The Giant Gila Monster

The Giant Gila Monster is an American 1959 monster film directed by Ray Kellogg and produced by Ken Curtis. A famous B-movie of the era, the film stars Don Sullivan, a veteran of several low budget monster and zombie films, and Lisa Simone, the French contestant for the 1957 Miss Universe, as well as comedic actor Shug Fisher and KLIF disc jockey Ken Knox. The effects included a live Mexican beaded lizard (not an actual Gila monster) filmed on a scaled-down model landscape.

The Giant Gila Monster
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ray Kellogg
Screenplay by	Jay Simms
Story by	Ray Kellogg
Produced by	Ken Curtis B.R. McLendon Gordon McLendon
Starring	Don Sullivan Fred Graham Lisa Simone Shug Fisher Bob Thompson
Narrated by	Gordon McLendon
Cinematography	Wilfred M. Cline
Edited by	Aaron Stell
Music by	Jack Marshall
Distributed by	McLendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company
Release date	June 25, 1959 (1959-06-25)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$138,000^[1]

Plot

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The Giant Gila Monster

A gigantic, mutated Gila monster begins stalking a rural Texas community. Young couple, Pat (Grady Vaughn) and Liz (Yolanda Salas), are attacked by the creature while parked in their vehicle overlooking a ravine, sending the car crashing into the ravine below. Local sheriff (Fred Graham) launches a search for the missing couple, assisted by their friends, including Chase Winstead (Sullivan), a young mechanic and hot rod racer. Chase locates the crashed car in the ravine, the inside smeared with blood and the couple nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile the creature continues its attacks, eating livestock and crashing an oil tanker, before eventually destroying a bridge, causing a major train accident. Only after this do the authorities realize that they are dealing with a giant venomous lizard. By this time, emboldened by its attacks and hungry for prey, the creature attacks the town. It heads for the local dance hall, where the town's teenagers are gathered for a sock hop. In an effort to stop the monster, Chase packs his prized hot rod with nitroglycerin and rigs it to speed straight into the Gila monster, killing it in a fiery explosion and heroically saving the town.

Cast

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Don Sullivan as Chase Winstead
Lisa Simone as Lisa
Fred Graham as Sheriff Jeff
Shug Fisher as Old Man Harris
Bob Thompson as Mr. Wheeler
Janice Stone as Missy Winstead
Ken Knox as Horatio Alger "Steamroller" Smith
Gay McLendon as Mrs. Winstead
Don Flournoy as Gordy
Cecil Hunt as Mr. Compton
Stormy Meadows as Agatha Humphries
Howard Ware as Ed Humphries
Pat Reeves as Rick
Jan McLendon as Jennie
Jerry Cortwright as Bob
Beverly Thurman as Gay
Clarke Browne as Chuck
Grady Vaughn as Pat Wheeler
Desmond Doogh as hitchhiker
Ann Sonka as Whila
Yolanda Salas as Liz Humphries
Patricia Simmons as Sherry (uncredited)
Angus G. Wynne III as dumb teen (uncredited)

Production and release

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Drive-in advertisement from 1959 for The Giant Gila Monster alongside its co-feature, The Killer Shrews.

Filmed near Dallas, Texas, the film was budgeted at $175,000 and was produced by Dallas drive-in theater chain owner Gordon McLendon^[2] who wanted co-features for his main attractions. McLendon shot the film back to back with The Killer Shrews. Both films were feted as the first feature films shot in and produced in Dallas, and the first movies to premiere as double features. Unlike most double features released in the South, these films received national and even foreign distribution.^[3]

In exchange for doing the special effects, Kellogg was allowed to direct the film. Curtis allowed Sullivan to pick the songs with the teenage market in mind. Knox, who played Horatio Alger "Steamroller" Smith, was an actual disc jockey working at radio stations in Texas owned by McLendon.^[4] As noted above, the "Gila monster" in the movie is actually a Mexican beaded lizard (which are similar in appearance but tend to be larger than Gilas).

The film's world premiere took place in Dallas on June 25, 1959.^[5]

Reception

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On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings Dave Sindelar gave the film a positive review, writing, "Whatever flaws there are with the story, I find myself drawn to the regional feel of the movie, and especially to the likable characters that inhabit this environment...It's rare for a movie to have this many likable characters, and I think the reason I watch the movie again and again is because I just like to spend time with them".^[6] TV Guide gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "a rear-projected monster just doesn't put audiences in a deep state of fear, especially when it's a lizard. It does, however, induce occasional uncontrolled laughter".^[7] Alan Jones from Radio Times awarded the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it "unintentionally amusing rather than scary".^[8]