The Alligator People, 1959
"Her honeymoon turned into a nightmare of horror!"
Yes, that would be a normal reaction to having your new husband realize that the cure he took to prevent himself from turning into an alligator is not working. The groom jumps from the train; deserting his bride and fleeing for a bayou plantation, where his mother and a scientist try to use the latest science to effect a cure, or at least to hold the ongoing transformation in check.
Meanwhile, Lon Chaney Jr is on the plantation as a hook-handed alligator-hunter who has lecherous designs on the bride. The bride (Beverly Garland) has a lot of screaming to do as she not only has to face the problem of traversing the swamp at night (which she will have to do several times, and it of course is chock full of normal alligators) but she is starting to suspect something horrible about her poor missing husband (actor Richard Crane).
The Alligator People, directed by Roy Del Ruth, released July 1959, originally was presented as the bottom of a double-bill featuring Return of the Fly.
Suddenly, Last Alligator
In the same year that The Alligator People came out, a similar film drama containing a protagonist with a dark secret, a domineering mother, a frightened and (possibly crazy) heroine, hypnosis, inquiring doctors, and a sweaty, swampy landscape, was the Elizabeth Taylor movie of Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly, Last Summer.
Though this film is titled The Alligator People (a title similar to the famed Val Lewton money-maker of 1942 The Cat People), this alligator movie only contains one alligator person.
More Lon Chaney Jr.:
Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman - 1943
You will see Amazon links on this web site because I am an Amazon affiliate. I earn from qualifying purchases.
Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon - 512 Pages
"A dazzling portrait of an incredible woman. Elizabeth's life was more captivating than any film could ever be."— Demi Moore
"Brower’s book takes the reader into the private world of the most famous celebrity of the 20th century. Elizabeth’s heart, mind, and passion come vividly alive on each page. We see her as a woman who struggled and ultimately survived to rewrite the playbook on celebrity and power. I never wanted it to end!" — Brooke Shields
"Brower is quickly becoming a brand-name Washington writer because of her ability to deliver juicy tidbits and insider information while steering her books toward a mainstream audience without sacrificing historical credibility." — Christian Science Monitor on TEAM OF FIVE
Amazon Link to pre-order Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Hardcover
Audio Book version - Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
[This is an affiliate Amazon link which may provide a commission earned for this site. If that happens, we'll probably buy an old movie on Blu Ray with the proceeds.]
What's Recent
- Strangers on a Train - 1951
- Santo vs The Vampire Women 1962
- Salome, Where She Danced – 1945
- Picnic – 1955
- I Was A Male War Bride – 1949
- Here Come the Girls – 1953
- The Brass Bottle – 1964
- The Girl Can't Help It – 1957
- Uncharted – 2022
- Cyclotrode X – 1966
- L'emmerdeur (aka A Pain in the Ass) – 1973
- Robot Monster – 1953
Original Page January 2015 | UPdated Sept 2015 +