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The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 11:30 pm    Post subject: The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) Reply with quote




Just a little south of the Texas border, the cattle ranchers are having trouble with an unusual rustler -- a Tyrannosaurus Rex.





This is one of the few non-Harryhausen stop-motion animation films produced during the 1950s. The original concept was bought from Willis O'Brien by Edward and William Nassour, but they reneged on their promise to hire O'Brien to do the animation, for which the movie suffers. The Nassours did it themselves.





The animation is extremely rough, but the model of the tyrannosaurus is pretty good (except for its excessively long tongue, which looks like a red tentacle!)





Be prepared for a long wait before the dinosaur shows up; the first two-thirds of the film is pure Western soap opera and endless filler scenes of Mexican fiestas. The dinosaur doesn't actually make an appearance until the last twenty minutes of the film.







The climax, however, is action packed, a running battle on the open range between a hungry dinosaur and the cowboy hero, Guy Madison (star of TV's Wild Bill Hickok from 1954 to 1957). Patricia Medina is the attractive heroine.







Watch for a scene in which the tyrannosaurus runs after a galloping horse; the animation was done with a series of plaster models, each one posed at a different point in the running reptile's stride. Special effects processing was handled by Jack Rabin and Louis DeWitt, who also did Kronos and Atomic Submarine.

Directed by Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez.






____________________________________________

Trivia note: The tyrannosaurus in Beast of Hollow Mountain is one of many sci-fi monsters that were defeated by actors who achieved fame in cowboy roles.

In Tarantula, the spider is destroyed by a bomb dropped by Clint Eastwood.

The Martians in War of the Worlds are pitted against Gene Barry, star of TV's Bat Masterson.

The ants in Them are gunned down by James Arness of Gunsmoke.

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms dies from a radioactive bullet fired by Lee Van Cleef, star of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugley.

The Blob proves to be no match for Steve McQueen, star of Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Other famous cowboys in 1950s sci-fi movies include Eric Fleming (Rawhide) in The Conquest of Space and Queen of Outer Space.

Michael Landon (Bonanza) was in I Was a Teenaged Werewolf, and Ken Curtis (Festus of Gunsmoke) in The Killer Shrews.

Sci-fi veteran Richard Carlson never achieved fame as a cowboy star, but he did get to play a cowboy in Ray Harryhausen's faithful 1968 version of the original cowboy-versus-dinosaur idea which was first thought up by Willis O'Brien back in the 1930s, Valley of Gwangi -- twenty years before Beast of Hollow Mountain!

And that, folks, brings the whole thing full circle very neatly indeed!

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Robert (Butch) Day
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

According to IMDb he was also in the TV series Bonanza, Rawhide, The Virginian, Wagon Train, and was the star of MacKenzie's Raiders and the movie Kid Rodelo. All Westerns.

His first appearance as a scientist was way back in 1939 when he played Professor John Welden in Winter Carnival.

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guy Madison was married to Gail Russell who was one of the leads in a terrific ghost story movie "The Uninvited."
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Gail Russel had a tragic life. Wikipedia says -- "She had started drinking on the set of The Uninvited to ease her paralyzing stage fright and lack of self-confidence. . . on August 26, 1961, Russell was found dead in her apartment in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 36. She died from liver damage attributed to long-term alcohol abuse."

She was especially good in The Angel and the Outlaw. She had those sad, bedroom eyes when she gave John Wayne those adoring looks. Very appealing.



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Brent Gair
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Available on a cheap Blu-ray double feature.

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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brent Gair wrote:
Available on a cheap Blu-ray double feature.

Hey, I don't remember the nostril smoke!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smoking nostrils would have helped distract the audience from that writhing, phallic tongue! Shocked

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* Click on the poster and watch a funny "trailer" for this movie, created by a kid with a great sense of humor. Example:

New York Times exclaims:
"You'll wet yourself!"

5-Star rating!

* (5 stars out of 50 . . . )

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

IMDB has a long and interesting trivia item for this movie, and I've broken into sections for this posts. Very Happy
________________________________

The beast was animated using two separate stop-motion animation methods. A two-foot-high armatured, rubber-covered model was moved, exposing a frame at a time.

Note from me: A two-foot high animation model? Holy cow, Harryhausen's models are always much smaller than that! Shocked

Also utilized was replacement animation, a technique that involved several different models of the same character made of plaster, each slightly different to represent a particular action. When filmed in sequence for a few frames per second, the illusion of motion is achieved.

Note from me: This is what George Pal used, and so did Harryhausen for some of the work he did for George.

Also utilized was replacement animation, a technique that involved several different models of the same character made of plaster, each slightly different to represent a particular action. When filmed in sequence for a few frames per second, the illusion of motion is achieved.

Note from me: This technique was, of course, used by O'Brien and Harryhausen throughout their careers.

Two large rubber feet were filmed for the shots of the monster walking, which were worn as shoes by a technician.

Note from me: Right, and the ridiculous rubber feet provided unintentional laughs every time they appear on screen. I doubt the sanity and the common sense of filmmakers when they do dumb things like that. Rolling Eyes

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Another enjoyable " . . . Without People" video, this time for The Beast of Hollow Mountain. I think I'll find out how many more of these there might be. Very Happy

Even though there's no long scenes of people in this clip, there's plenty of scenes showing stampeding cattle, all of which is borrowed from various Westerns.

The scenes give the term "stock footage" a new meaning! I guess strictly speaking it should called "livestock footage". Laughing

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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

______________

_____ The Beast of Hollow Mountain movie trailer


__________




~ stars Guy Madison, Patricia Medina
Directed by Edward Nassour,Ismael Rodríguez / writer: Willis O'Brien

The Beast of the title is a predatory Tyrannosaurus Rex, inexplicably still existing in a mountainous region of Mexico in the early 20th century, preying on cattle and sometimes on humans.

____________

I should mention the specific kind of stop-motion animation that was used. I wasn't really aware of it — a process called "replacement animation", a technique involving several different models of the same character, each slightly different to represent a particular action.

There was one scene near the end when the T-Rex gallops (as I described it) after two of the cowboys who are on foot, and that scene is what prompts mention of the technique. This was the work of Willis O'Brien, by the way — some of his last work, followed by The Black Scorpion and The Giant Behemoth. Ray Harryhausen later provided the dino FX for The Valley of Gwangi (1969) which, I believe, was also a concept of O'Brien's.

The weakness of the film, for me, is a very uneventful 50 minutes before we ever see the dinosaur. The locations are nice, but the T-Rex — the Beast — doesn't show up until the final half-hour. I was also struck by how silently the Beast moves, such as when it's after the little kid (again, near the end).

Contrast this with the earth shaking when the T-Rex in Jurassic Park moves! But, the stuff that really made me want to turn away in embarrassment were the insert shots of the Beast's feet when it's walking — obviously fake rubber feet worn by some guy.

Still, when the T-Rex does show up, it's almost non-stop action & adventure for a few cowboys, a mexican boy, and a lady in peril. I liked the long shots of the T-Rex as it circles a little cabin, trying to get in. But the scenes are marred by the long, hysterical tongue that snakes out from the T-Rex's mouth from time to time! Laughing

BoG's Score: 5 out of 10



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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________

An important correction I need to mention on something Bogmeister states in his interesting review. He says that the Willis O'Brien did the animation, but what I've read is this statement below, from my initial posts.


Bud Brewster wrote:
The original concept was bought from Willis O'Brien by Edward and William Nassour, but they reneged on their promise to hire O'Brien to do the animation, for which the movie suffers. The Nassours did it themselves.

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: Other that using a better model of the T-Rex and getting a skilled animator to provide the stop motion, how could we fix this poor movie?

~ My Theory: I think the premise of this move, which includes the period and the location, has a great deal of potential.

Admittedly it's harder to explain the existence of a single surviving prehistoric beast, 65 million years after all his relatives are dead and fossilized, than a "Lost World" with a complete ecosystem with lots of unfossilized inhabitants who keep the place well supplied with the pitter-patter of little reptilian feet.

But The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms offered one (unconvincing) way to resurrect a critter from the dim past, and it was just good enough to seem sorta-kinda possible.






With that in mind, what sorta-kinda possible way could we concoct fer this here mangy tee-ranysaurus to survive, just south of the boarder, down Mexico way?

Amazingly enough, the very title of the movie solves the problem for us! Think about it; the T-Rex is, in fact, The Beast of HOLLOW Mountain!

Like . . . duh! Rolling Eyes

We even get a scene in which the characters hide from the dinosaur in a cave. So, why not have our T-Rex survive by being preserved inside a vast cavern which contains a rare gas, one that puts him into a state of (wait for it . . . ) suspended animation.

Brother, if THAT ain't irony, I don't know what is!

An earthquake opens up the cavern and revives the T-Rex. After awakening, he comes lumber out while desperately trying to rub his sleepy eyes with little arms that won't even reach his chin! Then he sets out to rustle up his first breakfast in 65,000 millennium.

And that's just what he does. He rustle up breakfast. Laughing






Since we've come up with a way to preserve a T-Rex in Mexico, why not stick a few smaller dinosaurs in that cave and have them all come galloping out — with the T-Rex in hot pursuit!

In other words, the T-Rex's exit from the cave is his grand entrance into the story! (More irony. Ya gotta love it!) Very Happy

Fortunately for our purposes, the movie also includes scenes in a swamp near Hollow Mountain. So, our collection of newly revived denizens from the past would immediately turn the swamp into a "mini Lost World", with the medium-sized dinosaurs gobbling up the snakes and frogs while they clash with the alligators.

Ya-hoo! Animation scenes galore! Cool

And since we've got a T-Rex rustling cattle —


_Dinosaur Eats A Cow — The Beast Of Hollow Mountain


__________


— let's sic the local gauchos on this hombre and include a great roping scene!







Remember, Willis O'Brien was originally told he could do the animation — but them low-down varmints, the Nassours brothers, plum cheated him out of it! Sad

Obviously what I'm doing here is fixing The Beast of Hollow Mountain by also fixing The Valley of Gwangi, which has plenty of animation, but (in my opinion) needs a much better story! Shocked

So, this would sort of combine the two and make "Gwangi" unnecessary, because Willis and Ray could work together on it.

Shucks, it's a damn shame this here real fine idee 'a mine couldn't be real.
Crying or Very sad
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another way to go, Bud, would be to set the bulk of the movie within Hollow Mountain itself for a change of pace.

The cowboys for some reason enter Hollow Mountain. They could be fleeing an outlaw gang, taking refuge during a violent storm. Perhaps the outlaws have descended en masse upon the Mexican town we see in the movie. People battle them best they can, but the gang is just too large and well organized to stand up against.

People then start to flee the town and some wind up at Hollow Mountain. I'm including the town because I was always impressed by its look. It appeared to be an authentic 19th century Mexican town and not a studio back lot replica western town.

Our group who has reached Hollow Mountain decide to enter it to hide from the bandits. To add to their woes a fierce storm has arisen driving 'em further into the cave.

The intense storm causes boulders to fall from the mountain and block off the entrance. This forces the group to enter even deeper into the cave.

What they discover astonishes them all!

The cave is incredibly large. Similar to the 3-million year old Hang Son Doong cave discovered in central Vietnam.

That cave is so enormous it has its own localized weather system and eco-system. Collapsed ceiling have allowed microscopic organisms to grow. It has rivers rushing throughout it.

So the Hollow Mountain cave will be just like Han Son Doong, maybe even larger!

The group was able to flee the town in several wagons, perhaps they also meet some wagons that were going into town and warn them of the siege of the town. These wagons join up with our group.

I'm including this plot point because these wagons could have various supplies in them that will allow the group of reluctant spelunkers to have critical items in exploring the cave.

Rifles, ammo, fuel for cooking, food and so forth.

Unfortunately for all of them, they come upon the Beast just as it is awakening from its centuries long hibernation.

The rest of the film is them trying desperately to avoid the dinosaur and make their way out of the cave.

I thought it'd be fun to set the film within the cave instead of the usual trope of a monster coming out into civilization.

The people would be on their own without any help from the outside world. This'd raise the stakes.

Maybe at some point they are able to fashion their wagons together to float along the river?

I thought this would be a different approach by setting the movie inside a cave. Few films seem to have made a cave the primary setting. Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Core, and some horror films have done so. Still, its not exactly an overused trope.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Brother, now you're taking! What a terrific action movie that would make. Bravo!

The only small revision I'd suggest is practically microscopic. Very Happy

Your thrilling story is about a huge undiscovered cave with a completely accessible entrance (at the start), and a thriving ecosystem. Unlike what I described, it's not sealed off and filled with a gas that has preserved the dinosaurs until the earthquake finally opens is up.

If the characters walk into this gas-filled cave, won't they pass out too? Confused

But of course, that's no problem. You can just remove the reference to the dinosaur being in suspended animation before the characters enter the cave. Very Happy

What do you think?

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Mike, your story idea is so completely original that it differs significantly from both that lousy movie and my own attempt to modify it in many ways, even though I left other parts about the same.

But what really blew me away, Mike, was your suggestion about the cave which the characters discover which is similar to the one in Viet Nam ! Holy crap, that place is amazing! :shock;

The images of the Hang Son Doong cave I've posted below are incredible! Shocked

It's just like Sir Conan Doyle's plateau in The Lost Worldbut in reverse!!

Instead of being isolated from the surrounding area by sheer cliffs, it's isolated by its subterranean nature!






You're idea about setting the story in a cavern system like that one far surpasses the movie's Mexican environment. With that in mind, please allow me to suggest the following.

Instead of setting this story in the arid region of Mexico, why not place the adventure in Asia? It would start with the astounding discovery of an even bigger cavern than Hang Son Doong . . . and these caverns actually contain prehistoric creatures!

Furthermore, since these creatures have had 65 million years to evolve and adapt to their incredible underground world, we're perfectly free to invent radically different creatures — instead of simply trotting out all the usual dinosaurs we've seen for decades. Rolling Eyes

For example, what if we including something like this? Very Happy






And remember, there's a great deal of water in the Hang Son Doong cave.





That means we could include quite a few aquatic life forms . . . like this guy!





Imagine a scene in which our intrepid explorers in this underground "Lost World" find themselves paddling across a crystal clear pool of water . . . while keeping a keen eye out for the monsters which might be below them!





As for why the dinosaurs stay isolated in these caves when it has so many areas open to the outside word — that problem is easily solved! Cool

Having evolved in an environment which rarely gets direct sunlight, the dinosaurs avoid exposure to the most intense rays.








However, in all the cavern's areas which received indirect sunlight during most of the day, both they and the abundant plant life would be thriving.





In addition to this, the cavern's plant life has adapted as well. In fact, there are areas which flourish precisely because they rarely get direct sunlight!





Ironically, even in the areas which receive very little light all, the cave's flora proliferates!

In these low-light areas there are small-to-medium-sized creatures which thrive on these plants . . . simply because these animals are equally sensitive to the light!






There would, however, be creatures which actually ventured out of the caves to hunt at night, using openings like this one.





In fact . . . the most amazing creatures of this subterranean world are not the ones who remain hidden!

Some of the more evolved creatures would be capable of tolerating the sunlight around dawn and dusk to venture out and hunt for food in the surrounding region.

These animals would be able to enhance their diets and insure their own survival — as well as their dominance in the food chain!

Imagine a highly evolved animal similar to the one below — a creature like nothing the fossil record has ever shown us! Shocked






Wow, Mike! What if THIS guy was The Beasts of Hang Son Doong Mountain? He's the new Tyrannosaurus Rex — a "King Dinosaur" who possesses both higher intelligence and much better hands than his poor ancestor from long ago. Shocked

That's as far as I've gone with the concept your own comment inspire! Very Happy

Please feel free to add your thoughts to this thread. That's exactly what launched me into the post I made above! Cool

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