Folks, you've long known about my one overwhelming desire when it comes to talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly about genre films: always -- ALWAYS -- try to find something redeeming about them.
Now, that means more to me than just being one of life's Golden Rules. Essentially, it's the recognitioin that in all things there lies some nugget of goodness, some small stone of grace. Even the worst ideas might have something of value in them; granted, it may not be all that much, but what's it hurt to take a few extra minutes of brainwork to fire off some neurons in your grey matter trying to come up with one single solitary bit of praise, however minor? I'm not saying that each and every film deserved to be put up on a pedestal; I'm only trying to point out that by revelling in what you find worthless you may be missing that shiny lucky penny ... and, yes, I'm the kind of guy who always picks one up.
Stick with me until the end, and maybe -- just maybe -- you'll see what I mean.
It was on this day all the way back in 1957 that From Hell It Came was let loose cinematically. IMDB.com attributes the original idea for the story to Jack Milner, who produced The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues a few years earlier. Richard Bernstein is credited with the screenplay, this apparently serving as his screenwriting introduction into the movie business. Dan Milner directed thsi SciFi/Fantasy, and its cast was made up of such players as Tod Andrews, Tina Carver, Linda Watkins, Gregg Palmer, and Robert Swan. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Tabonga, a killer spirit reincarnated as a scowling tree stump, comes back to life and kills a bunch of natives of a South Seas island. A pair of American scientists save the day."
Now, that means more to me than just being one of life's Golden Rules. Essentially, it's the recognitioin that in all things there lies some nugget of goodness, some small stone of grace. Even the worst ideas might have something of value in them; granted, it may not be all that much, but what's it hurt to take a few extra minutes of brainwork to fire off some neurons in your grey matter trying to come up with one single solitary bit of praise, however minor? I'm not saying that each and every film deserved to be put up on a pedestal; I'm only trying to point out that by revelling in what you find worthless you may be missing that shiny lucky penny ... and, yes, I'm the kind of guy who always picks one up.
Stick with me until the end, and maybe -- just maybe -- you'll see what I mean.
It was on this day all the way back in 1957 that From Hell It Came was let loose cinematically. IMDB.com attributes the original idea for the story to Jack Milner, who produced The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues a few years earlier. Richard Bernstein is credited with the screenplay, this apparently serving as his screenwriting introduction into the movie business. Dan Milner directed thsi SciFi/Fantasy, and its cast was made up of such players as Tod Andrews, Tina Carver, Linda Watkins, Gregg Palmer, and Robert Swan. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Tabonga, a killer spirit reincarnated as a scowling tree stump, comes back to life and kills a bunch of natives of a South Seas island. A pair of American scientists save the day."
Culling through the recesses of my brain, I do believe this is one flick I saw as a youngster. It certainly looks like the kind of thing that was heavily in TV syndication when I was an urchin. And, yes, it's likely the sight of the tree creature that tickles some hidden memory, though the faces of the lovely women certainly don't hurt. That monster definitely resembles something I recall, so it's probably one experience tucked away in those cranial archives. If I recall correctly, I believe I was somewhat disappointed in the feature because there just wasn't enough monster for me: when I'm sitting quietly in front of the set watching and waiting for the advertised creature, I did grow impatient as a li'l guy.
In any event ...
Silver screen monsters have always had a way of transcending the routine and entering other realms for the creative types ... and -- if IMDB.com has its facts correct -- then it was none other than Stan Lee himself who drew a bit of inspiration from the lumbering giant and transformed that idea into the Marvel Comics' book character of ... dum dum dum ... Groot!
So from trash -- if From Hell It Came is considered such -- came treasure.
That, my friends, is why I always try to find something that sticks when enjoying any motion picture. I'm just wired that way ... and it sounds like Stan was, too.
-- EZ
In any event ...
Silver screen monsters have always had a way of transcending the routine and entering other realms for the creative types ... and -- if IMDB.com has its facts correct -- then it was none other than Stan Lee himself who drew a bit of inspiration from the lumbering giant and transformed that idea into the Marvel Comics' book character of ... dum dum dum ... Groot!
So from trash -- if From Hell It Came is considered such -- came treasure.
That, my friends, is why I always try to find something that sticks when enjoying any motion picture. I'm just wired that way ... and it sounds like Stan was, too.
-- EZ
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