The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

The Giant Gila Monster is a film that tries to rise above the typical B science fiction film of the 50's. It contains relatable characters who have interesting relationships rather than just pure stereotypes. The settings have an air of authenticity and the eerie background music adds to the atmosphere of the film. Despite the dismal special effects and a largely unconvincing and almost irrelevant monster, it is pretty darn hard to hate the film. 

Directed by Ray Kellogg
Produced by Ken Curtis, B.R. McLendon, Gordon McLendon
Written by Ray Kellogg (story), Jay Simms (screenplay)
Music by Jack Marshall
Cinematography: Wilfred M. Cline
Edited by Aaron Stell
Distributed by McLendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company
Running time: 74 minutes
Budget: $138,000 (estimated)

Cast

Don Sullivan: Chase Winstead
Fred Graham: Sheriff Jeff
Lisa Simone : Lisa
Shug Fisher: Old Man Harris
Bob Thompson: Mr. Wheeler
Janice Stone: Missy Winstead
Ken Knox: Horatio Alger 'Steamroller' Smith
Gay McLendon: Mom Winstead
Don Flournoy: Gordy
Cecil Hunt: Mr. Compton
Stormy Meadows: Agatha Humphries
Howard Ware: Ed Humphries
Pat Reeves: Rick
Jan McLendon: Jennie
Jerry Cortwright: Bob

Trailer

Thank goodness for the grand disembodied voice of the narrator! If only life in today’s bewildering and over-complicated world had the comforting baritone voice of an all-seeing narrator to waft over us as it explains to us what the hell is going on……And what do we have instead? Bloody Alexa and Google Assist! God help us! 

The story starts off with a teenage couple’s romantic shenanigans about to be rudely interrupted when their car is pushed over and down into a ravine. Their existence is about to be obliterated by a giant claw-like object that descends upon them.

Read on for more.....


Spoilers Follow below.....

At a soda shop we see a group of teens (the “gang”) doing what supposedly passes for teenager stuff. After Chase Winstead and his girlfriend Lisa arrive in Chase's roadster, he asks the others about Pat and Liz’s (the couple at the start) whereabouts. Bob speculates that, “Maybe their car broke down?” to which Chase responds with, “Hey! I worked on that car myself!” Ah Ha!

Ooh La La Lisa is an exchange student from France and works for the Wheeler family. Mr. Wheeler is her sponsor. She informs the “gang” that Pat Wheeler didn't come home for dinner. Something definitely fishy here!

Old Man Harris rolls up in his 1932 Ford which Chase would love to transform into a hot rod. Chase wants to buy his car, but Harris is not keen on selling it. No Siree! 

Sheriff Jeff meets up with Mr. Wheeler who informs the sheriff that both his son Pat and his son’s girlfriend didn't come home last night. The sheriff seems to believe that they may have eloped while Wheeler holds Chase responsible as he thinks that Chase has too much influence over his son and the rest of the kids in town. The Sheriff points out that Chase is a good kid who is responsible and has worked hard after his dad died on one of Wheeler’s drill rigs.

The Sheriff then pays a visit to Chase at Compton's Garage. Chase tells him he doesn't know the whereabouts of Pat and Liz, but he doesn’t believe that they eloped.

I know it sounds corny in this day and age, but wouldn’t it be good to have a mutual regard, respect and trust between members of the community (as is the case between the Sheriff and Chase) and those in positions of authority instead of the all too often instances of mistrust and lack of respect?

Also, wouldn’t it be good to see more young people and marginalised groups in society being given and exercising a sense of responsibility and purpose in their lives. Sure, Chase comes across as being a bit dorky but at least he’s a good fella with a sensible head on his shoulders who seems to know where he’s heading in life. What’s wrong with that?

The Sheriff’s next stop is the Humphries' farm where he meets with Ed Humphries and his wife Agatha concerning their missing daughter, Liz. They are a considerate and understanding couple, but they also have no idea where their daughter is.

As he leaves, the Sheriff comes across a somewhat jolly and tipsy Harris at the wheel of his old car. Going well beyond the call of duty, the Sheriff asks to smell his breath! Without so much as a breathalyzer or sobriety test, the Sheriff sends Harris on his way. The Sheriff is barely out of the scene when Harris takes a swig out of a bottle before driving off.

The working man-stance perfected! 

Mr. Compton, the owner of the garage has just returned with a load of four quarts of nitro-glycerine which Wheeler had ordered should there be a blowout and oil fire. Compton thought it would be a great idea to take the nitro out of the safety cases. Who wouldn’t? This is one case where an expletive or two would be warranted, but Chase acts immediately based on what his dad had taught him, and he places the volatile substance in the shed and in their safety cases.

When the phone rings Chase recognizes it as the Sheriff's ring code and eavesdrops on the party line. (These days he’d be using a mobile phone and a scanner.) There would be a tow job in it for him should there be a report of an accident. It turns out that there is and so Chase races off to the scene of the accident in his roadster with Compton following in the tow truck. 

Chase is already at the accident scene before the Sheriff arrives. They discover that the wrecked car’s engine is still warm. Chase then points out to the Sheriff the skid marks on the road. They appear to go at a direct right angle to the direction of travel. Most peculiar indeed! There is also the presence of blood on the car’s upholstery.

As Compton is driving down the road in the tow truck, he passes a man on the side of the highway with a suitcase. Unknown to the stranger, a Giant Gila Monster lies in wait in the underbrush. As the man lights up a cigarette, he hears something, but is unable to determine the source of the noise. Suddenly the Monster approaches and the man tumbles backwards into the brush, his suitcase left standing like a silent sentinel – the sole remaining witness of its owner’s terrible fate! 

While heading home after having hooked up the wrecked car to the tow truck, Chase spots the suitcase on the side of the road and stops. The Sheriff also pulls up. He thinks that the case might belong to the person who stole and wrecked the car. A quick inspection of the area turns up a single cigarette together with a half pack of cancer sticks. The Sheriff and Chase put the case in the Sheriff's car and leave the scene.

In the meantime, a problem of a more personal nature is beginning to rear its ugly head. It seems that Mr. Wheeler has demanded that Lisa stop seeing Chase whom he holds responsible for Pat's disappearance. 

While Chase is driving the tow truck, a beautiful beast of a Cadillac zaps past him. Suddenly the driver notices the Monster on the road ahead and swerves to avoid it only to wind up crashing into a fence.

When Chase stops to offer his assistance, it quickly becomes apparent that the driver is more fueled up than his car. The man is none other than Horatio Alger "Steamroller" Smith who swears he has seen a big pink and black thing blocking the road. Yeah, of course you did! And I bet it had a trunk and big floppy ears! If ya’ drink and drive, you’re a bloody idiot, mate!

Being the kinda guy he is, Chase hooks up the caddy with Shickered Shmitty in it and tows it back to the garage.

I know that about up to this point some us might start shuffling our feet and squirm uncomfortably in our seats at the seemingly corny portrayal of 1950’s Hicksville small-town life. But I ask you, what is wrong with people looking out for and helping out other folks even if they are strangers? What’s wrong with knowing the names of our neighbours, knowing who they are and greeting one another in a friendly manner instead of nervously scampering by each other wearing anonymous cat’s-bum expressions on our faces?

BANG! BANG! BANG! goes Chase’s hammer as he works on the fender of Smith's car. Now here’s where I do squirm and become almost homicidal – whenever Chase opens his mouth and starts singing which he does now as he hammers away. He manages to wake up a hungover Smith, who actually likes Chase’s singing. He gives Chase his card and tells him to look him up. He also tips Chase $40 before he leaves. This will only wind up encouraging him!

The Sheriff enlists the help of Chase with the search for Pat and Liz. During the search as Chase and Lisa walk down the ravine and along the wash, Chase spots clues that suggest that something large had been dragged along. Chase then tastes some water in the stream, but it tastes bitter and strongly of minerals.

Meanwhile, Gordy has found Pat's car at the bottom of the wash about two or three miles back by the old reservoir. He and Chase pull it out with the tow truck’s winch. After that they bring the wrecked car back to the garage. The Sheriff then arrives and notices the same kind of damage as was the case with the other cars.

While on a fuel oil delivery run, Compton’s fuel oil truck is knocked off the road by the Big-Less-Than-Friendly-Monster. The wrecked truck along with its hapless driver is engulfed in a fiery conflagration.

After Chase closes up the garage, he heads off home and is playfully greeted by his mother who has a surprise for him: His little sister, Missy is sporting new leg braces which Lisa bought for her. Missy makes a couple of attempts to cross the room before Chase punishes us all by singing her a song.

Well, despite the syrup, Chase is at least a great older brother who has had an excellent upbringing from his father (now dead) and his now widowed mother. Sure, the father is no longer around, but he still looms as a positive influence in his son’s life and memories. These days he would be portrayed as being alcoholic, absent, irresponsible and largely irrelevant! Half the battle in any person’s life is won by having good role models and a loving family early on in life, including as is more than often the case portrayed - fathers! 

Reports soon fly thick and fast. First, there is the report of the accident involving the fuel truck. Second, there’s been a report that livestock have gone missing. When Chase, Harris and the sheriff arrive at the fuel truck accident scene, they find a still burning wreck but no sign of Compton. 

Later on, we see Harris merrily driving down the road, singing a little ditty and lubricating his tonsils with a swig of the finest pink elephant (Gila Monster) brew. He spots a train and decides it would be a Jim dandy idea to race it to the crossing. Luckily, calamity is avoided when the train misses his vehicle. Unluckily for the crew and passengers of the train, the Monster damages an overpass as it slides under it causing the train to derail. Many of the passengers are killed and eaten.

After witnessing the carnage, Harris drives back to the Sheriff’s office and makes a report. The Sheriff suspects that Harris was affected by alcohol and locks him up. One hopes he applied the earlier nose test to determine the DUI conclusion on this occasion.

We once again assemble at the Sheriff’s office a bit later to find the Sheriff and Chase mulling over the possibility of a creature developing a form of gigantism due to an out of control pituitary growth linked to salts washed into the valley being absorbed by the plants and then transferred to the animals, causing them to grow to gigantic proportions like our lizard friend. Sounds absolutely plausible – right? Of course it does, especially when you combine it with the fact that said gigantic creature has managed to stay out of sight in the underbrush all this time!

Harris, along with some of the train wreck survivors, claim to have seen a creature that would fit the bill. Chase adds credence to such a possibility by recounting Steamroller Smith's story of an encounter with what he described as being a large pink and black creature. This is a veritable dot-joining fiesta!

Back at the garage, Wheeler confronts the Sheriff over the fact that his son’s car was moved without a proper investigation. He then accuses the sheriff of protecting Chase and is convinced that his son is dead. Taking note of the stolen tyres, Wheeler demands that the Sheriff arrest Chase otherwise failure to do so may cost him his job. Both men then drive over to the barn dance hop to make the arrest.

At the barn dance, the place is jumpin’ with music and dancing. DJ Smith spins a platter and asks the audience to name the singer. Ooh La La Lisa takes a crack at it and guesses that it is Chase. Of course, this sets Chase off and he picks up his bloody little ukulele / banjo thingy and starts singing. I would love to suggest a couple of things he could do with his little ukulele / banjo thingy which would give us all “Deliverance” from his singing!

At least the kids in this film are not attached to devices, staring at screens, texting or sharing narcissistic pouty-lipped photos. They are actually out and about, socializing face-to-face, doing stuff for themselves and others and using their initiative. And shock – horror, the girls are treated respectfully!

As the Sheriff and Wheeler arrive at the barn dance, the Gila Monster approaches the barn and crashes through the wall causing panic among those inside.

The Sheriff grabs his shotgun, and in Chuck Connors Rifleman style blasts away at the Monster. However, he only succeeds in chasing it off.

The Sheriff then deputizes Wheeler and instructs him to stay there and keep everyone else there as well. 

Meanwhile, Chase has a cunning plan. Remember that nitro-glycerine he stored away earlier? Of course, you do! Chase heads off to the garage to retrieve the four quarts of nitro-glycerine. Laden with the volatile cargo, Chase and Lisa race along the bumpy road in his car (nothing could go wrong there, of course) until he spots a break in the fence and notices the damaged Blackwell residence, where his little sister Missy was visiting. He then sees the Blackwells and Missy running across a field.

Suddenly, Missy falls and while Lisa covers her, Chase aims his roadster at the Monster. He just manages to jump clear before it hits the creature and explodes. There’ll be barbecued Gila Monster at the barn dance tonight!

The Sheriff arrives and asks Chase, "What did you hit him with?" Chase responds with, "my brand new, 100% completed hot rod." The Sheriff comments, “You'd have had to start in the next county to get up enough momentum to do that to him.” To which Chase then replies “not with 4 quarts of nitro-glycerine riding with me.” Incredulously, the Sheriff asks him, “you drove across that rough field carrying nitro?.... Do you realize what could have happened?” Chase simply replies, “it did. I lost my car!”

With Compton now dead, Chase is unemployed, but not for long as Wheeler tells the Sheriff that he has a job for him. One hopes it isn’t the same job his father had or that they at least have improved occupational health and safety at Wheeler’s rigs!

***************

The Giant Gila Monster is a film that tries to rise above the typical B science fiction film of the 50's. It contains relatable characters who have interesting relationships rather than merely being pure stereotypes. The settings have an air of authenticity and the eerie background music adds to the atmosphere of the film. Despite the dismal special effects and a largely unconvincing and almost irrelevant monster, it is pretty darn hard to hate the film. 

Who are you calling unconvincing? 

Remember, it’s just an innocent movie that was aimed at a teen audience and intended for the drive-in circuit...try to enjoy for what it is - if that is possible in these fun-sapping times.

Special mention should go to the customized hot-rods.

Full Movie Colorized

©Chris Christopoulos 2019