War of the Gargantuas and Creature from the Black Lagoon 60th B-Day Celebration Highlight Monsterpalooza

From Monsterpalooza

One of the most beloved art/horror fests on the West Coast is Monsterpalooza, which celebrates the "Art of Monsters." The fest will hit Burbank once again on March 28-30. Save the date!

As usual, Monsterpalooza will feature award-winning F/X artists, special presentations, a walk-thru monster museum, and monster-related artwork on display and for sale. The list of celebrity guests is large and impressive. Take a look at whom you can expect to see at this year’s Monsterpalooza.

Special Celebrity Guests From The Genre And Beyond!

Kenji Sahara – War Of The Gargantuas, Destroy All Monsters, Rodan, Godzilla vs The Thing, The Mysterians, King Kong vs Godzilla

Harou Nakajima – Godzilla, Rodan, Destroy All Monsters

Russ Tamblyn – “Twin Peaks”, War Of The Gargantuas

Rutger Hauer – Blade Runner, The Hitcher, “True Blood”

Dee Snider – Twisted Sister, Strangeland, Van Helsing’s Curse

Tippi Hedren – The Birds, Marnie, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”

Nancy Allen – Blow Out

More at Monsterpalooza

One Of a Kind - Creature From The Black Lagoon Wine Bottle - Ultimate Collectible - Universal Horror Movie

From View Obscura

$50 - View Obscura

This is a one of kind wine bottle featuring images, graphics and information from the classic Universal sci fi/horror movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon. This is a hand-made item and is not being mass produced.

Any Creature from the Black Lagoon fan would be proud to add this to their collection. This one-of-a-kind item would make quite a conversation piece!

If you collect wine bottles or anything featuring the classic monsters from Universal Studios long line of films ... this one is for you!

The bottle features graphics from the film on both the front and back plus a brief bio.

History:

Creature from the Black Lagoon was the last of a long line of classic movie monsters developed by Universal Pictures. By the 1950's most studios had switched from horror pictures to science fiction. Universal was no exception. Creature would come fresh on the heels of the very popular "It Came from Outer Space." Both films would star Richard Carlson who soon would become the studio's staple playing the role of hero scientist. This would be a twist from most films. Scientists were generally portrayed as evil or misguided. It was only logical for Universal to blend both their popular horror with the science fiction of the time. Creature from the Black Lagoon would be created from the melding of the two.

Early designs for the Gill-Man (Creature) were very different from the finished product that we are familiar with today. Early on studio executives had wanted a very sleek looking monster. Test shots proved that this design just didn't look right under water. The design was quickly scraped for a more scaly design with gills and more rounded head. Hence fourth the Creature was born. The original costume was kept in limbo in case a sequel was to be made and a possible female Creature would be needed. Of course a sequel was made the next year but, the She-Creature never made it into a film.

Most monster movie fans have believed for decades that the design of the Creature was the work of Bud Westmoore, but that is not the case. The Creature's "gill-man" design actually came off of the pen of artist Milicent (Millicent) Patrick. Although the fetching young illustrator never got her name in the films credits she was paraded from film screening to film screening in hopes that her model-like good looks would drum up more publicity for the film. Her contribution to the history of monster films has never been fully given the credit that it so deserves. Unfortunately there a far too many such "unknown heroes" in the genre of horror and sci-fi films.

Two actors would end up actually playing the Creature. Ricou Browning was used for the underwater shots and Ben Chapman for the scenes on dry land. Browning had been responsible for showing the films producers two areas, one in Silver Springs, and the other in Wakulla Springs, Florida that would end up being used as the Black Lagoon. He was asked to swim in front of the camera for some underwater test shots. A week later he was called and asked if he would like the job. He accepted. Browning worked well for the underwater Creature but, the studio wanted the monster to be a giant and he was less than six feet in height. That's when the six foot seven inch Ben Chapman entered the picture. With the costume on he measured in at well over seven feet tall. That was just what the film makers were looking for. As a result of there being two actors of different sizes two separate Creature costumes were developed. Each would be quite different in design and appearance to fit each actor. On screen these differences are not detectable but, when one costume was next to the other it was obvious. This worked because the viewer would never see the two together and no one ever noticed.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon was shown originally in 3-D. 3-D pictures were becoming popular in Hollywood in the middle 1950's and Creature was filmed to fit this format. A special underwater 3-D camera was developed exclusively for use in this production. Viewers would remark on how they felt like they were underwater with the monster. It was a very unique experience. However showing a film in 3-D was a difficult process. If the two cameras needed to produce the effect were not aligned properly the image would turn blurry and the 3-D effect would be ruined. This forced later releases of the film to abandon 3-D for a more conventional showing.

It is a very interesting story how legendary monster movie fan and writer (Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine) Forrest J Ackerman came into possession of the Gill-man’s mask and claws. After Universal had finished working on Creature from the Black Lagoon and its two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us, the remains of the costume were set out for the trash (!). A studio janitor discovered the costume a thought that it may have been a great present for his young son. The young boy enjoyed scaring the neighborhood children with it for a couple of Halloweens until he outgrew it and sold it to another boy for five dollars (!). Ackerman by this time had learned of the costumes whereabouts and contacted the boy to see if he wanted to sell it. The boy knew who Ackerman was and offered to give it to him for free after he was done with it. Several years down the road the boy, now a grown man, would show up at Ackerman’s door, costume in hand only to discover that he wasn’t home. Knowing full well that he couldn’t just leave it on the doorstep he decided to place it in the trunk of his rental car and return with it in the morning. Unfortunately he returned the rental without removing the costume from the trunk. The monster gods must have been smiling on Ackerman that day because when the gentleman returned to the rental car agency he found that the car had not yet been rented and that the costume was still where he had left it.

There have been numerous attempts at producing a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon; in fact one is production at the time of this article. In the 1980s’ Universal had planned a 3-D remake which would have been directed by Jack Arnold and produced by John Landis. A script was penned by Nigel Kneale and Rick Baker was put on alert to design a new Gill-man costume, but in the end Universal decided to make Jaws 3-D instead. The Creature almost arose from the swamp again in the 1990s’ under the direction of John Carpenter, but again those plans fell through.

An archeological expedition to the Amazon discovers the fossilized remains of the arm and clawed hand of a “missing link” between man and fish. The item is returned to civilization and a research team consisting of marine biologist Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), his employer Mark Williams (Richard Denning), his assistant Kay (Julia Adams), and the man responsible for the find, Dr. Carlos Maia, are quickly assembled to return to the Amazon to search for the rest of the remains.

Upon returning to the site the group discovers that the campsite has been ransacked and the members of first expedition have been slaughtered. Despite this grizzly discovery the group continues on with the dig to no avail. It is soon discovered that the rest of the remains must have been washed down stream into an area that is known to the local natives as “The Black Lagoon.”

Upon arrival at the mysterious lagoon the young assistant, Kay, decides to take a morning swim when she catches the attention of the ominous Gill-man who instantly becomes fascinated with the delicate creature he sees swimming above him. The young woman soon becomes the Creatures obsession and several attempts are made by the monster to capture her.

The group quickly finds itself in a fight for survival after several attempts are made to capture the Creature. The monster effectively blocks the exit from the lagoon and finally captures the object of its fascination. A rescue operation is immediately put into action and the monster is tracked to its lair where it is shot several times. In the end the Gill-man stumbles back into the lagoon where it is last seen floating lifeless in the murky water.

Creature! Every man his mortal enemy and a woman's beauty his prey! - Creature from the Black Lagoon - Numbered Poster Print

Creature! Every man his mortal enemy and a woman's beauty his prey! - Creature from the Black Lagoon - Numbered Poster Print

$10 at View Obscura

This is an original poster graphic print featuring an image from Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The print looks amazing matted to 8 x 10 to 24 x 36 and framed and will make a great addition to your movie memorabilia collection. A must for all horror movie fans!

Watermark does not appear on actual image.

This image was created by renowned California photographer Ken Hulsey.

Each image is a limited edition that is signed by the artist and numbered (1-50).

The image is printed on professional studio grade glossy paper by a professional photography studio not a home printer.

The item will be shipped in an acid free bag with a protective board to prevent folding or creasing.

Larger items will be shipped rolled in a protective tube.

Limited Edition: 50 numbered pieces

Creature from the Black Lagoon was the last of a long line of classic movie monsters developed by Universal Pictures. By the 1950's most studios had switched from horror pictures to science fiction. Universal was no exception. Creature would come fresh on the heels of the very popular "It Came from Outer Space." Both films would star Richard Carlson who soon would become the studio's staple playing the role of hero scientist. This would be a twist from most films. Scientists were generally portrayed as evil or misguided. It was only logical for Universal to blend both their popular horror with the science fiction of the time. Creature from the Black Lagoon would be created from the melding of the two.

Early designs for the Gill-Man (Creature) were very different from the finished product that we are familiar with today. Early on studio executives had wanted a very sleek looking monster. Test shots proved that this design just didn't look right under water. The design was quickly scraped for a more scaly design with gills and more rounded head. Hence fourth the Creature was born. The original costume was kept in limbo in case a sequel was to be made and a possible female Creature would be needed. Of course a sequel was made the next year but, the She-Creature never made it into a film.

Most monster movie fans have believed for decades that the design of the Creature was the work of Bud Westmoore, but that is not the case. The Creature's "gill-man" design actually came off of the pen of artist Milicent (Millicent) Patrick. Although the fetching young illustrator never got her name in the films credits she was paraded from film screening to film screening in hopes that her model-like good looks would drum up more publicity for the film. Her contribution to the history of monster films has never been fully given the credit that it so deserves. Unfortunately there a far too many such "unknown heroes" in the genre of horror and sci-fi films.

Two actors would end up actually playing the Creature. Ricou Browning was used for the underwater shots and Ben Chapman for the scenes on dry land. Browning had been responsible for showing the films producers two areas, one in Silver Springs, and the other in Wakulla Springs, Florida that would end up being used as the Black Lagoon. He was asked to swim in front of the camera for some underwater test shots. A week later he was called and asked if he would like the job. He accepted. Browning worked well for the underwater Creature but, the studio wanted the monster to be a giant and he was less than six feet in height. That's when the six foot seven inch Ben Chapman entered the picture. With the costume on he measured in at well over seven feet tall. That was just what the film makers were looking for. As a result of there being two actors of different sizes two separate Creature costumes were developed. Each would be quite different in design and appearance to fit each actor. On screen these differences are not detectable but, when one costume was next to the other it was obvious. This worked because the viewer would never see the two together and no one ever noticed.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon was shown originally in 3-D. 3-D pictures were becoming popular in Hollywood in the middle 1950's and Creature was filmed to fit this format. A special underwater 3-D camera was developed exclusively for use in this production. Viewers would remark on how they felt like they were underwater with the monster. It was a very unique experience. However showing a film in 3-D was a difficult process. If the two cameras needed to produce the effect were not aligned properly the image would turn blurry and the 3-D effect would be ruined. This forced later releases of the film to abandon 3-D for a more conventional showing.

It is a very interesting story how legendary monster movie fan and writer (Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine) Forrest J Ackerman came into possession of the Gill-man’s mask and claws. After Universal had finished working on Creature from the Black Lagoon and its two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us, the remains of the costume were set out for the trash (!). A studio janitor discovered the costume a thought that it may have been a great present for his young son. The young boy enjoyed scaring the neighborhood children with it for a couple of Halloweens until he outgrew it and sold it to another boy for five dollars (!). Ackerman by this time had learned of the costumes whereabouts and contacted the boy to see if he wanted to sell it. The boy knew who Ackerman was and offered to give it to him for free after he was done with it. Several years down the road the boy, now a grown man, would show up at Ackerman’s door, costume in hand only to discover that he wasn’t home. Knowing full well that he couldn’t just leave it on the doorstep he decided to place it in the trunk of his rental car and return with it in the morning. Unfortunately he returned the rental without removing the costume from the trunk. The monster gods must have been smiling on Ackerman that day because when the gentleman returned to the rental car agency he found that the car had not yet been rented and that the costume was still where he had left it.

There have been numerous attempts at producing a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon; in fact one is production at the time of this article. In the 1980s’ Universal had planned a 3-D remake which would have been directed by Jack Arnold and produced by John Landis. A script was penned by Nigel Kneale and Rick Baker was put on alert to design a new Gill-man costume, but in the end Universal decided to make Jaws 3-D instead. The Creature almost arose from the swamp again in the 1990s’ under the direction of John Carpenter, but again those plans fell through.

An archeological expedition to the Amazon discovers the fossilized remains of the arm and clawed hand of a “missing link” between man and fish. The item is returned to civilization and a research team consisting of marine biologist Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), his employer Mark Williams (Richard Denning), his assistant Kay (Julia Adams), and the man responsible for the find, Dr. Carlos Maia, are quickly assembled to return to the Amazon to search for the rest of the remains.

Upon returning to the site the group discovers that the campsite has been ransacked and the members of first expedition have been slaughtered. Despite this grizzly discovery the group continues on with the dig to no avail. It is soon discovered that the rest of the remains must have been washed down stream into an area that is known to the local natives as “The Black Lagoon.”

Upon arrival at the mysterious lagoon the young assistant, Kay, decides to take a morning swim when she catches the attention of the ominous Gill-man who instantly becomes fascinated with the delicate creature he sees swimming above him. The young woman soon becomes the Creatures obsession and several attempts are made by the monster to capture her.

The group quickly finds itself in a fight for survival after several attempts are made to capture the Creature. The monster effectively blocks the exit from the lagoon and finally captures the object of its fascination. A rescue operation is immediately put into action and the monster is tracked to its lair where it is shot several times. In the end the Gill-man stumbles back into the lagoon where it is last seen floating lifeless in the murky water.

Creature from the Black Lagoon Model Kit From Moebius

Creature from the Black Lagoon Model Kit:

Egad, it's the Creature from the Black Lagoon!
Sculpted by "Kreature Kid" Adam Dougherty.
10-inch tall model kit includes the Creature, his victim, and a base.

Beware of this creepy creature! This 1:8 scale styrene model kit is from the original Creature from the Black Lagoon movie. Sculpted by "Kreature Kid" Adam Dougherty, it stands approximately 10-inches tall upon completion and includes the Creature, his victim, and a base. This is a skill level 3 model kit that requires paint and glue for final assembly. Experienced modelers only.

Monster Yakety Yak

"When I was nine I played the demon king in Cinderella and it launched me on a long and happy life of being a monster." - Boris Karloff

"I'd like to quit the supernatural roles and play just an interesting, down-to-earth person." - Bela Lugosi

"The film makers were scratching their heads wondering who they could get to put on the (Godzilla) suit, then the remembered my stunt. They thought hey let's get that guy we set on fire last year." - Haruo Nakajima

"My father would be horrified if he knew I was making it in the pictures and that I'm not billed as Creighton Chaney." - Lon Chaney Jr.

"No matter what you do, you can act your heart out, but people will always say, "Oh, Julie Adams - Creature from the Black Lagoon." - Julie Adams

"Often we'd secretly like to do the very things we discipline ourselves against. Isn't that true? Well, here in the movies I can be as mean, as wicked as I want to - and all without hurting anybody. Look at that lovely girl I've just shot!" - Claude Rains

"Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff didn't like the word 'horror'. They, like I, went for the French description: 'the theatre of the fantastique'." - Christopher Lee

"I don't play monsters. I play men besieged by fate and out for revenge." - Vincent Price

"My wife has good taste. She has seen very few of my movies." - Boris Karloff

"The monster was very hard to play because the (King Kong) suit was so different. The arms were long, longer than my own, and I had to use sticks to control the hands, also the legs were short so I had to walk all hunched over." - Haruo Nakajima

"As far as I see it 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' was just another movie and it was just another job. I've done many things since then that I am much more proud of. But I've gotten more reaction out of the Creature thing than anything else. Well, I guess that's life!" - Ricou Browning

"Every actor's greatest ambition is to create his own, definite and original role, a character with which he will always be identified. In my case, that role was Dracula." - Bela Lugosi

"He [Merian C. Cooper] called me into his office and showed me sketches of jungle scenes and told me, 'You're going to have the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood'. Naturally, I thought Clark Gable. But then he showed me this sketch of a giant ape up the side of the Empire State Building, and he said, 'There's your leading man'. - Fay Wray

"A reporter noticed me and a much smaller mate of mine when he visited his sick mom in the hospital where I was working and photographed us walking together and took some pictures of my feet. I didn't win the big feet contest, but that eventually led to my role in Sinbad." - Peter Mayhew

"They were considered B pictures because they were made on a tight budget. But we outlived many of the A pictures made at the same time." - Ray Harryhausen

"I sometimes feel that I'm impersonating the dark unconscious of the whole human race. I know this sounds sick, but I love it." - Vincent Price

"One is always considered mad when one perfects something that others cannot grasp." - Ed Wood

"I took a lot of my anger that had been stored inside of me for many years and let it loose. I helped to create the character Varla [in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)] and helped to make her someone that many women would love to be like." - Tura Satana

" I don't really scare them any more than do Jungle Jim, Dan Dunn, Tarzan, and the other heroes of the comic sections." - Boris Karloff

""The most memorable thing I did in that film (Bride of Frankenstein), I believe, was my screaming. In almost all my movies since, I've been called upon to scream. I don't know if it's by chance, but I would like to think that I'm not hired for that talent alone" - Elsa Lanchester

"I will play no more monsters. Dracula is different; he is such an exciting person." - Christopher Lee

News From The Black Lagoon: Creature Feature And Julie Adams Book

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Wakulla County News and Information / Julie Adams Official Website

It's that time once again! Time for the residents of Wakulla Springs, Florida to celebrate their favorite monster ... The Creature From The Black Lagoon. As most of you already know Wakulla Springs State Park doubled as the infamous "Black Lagoon" (along with the back lot at Universal) in the first of three Gill-man films. Every October the park shows the movie and holds events to pay tribute to the monster that they love so dearly.

Here is the info from Wakulla.com:

Wakulla Springs State Park will present "Creature Feature" on Friday, October 21, 2011 from 7pm to 9pm.

Entrance will be free to the public. The event is being hosted by Wakulla Springs Lodge on the big screen TV in the hotel lobby. The gift shop will be open during the event for refreshments! Choose from a full range of snacks, drinks and candies.

The Creature will be lurking about the property and is expected to make an appearance!

Can't find the "Black Lagoon"? Maybe this will help - http://www.floridastateparks.org/wakullasprings/

Normally the stars from the movie make a special appearance but this year Julie Adams will be in Hollywood promoting her new book "The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From the Black Lagoon".

Here is the info from Julie's website:

Julie at Book Signings for Her New Book

After numerous requests, Julie has written her personal autobiography with many pictures never before seen. It is titled The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From the Black Lagoon and covers her whole career. It will be available on October 27th. It will be launched with a book signing on Thursday, October 27 at Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. And there will be a double feature screening at the Egyptian Theatre that night of Creature From the Black Lagoon (Shown in 3D) 7:45 - 9:00 p.m. followed by a Question and Answer session with Julie and Bend of the River following the Q & A.

There will be another book signing on Sunday, October 30th at the Dark Delicacies Book Store, 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA from 2 - 4 p.m. There is no charge for a dedication and signature at the book signings.

The book will sell for $29.95, please add $3.00 for postage. If you want a personal dedication and signature through ordering the book on the Web Page it will be an additional $20.00, postage is free on personally signed books.

Talking About The CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON'S Texas Roots

Source: My SA

Well .... maybe not the monster itself but the man who played him underwater.

Everyone should know by now that I just love the "Creature From The Black Lagoon" so I decided to repost this article about Gil-Man actor Ricou Browning:

Meet a Creature from the Black Lagoon with a San Antonio past

Ricou Browning is best known for his scaly, scary turn as the Gill-Man in the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon as well as 1955′s Revenge of the Creature and 1956′s The Creature Walks Among Us. But few know that in the ’50s he also made a bit of a local splash as a physical training instructor at Lackland Air Force Base, where he put servicemen through the pool and other paces.

Browning is back in the Alamo City this week for San Antonio Horrific Film Fest 4, the indie horror flick festival that runs Thursday through Sunday at Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes.

These days you don’t have to swim laps or scream to the rafters to win Browning’s favor. After all, he’ll be the first to tell you his iconic role didn’t exactly make him an overnight sensation.

“After the picture was made and released, I’d say 20 years passed and I started getting some letters,” says Browning, now 81, crediting the late fame to the movie’s later TV broadcast.

It wasn’t just because Browning had an un-credited role as a masked amphibious humanoid. He only played the Gill-Man for the films’ underwater sequences, while other performers like Ben Chapman played the Gill-Man in more memorable on-land shots. Still, it was necessary work for a movie about a fish-man out of water. And Browning was perfect for the job.

The Florida native had a background in water shows, having taught the mermaid performers at Weeki Wachee Springs how to perform their underwater magic. When the folks behind Black Lagoon saw Browning flip his own feet in the water, he got the creature gig.

“The way the creature swims is the way I swim,” Browning says, noting that he breathed from an air hose then held his breath for his underwater creature scenes.

Browning would leave Gill-Man behind but stick with the wet. He went on to produce 1963′s Flipper and write for the subsequent TV series, plus direct two of the underwater sequences for the Bond films Thunderball and Never Say Never Again and do miniature work for 1980′s Raise the Titanic.

“I didn’t find (filming) underwater as any different than filming upside,” Browning says.

Just what you’d expect from a guy who’s made a monster of a career in and around the water.

Creature From The Black Lagoon Autographed 8x10 Photo By Julie Adams And Ricou Browning

Sources: Amazon.com / Wiki

Product Description

Creature from the Black Lagoon signed 8x10 photo by Julie Adams and Ricou Browning **This item comes with a Certificate of Authenticity along with matching tamper-proof holograms from Autograph Warehouse, guaranteeing the authenticity of this hand-signed autograph. Autograph Warehouse stakes its reputation on every item it sells, and authenticity is their number one priority. Each and every autograph is guaranteed for life to be authentic.**



Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes. The film was released in the United States on March 5 1954.

Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed and originally released in 3-D requiring polarized 3-D glasses, and subsequently reissued in the 1970s in the inferior anaglyph format (this version was released on home video by MCA Videocassette, Inc. in 1981). It is considered a classic of the 1950s, and generated two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us, each a year apart. Revenge of the Creature was also filmed and released in 3-D, in hopes of reviving the format.

Julie Adams (born Betty May Adams on October 17, 1926) is an American film and television actress, sometimes credited as Julia Adams or Betty Adams.

A part-time secretary and actress raised in Arkansas, she began her film career in B-movie westerns.

She used her real name, Betty Adams, until 1949 when she began working for Universal Pictures. She then became Julia and eventually Julie Adams. Her first movie role was a minor part in Red, Hot and Blue (1949), followed by a leading role in the Lippert western The Dalton Gang (1949). Adams was featured as the bathing beauty Kay Lawrence in 1954's Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Later in her career, she played guest starring roles for television, including Maverick, The Man and the Challenge, and as real estate agent "Eve Simpson" on Murder, She Wrote.

Ricou Browning (born February 16, 1930) is an American film director, actor, producer and underwater cinematographer and action specialist.

Browning was born in Fort Pierce, Florida and was a physical education major at Florida State University. He grew up to start a career in water shows, moving on to produce shows. He moved into movies in 1954, playing the underwater role of the Gill-Man in Creature from the Black Lagoon (while Ben Chapman played the monster on land), a feat he repeated in two sequels. He continued in movie production and joined Ivan Tors' studios in Florida, where he was producer on Flipper (1963) and the writer on the following television series. He directed Hello Down There (1969) and Salty (1973). He also worked as second unit director, stunt coordinator and underwater sequence director on a number of features, including Island of the Lost (1967), Caddyshack (1980), Thunderball (1965) and Never Say Never Again (1983).

The character of Rikuo (a fishman creature) from Capcom's Darkstalkers series is named in honor of Ricou's portrayal of the Gill-Man from Creature from the Black Lagoon.

See Also: The Creature From The Black Lagoon Gets A Bad-Ass Makeover? / Creature From The Black Lagoon Musical Opens At Universal Studios Hollywood / Gort And The Creature From The Black Lagoon Go To High School in "Go Mutants!" / The Creature From The Black Lagoon Musical / King Kong, Godzilla And The Creature From The Black Lagoon At The Rose Parade / The Most Talked About Stories Of 2008 / The Top Ten Hottest Monsters Of 2008 / Life Magazine Discovers Rare Publicity Photos From Creature From The Black Lagoon - Update! / Life Magazine Discovers Rare Publicity Photos From Creature From The Black Lagoon / The Witch's Dungeon 40 Years Of Chills An Amazing Tribute To The Golden Age Of Horror / Creature From The Black Lagoon / The Creature No Longer Walks Among Us - Ben Chapman (1928 - 2008) / The Creature From The Black Lagoon Polystone Diorama / Universal Monsters Creature From The Black Lagoon Head Knocker / The Creature From The Black Lagoon Film Cell / 1:4 Scale Creature From The Black Lagoon Statue

Life Magazine Discovers Rare Publicity Photos From Creature From The Black Lagoon - Update!

Written By: Ken Hulsey (Intro) & Cortlandt Hull
Sources: Ben Chapman / Ricou Browning / Julie Adams
Photo Credits: Cortlandt Hull / Ben Chapman

Above - close up shot, from Ben Chapman's collection of the special color publicity costume made at Universal, with touches of red & the red lips. Note also the stomach plates are darker than the film costume. - Cortlandt Hull

Yesterday I posted a set of rare photos that were taken for a never published article on the movie, "Creature From The Black Lagoon" by Life Magazine. I read an article on the origin of the photos that stated that the pictures had been taken on location during filming. After examining the photos I came to the conclusion that the images were probably publicity shots taken after the fact. (See The Photos Here)

I decided to try and get to the bottom of the true origin of the photos, so I contacted Cortlandt Hull, a documentary film maker and owner of the "The Witch's Dungeon Classic Movie Museum" . I knew that Cortlandt had developed a long relationship with both Ben Chapman and Julie Adams, plus he had created a "life-sized" statue of the "Creature". I figured that if anyone could get me the facts on these photos it would be him.

Cortlandt was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule, condensing about a zillion hours worth of interviews and film footage down to a workable four hours of content for his upcoming documentary ""Legends Of Film & Fantasy", to give me the true story.

Here is a copy of the e-mail Cortlandt sent me, including rare photos from his collection:


Above - special color costume Ben spoke about, created for publicity photos by Universal,with red lips & touches of red in the costume.

These "Life Magazine" photos are a great find! But, I only hope these shots won't perpetuate the false notion that the Creatures lips were red! As BEN CHAPMAN told me several years ago, but unfortunately not on camera, a Life cameraman had shot full color photos of him in the special color publicity costume, which Universal had done specifically for their own color publicity shots. Ben always wondered why these photos never appeared in "Life Magazine". Sad, he never lived to see these wonderful shots appear. Just a year ago, we interviewed , actress, JULIE ADAMS for our new "Legends Of Film & Fantasy" documentary, currently in production. Julie stated exactly what Ben said - "The costume in the film was not painted with the vivid shades of the color publicity costume." Julie said - "The colors in the film costume were more muted, various shades of moss green - no red lips!" These photos were not taken during actual production of the film, but to promote the film.

However, there were two units shooting "Creature", which Ben mentioned, on camera in our first documentary, "The Witch's Dungeon 40 Years Of Chills". Ben was with Julie Adams, Richard Carlson, Richard Denning etc. all shooting at Universal's back lot "lagoon" which is what you see in these "Life" photos. It was only the underwater shots, and some establishing shots of the lagoon area, which were shot at "Wakulla Springs" in Florida, which is now a state park. Ricou Browning, although he did all the early tests in the costume at Universal, with
"Creature" creators, Jack Kevan & Chris Mueller, was only seen in underwater footage completely shot in Florida, with Ginger Stanley, doubling for Julie Adams, and other doubles for the underwater stunts. Then the footage was matched with what the cast had shot at Unversal's back lot. Ricou also explained this when we interviewed him.

(Above) are two shots, which were in Ben's personal collection, which he allowed us to scan, of the special color publicity costume. These shots have been seen before, but probably not as clear, as these were originals that Ben had. You can see this is the costume that Ben was wearing in the Life Magazine photos. The other shot (Below), of the costume hanging up at Universal's makeup department in 1971, I took myself, when John Chambers showed it to me. This is an actual color photo of the film costume Ben wore, not the publicity costume. Ben verified this for me, when I showed him my photo. - Cortlandt Hull

Above - photo of the original film costume Ben Chapman wore, not the publicity costume, taken at Universal's makeup department in 1971...

Above - BEN CHAPMAN having fun with our Creature figure. We were packing up for a show, he put the cape & hat of our Chaney "Red Death" on our Creature and said - "Now he's "The Phantom Of The Black Lagoon"! Ben was so much fun! We miss him.

Here is a shot of Julie Adams from our interview with her in our new documentary -the bust is from the museum collection, made from the original mold used for Ben Chapman's Creature head piece.

See Also: Life Magazine Discovers Rare Publicity Photos From Creature From The Black Lagoon / The Witch's Dungeon 40 Years Of Chills An Amazing Tribute To The Golden Age Of Horror / Creature From The Black Lagoon / The Creature No Longer Walks Among Us - Ben Chapman (1928 - 2008) / The Creature From The Black Lagoon Polystone Diorama / Universal Monsters Creature From The Black Lagoon Head Knocker / The Creature From The Black Lagoon Film Cell / 1:4 Scale Creature From The Black Lagoon Statue