Creature from the Black Lagoon **** (1954, Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Whit Bissell) – Classic Movie Review 1930

Universal Studios’ 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon is an endearing monster movie, featuring the rubber-costumed Gill Man (Ricou Browning in the water and Ben Chapman on dry land), a prehistoric beast fascinated by curvy Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams).

Co-writer/director Jack Arnold’s 1954 Universal Studios horror movie Creature from the Black Lagoon is a cheesy but endearing monster-on-the-loose chiller. It features the rubber-costumed Gill Man (played by Ricou Browning in the water and Ben Chapman on dry land), a strange prehistoric beast fascinated by curvaceous Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams, or Julia Adams as she is billed).

She is the only woman in a party of intrepid scientists who unwisely venture by boat into the mysterious Black Lagoon in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. As with King Kong, the scientists’ daft plan of course is to capture the beast and bring it back to ‘civilisation’ to study it.

Wooden but manly beefcake heroes Richard Carlson and Richard Denning (as David Reed and Mark Williams) squabble over Adams’s curvaceous Kay and what to do about the Creature, who eventually bumps off several of them and then makes off with curvaceous Kay.

Based on a story by Maurice Zimm, this cheaply made horror classic is occasionally pretty risible, mostly none too scary and always rather uneventful with not enough incident, especially considering its short running time. But, nevertheless, it has a strangely haunting pulp poetry, it is attractively filmed (particularly underwater) and does not outstay its welcome at 79 minutes. And it’s fun.

It was made in 3D and it is even more fun in 3D, originally projected by the polarised light method with the audience wearing viewers with gray polarizing filters.

It was shown in 3D in large city centre cinemas and in 2D in smaller local cinemas. It was re-released to cinemas in 1975 in the inferior red-and-blue-glasses anaglyph 3D format, also used for a 1980 home video release on Beta and VHS videocassettes

Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, Whit Bissell, Bernie Gozier, Rodd Redwing, Henry Escalante, Julio Lopez and Sydney Mason co-star.

The story goes back to Citizen Kane in 1941. Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa and producer William Alland were at dinner party while Alland was filming his role as reporter Thompson. Figueroa recalled the myth of a race of half-fish, half-human creatures in the Amazon River. A whole 10 years later, Alland wrote notes for a story titled The Sea Monster, inspired by Figueroa and by Beauty and the Beast. Then in December 1952, Maurice Zimm expanded this into a treatment, which Harry Essex and Arthur A Ross rewrote as The Black Lagoon screenplay.

And now, credit where credit is due. Disney animator and Universal Studios effects artist Milicent Patrick is the designer of the head costume for the Gill Man, with Bud Westmore as the make-up artist. Jack Kevan created the body suit, while Chris Mueller Jr sculpted the head. Ginger Stanley did underwater stunts in the first two Creature films. Ben Chapman portrayed the Gill Man for most of the scenes shot at Universal City, California. Above-water scenes were filmed at Rice Creek near Palatka, Florida. Ricou Browning’s underwater shots as the Gill Man were filmed by the second unit in Wakulla Springs, Florida. He held his breath underwater for up to four minutes at a time.

Browning recalled: ‘I would hold my breath and go do the scene, and I’d have other safety people with other air hoses to give me air if I needed it. We had a signal. If I went totally limp, it meant I needed it. It worked out well and we didn’t have any problems.’

The underwater sequences are directed by James C Havens and photographed by Charles S Welbourne. Jack Kevan, who also created the similar monster suit for The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959), worked on The Wizard of Oz (1939) and made prosthetics for amputees during World War Two.

The Gill Man Creature takes its time-honoured place among the classic Universal Monsters.

The cast are Richard Carlson as Dr David Reed, Julia Adams as Kay Lawrence, Richard Denning as Dr Mark Williams, Antonio Moreno as Dr Carl Maia, Nestor Paiva as Captain Lucas, Whit Bissell as Dr Edwin Thompson, Bernie Gozier as Zee, Henry Escalante as Chico, Ricou Browning as the Gill Man (underwater) and Ben Chapman as the Gill Man (on land), Rodd Redwing, Henry Escalante, Julio Lopez and Sydney Mason

Creature from the Black Lagoon became so popular that it merited two sequels. Next comes Revenge of the Creature (1955), and then The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). Ricou Browning again played the Gill Man in the underwater scenes. It is also influential. Marilyn Monroe went to see it in The Seven Year Itch and sympathised with the monster. Steven Spielberg used it as inspiration for the start of Jaws.

The Universal Monsters Shared Universe franchise kicked off with the reboot of The Mummy in 2017. The slate of films was also to have included remakes of The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Van Helsing, but was derailed after the disappointment of The Mummy. In 2023 the Creature from the Black Lagoon remake is still in development.

American actress, makeup artist, special effects designer and animator Milicent Patrick (11 November 1915 – 24 February 1998) was born Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi, in El Paso, Texas. In 1939 she began working for Walt Disney Studios as one of their first female animators, then went to Universal Studios, as the first woman to work in a special effects and makeup department.

Julie Adams, best known for playing the damsel in distress in Creature from the Black Lagoon, died on 3 February 2019, aged 92. She also starred opposite Rock Hudson in 1953’s The Lawless Breed, Van Helfin in 1953’s Wings of the Hawk, Elvis Presley in 1965’s Tickle Me and Dennis Hopper in 1971’s The Last Movie.

Guillermo del Toro’s 2017 Oscar winner The Shape of Water is inspired by Creature from the Black Lagoon. He said: ‘I mourn Julie Adams’ passing. It hurts in a place deep in me, where monsters swim.’

Ricou Browning in March 2019.

Ricou Browning died at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, on 27 February 2023, aged 93.

Browning also co-created the 1963 film Flipper with Jack Cowden, and directed a number of episodes of the 1960s TV series. He directed the underwater sequences in 1965’s Thunderball and Never Say Never Again (1983) as well as in the comedy films Hello Down There (1969) and Caddyshack (1980). He was the last surviving original actor to portray any of the Universal classic monsters.