be Del Ruth's second-to-last feature. Louisiana Tree Gator
Louisiana Mud Snake
Picture a hot night in Louisiana, a sweltering night down in the bayou : When Jane Marvin (Beverly Garland) is placed under narco-hypnosis and administered the drug sodium pentothal by psychiatrists Doctor Erik Lorimer (Bruce Bennett) and Doctor Wayne McGregor (Douglas Kennedy), she steps inside her own dark past which may not be all it seems ... Jane Marvin was once military nurse Joyce Hatton (Beverly Garland), happily engaged to Lieutenant Paul Webster (Richard Crane). Having been discharged from the army, the couple took their honeymoon. Aboard a train, Paul received a telegram and left to place a phone call. Paul vanished without a trace, disappeared into thin air. Joyce's own investigation led her to the Cypresses Plantation where secretive swamp doctor Mark Sinclair (George Macready) was believed to be conducting wild experiments while his handyman Manon (Lon Chaney Jr.) scoured the marsh for snakes and lizards ... "Eric, we were both taught that a psychiatrist's function is to find mental illness and to cure it, as simple as that."
Lafourche, Louisiana
Robert Flaherty's 'Louisiana Story' (1948)
'Mon Coeur T'Appelle' - Cleoma Breaux
'The Alligator People' is a classic b movie with dynamite casting. Horror icon Lon Chaney Jr is hellbent on danger as a deranged swampland stalker, there's several philosophical doctors and Beverly Garland is in cracking form as a nurse on a mission. Richard Crane excels in a difficult role as haunted pianist Paul, just wait till you hear his croaky timbre. The new dual format dvd comes with a fold-out poster. I read online that 'The Alligator People' was theatrically distributed as part of a double bill with 'Return Of The Fly' (1959) but I don't know if this is true. "Here, have a drink. Go on baby, it'll do you gooood. That's it; made it myself. Erggh, you're cold. You oughtta get 'dem wet things off."
Beverly Garland
Lon Chaney Jr & Elyse Knox
Vincent Price & Sally Geeson
Medicine Men : Professor Longhair, Dr John & The Meters
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Post by teleadm on May 6, 2017 23:40:54 GMT
Roy del Ruth (what a wonderdul name by the way), once a reliable director at Warners, seems like his career after Warners he was just in a free fall with no parachute.
Lon Chaney Jr always seems to keep getting jobs mostly relying that he once was a hit as the Wolfman, he actually did a few good small roles in a few westerns, and as Lenny in Of Mice and Men. He and Broderick Crawford were drinking brothers famous or infamous as they never knew when to quit and destroying a few bars.
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Post by petrolino on May 6, 2017 23:52:36 GMT
Roy del Ruth (what a wonderdul name by the way), once a reliable director at Warners, seems like his career after Warners he was just in a free fall with no parachute. Lon Chaney Jr always seems to keep getting jobs mostly relying that he once was a hit as the Wolfman, he actually did a few good small roles in a few westerns, and as Lenny in Of Mice and Men. He and Broderick Crawford were drinking brothers famous or infamous as they never knew when to quit and destroying a few bars. Del Ruth exploits Chaney's lumbering style well here, counteracted by Beverly Garland at her resourceful best. The real surprise is Richard Crane though, he's compelling in the skin he's in. Chaney Jr was a fascinating actor; while grimacing deeply through 'Indestructible Man' (1956) he was more like constipated man. One of the saddest film sets in history was said to be Jack Hill's 'Spider Baby' (1968) as Chaney had been through some rough and reckless episodes and Mantan Moreland was understandably bitter over his casual mistreatment by the Hollywood machine (great film though). |
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Post by Dr. Miles Bennell on May 6, 2017 23:55:22 GMT
Until the Alligator Person appears at the film's climax, this is a nice old-dark-swamp creepy little sci-fi-horror film. It oozes atmosphere in its settings and photography, is well-acted and well-scripted. Only the stiffly silly alli-monster costume pulls it down. But the film's good qualities even mitigate that somewhat, though the Usual Gang Of Idiots (the UGOI) may do their best to make the film out a total disaster. I still haul it out for a treat now and then.
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Post by petrolino on May 7, 2017 2:26:36 GMT
Gator catching some zzzzz
'City of night ... city of night ... city of ni-ii-iight ... woo-see'mon'
- Jim Morrison (The Lizard King) & The Doors head down to New Orleans
'Marie Laveau' - Bobby Bare of Ironton (Iron Town), Ohio
"The once-svelte Morrison had carved out a niche with his hyper-sexualized stage persona and leather pants, but by 1970 his severe drinking problem had turned him into a caricature of his former self: an overweight, bloated alcoholic with an unkempt beard whose performances sometimes degenerated into wrenching self-parody. Morrison’s burgeoning problems with alcohol also made him wildly unpredictable as a performer; he was arrested onstage at a gig in New Haven in December 1967, and charged with exposing himself at a concert in Miami on March 1, 1969, causing many venues to ban the Doors outright. The group retreated to the studio to record what would become L.A. Woman, and at the New Orleans gig — one of only two scheduled — they debuted several of those new songs and performing their hits. But midway through the set, Morrison began to forget the words to songs, and then tried to compensate by launching into a long, rambling joke that fell flat. The singer was reportedly hanging on to the mic stand for support as the group launched into “Light My Fire,” and during the solos he went and sat down on the drum riser, failing to get up to sing the last verse. Drummer John Densmore finally nudged the recalcitrant singer with his foot, whereupon Morrison went over to the mic stand and repeatedly smashed it into the stage until it splintered, then threw down the mic and abruptly walked off stage, ending the show early. The other band members had a meeting at which they agreed that the New Orleans show should be their live swan song, since Morrison’s unpredictability — as well as the charges from Miami — made further touring impractical. Morrison participated in the recording sessions for L.A. Woman, then went to Paris in March while the rest of the band finished up the mixing sessions."
- Sterling Whitaker, Ultimate Classic Rock
"When you get into Louisiana, it really is like a different country in a lot of ways. The plants you see are a little different, like the weeping willows and the cypress trees that come up out of the bayou. And it's steamy hot."
- Sam Trammell
"To get to New Orleans you don't pass through anywhere else. That geographical location, being aloof, lets it hold onto the ritual of its own pace more than other places that have to keep up with the progress."
- Allen Toussaint
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Post by alexhurricanehiggins on May 8, 2017 22:33:18 GMT
Great movie 8/10. One of Chaney's better 1950's horrors where he was just cast as a mute like The Black Sleep, The Black Castle, Indestructible Man or a worthless supporting roles like Bride Of The Gorilla and The Cyclops. It's also once a few of his unsympathetic roles.
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Post by petrolino on May 13, 2017 19:45:56 GMT
Great movie 8/10. One of Chaney's better 1950's horrors where he was just cast as a mute like The Black Sleep, The Black Castle, Indestructible Man or a worthless supporting roles like Bride Of The Gorilla and The Cyclops. It's also once a few of his unsympathetic roles. Nice rundown on some of Lon Chaney Jr's more interesting roles from the 1950s, thanks. I've not had the chance to see 'The Black Castle' (1952) but I'm in awe of the films I've seen from master stylist Nathan Juran. Chaney's work from this decade seems relatively neglected which is a shame. |
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Post by Dr. Miles Bennell on May 13, 2017 20:36:23 GMT
Great movie 8/10. One of Chaney's better 1950's horrors where he was just cast as a mute like The Black Sleep, The Black Castle, Indestructible Man or a worthless supporting roles like Bride Of The Gorilla and The Cyclops. It's also once a few of his unsympathetic roles. Nice rundown on some of Lon Chaney Jr's more interesting roles from the 1950s, thanks. I've not had the chance to see 'The Black Castle' (1952) but I'm in awe of the films I've seen from master stylist Nathan Juran. Chaney's work from this decade seems relatively neglected which is a shame. His 50s stuff is too often passed over because of his reputed drinking problems and the assumption he couldn't remember or deliver lines. Actually, he did a wider range of things, including a couple of westerns as I recall, in the 50s than he ever got at Universal in the 40s (besides Larry Talbot, that is), with dialog as well as without. |
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Post by petrolino on May 13, 2017 20:40:26 GMT
Nice rundown on some of Lon Chaney Jr's more interesting roles from the 1950s, thanks. I've not had the chance to see 'The Black Castle' (1952) but I'm in awe of the films I've seen from master stylist Nathan Juran. Chaney's work from this decade seems relatively neglected which is a shame. His 50s stuff is too often passed over because of his reputed drinking problems and the assumption he couldn't remember or deliver lines. Actually, he did a wider range of things, including a couple of westerns as I recall, in the 50s than he ever got at Universal in the 40s (besides Larry Talbot, that is), with dialog as well as without. He appeared in Fred Zinnemann's gripping western 'High Noon' (1952) early in the decade. |
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Post by mattgarth on May 13, 2017 21:04:23 GMT
And Lon was excellent in his brief appearance in HIGH NOON.
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Post by alexhurricanehiggins on May 15, 2017 12:40:26 GMT
Great movie 8/10. One of Chaney's better 1950's horrors where he was just cast as a mute like The Black Sleep, The Black Castle, Indestructible Man or a worthless supporting roles like Bride Of The Gorilla and The Cyclops. It's also once a few of his unsympathetic roles. Nice rundown on some of Lon Chaney Jr's more interesting roles from the 1950s, thanks. I've not had the chance to see 'The Black Castle' (1952) but I'm in awe of the films I've seen from master stylist Nathan Juran. Chaney's work from this decade seems relatively neglected which is a shame. I'd say it's his 60's efforts which gets neglected. While his 60's horrors tended to be the weakest he made some good westerns. |
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Post by petrolino on May 15, 2017 17:34:20 GMT
Nice rundown on some of Lon Chaney Jr's more interesting roles from the 1950s, thanks. I've not had the chance to see 'The Black Castle' (1952) but I'm in awe of the films I've seen from master stylist Nathan Juran. Chaney's work from this decade seems relatively neglected which is a shame. I'd say it's his 60's efforts which gets neglected. While his 60's horrors tended to be the weakest he made some good westerns. I like 'Town Tamer' (1965) and 'Johnny Reno' (1966). |
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Post by taylorfirst1 on May 16, 2017 18:03:49 GMT
Love this movie. They show quite often on one of the movie channels on my cable system. I think it's Fox movie channel.
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Post by Doghouse6 on May 16, 2017 18:36:27 GMT
Love this movie. They show quite often on one of the movie channels on my cable system. I think it's Fox movie channel. That's where it turns up regularly on my cable system, and it's one of many CinemaScope films (from the studio that owned and introduced CinemaScope, mind you) that they insist on showing panned-and-scanned to either 16:9 or 4:3. I finally broke down and bought a Blu-ray of 23 Paces To Baker Street because it was apparently the only way I was ever going to see it in its proper aspect ratio (just arrived yesterday). There's a DVD of The Alligator People available if you want to see it that way. |
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Post by gunshotwound on May 21, 2017 0:41:09 GMT
The first time I saw The Alligator People I watched it because there was nothing else on TV which interested me. I had known of The Alligator People for many years and had seen stills but thought it was a grade "Z" horror movie. I gave it a chance and I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie. Plus I had always liked George Macready, Beverly Garland and Chaney.
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