Wed 13 Aug 2014
A Sci-Fi Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: THE GIANT CLAW (1957).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , SF & Fantasy films[9] Comments
THE GIANT CLAW. Columbia Pictures, 1957. Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum, Louis Merrill, Edgar Barrier, Robert Shayne. Director: Fred F. Sears.
It’s not everyday that a hideously looking giant bird from outer space soars through American airspace. Even less frequent, I would guess, would that bird have some form of protective anti-matter barrier allowing it to escape detection by radar.
But that’s the exactly the case in the Sam Katzman-produced, The Giant Claw, a schlocky creature feature that manages to be silly, enjoyable, predictable, and just a little bit subversive.
Directed by Fred F. Sears, the story follows Mitch MacAfee (Jeff Morrow) and his mathematician girl friend, Sally Caldwell (Mara Corday), as they alternatively butt heads and team up with the U.S. military in an effort to destroy an extraterrestrial flying bird creature that threatens humanity. It’s obviously not a serious movie, but the two lead actors, to their credit, take their parts seriously enough to make it work.
As far as the creature, it’s indeed a strange looking thing, with bulging eyes and yes, a giant claw. Plus, it’s got an unusual hairstyle that looks more East Village in the 1980s than monster movie in the 1950s.
The bird’s tenacious, though. It’s immune to both conventional and atomic weapons and has little to no patience for rebellious teenagers. And it may have even seen King Kong, given its decision to perch on top of the Empire State Building at one point during the film.
If you think about it a bit, you come to realize that the film takes a slightly subversive approach to the military brass, which comes across as all too eager to initially disbelieve reports of the bird creature’s existence, then make its very existence classified once they realize that the reports were indeed true. In addition, they come across more than eager to utilize weapons to destroy it. It’s a theme that certainly not unique to The Giant Claw, but one which is fairly well developed for a late 1950s film.
I wouldn’t dare call The Giant Claw a great movie. In fact, it’s not really even a good movie in the traditional sense. But it’s got something really good going for it — it’s undeniably great escapism, made to entertain rather than to enlighten.
August 13th, 2014 at 9:50 pm
I kind of gave up on this movie early on, but I saw enough to wonder why Mara Corday was never given a chance at better roles than she seems to have ever had (given a quick look at her resume on IMDb).
August 13th, 2014 at 11:46 pm
Steve,
There is no answer to the question you raise regarding Mara Corday, just something we write off as life. As for the film, I thought it terrible, but the charms of Sam Katzman and Fred Sears escape me. Not a snobbish view point, but something personal. If you want to see something truly terrible have a look at Serpent of the Nile with Rhonda Fleming, in a black wig, playing Cleopatra and Raymond Burr as Mark Antony. William Castle directed that for Katzman and Columbia. This is not unsuccessful in the way that David Vineyard brilliantly, I think, analyzed and presented John Ford’s unfortunate take on Graham Greene’s novel in The Fugitive, but a cynical exercise with no meaning or point of view other than what might work for a moment.
August 14th, 2014 at 1:24 am
The creature is undeniably comical, but the laughs are generated by the fact that the poor actors were obviously expecting something a little more impressive from the special effects. The design is much more SESAME STREET than Ray Harryhausen. The result is that at first you laugh at the film, but as it goes on you start to sympathise for Morrow, Corday and co. Had a little more money been spent on the Claw we would remember the movie as solid but unremarkable effort.
August 14th, 2014 at 3:35 am
The dubious charm of Sam Katzman is that he never let a low budget hamper his imagination; nor did he ever indulge his fancies with any expenditure of note. His films are thus full of colorful notions only dully realized–or not realized at all — Like watching someone deconstruct the elements of story-teling. Early this year I set myself the task of watching all of the “Jungle Jim” movies back to back, and came away with a new appreciation of Cinema.
August 14th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Jeff Morrow was a guest at a film convention in the 70s, and apologized for this movie. Seems the producer wanted to save money so he went to a Mexican special effects company to design the creature.
August 14th, 2014 at 11:52 am
The producer should have apologized — for his career.
August 15th, 2014 at 4:16 pm
Morrow is much better in the actually good sf film KRONOS.
As for the subversion it’s not political but the same reason Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie picked on Scotland Yard. There is no drama or plot if the authorities listen to the hero first time out and leap into action.
Having been totally unprepared for two wars, this was the general public opinion of the brass in the in the era and shows up in all sorts of films including westerns. Much as they were respected, there was a far more jaundiced view of the high command in that era than now. too many people had actually served to think the military would react quickly and appropriately.
This is the standard Hollywood view of the high command.
August 15th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
sorry about the grammatical mistakes, I have some popups annoying me and have to stop and go run them off.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:28 pm
It’s not a bird…it’s a turkey. (the film)