Beware! The Blob
Encyclopedia
Beware! The Blob is a 1972 sequel to horror science-fiction film The Blob
. The film was directed by Larry Hagman
. The screenplay was penned by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods III, based on a story by Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair. The film originally earned a GP rating from the MPAA, though it is now unrated.
) returns to his suburban Los Angeles
home from the North Pole, bringing with him a small sample of a mysterious frozen substance uncovered by a bulldozer on a job site. Prior to taking the blob to a lab to be analyzed, he places the storage container with the substance in his freezer, but he and his wife accidentally let it thaw, releasing "the Blob". It starts by eating a fly, then a kitten, Chester's wife, and then Chester himself (while he is watching a television broadcast of the film The Blob
).
Lisa (Gwynne Gilford
), a friend, walks in to see Chester being devoured by the Blob. She escapes, but cannot get anyone to believe her, not even her boyfriend Bobby (Robert Walker, Jr.). Meanwhile the rapidly-growing creature quietly preys upon the town. Some of its victims include a police officer and two hippies (Cindy Williams
and Randy Stonehill
) in a storm drain, a barber (Shelley Berman
) and his client, transients (played by director Hagman, Burgess Meredith
and Del Close
), a Scout Master (Dick Van Patten
), a farm-full of chickens, and a bar full of people (off camera).
At one point Lisa and Bobby find themselves trapped in Bobby's truck with the creature attempting to find a way inside. In the panic the truck's air conditioning is accidentally switched on and the Blob retreats, establishing its vulnerability to cold as in the original film (though the characters, also as in the 1958 original, do not immediately make the connection).
The now-massive blob then invades a bowling alley and a skating rink (consuming dozens more people in the process). It is finally stopped when Bobby activates the rink's ice mechanism, freezing it.
While the frozen blob is being filmed by a television crew, one of the crew's bright lights is positioned on the ground, melting a small portion of it, which oozes toward the sheriff and envelopes his feet as he is speaking on camera. The movie ends with a cliffhanger, not knowing if the Blob is stopped, as it is about to engulf the local sheriff.
and Pomona, California
, both 30 miles east of Los Angeles
. In an interview in Fangoria
magazine, screenwriter Anthony Harris stated that a good portion of the filmed material was improvised on the set and that the script was ignored.
As in the original 1958 film, the Blob was largely portrayed by gallons of dyed red silicone. In this film, in certain scenes the Blob was alternately created from other materials including a large red plastic balloon, semi-transparent red plastic sheeting, and a large rotating red drum of hard silicone placed in front of the camera lens (referred to among fans as the "Blob-Cam" shot).
This is the only feature film directed by Larry Hagman. His other directorial credits include several television shows.
Dean Cundey
, who would later go on to be a cinematographer on such films as Halloween
, The Thing, the Back to the Future series and Jurassic Park
, worked on Beware! The Blob as one of the three special effects technicians (alongside supervisor Tim Baar and Conrad Rothmann) responsible for creating the blob effects. Cundey was also the camera operator on second unit shots of the blob eating the fly, the kitten, etc.
Cast member Del Close later appeared in the 1988 remake of The Blob
.
.
The Blob
The Blob is an independently made 1958 American horror/science-fiction film that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania...
. The film was directed by Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman
Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
. The screenplay was penned by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods III, based on a story by Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair. The film originally earned a GP rating from the MPAA, though it is now unrated.
Plot
An oil pipeline layer named Chester (Godfrey CambridgeGodfrey Cambridge
-External links:*...
) returns to his suburban Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
home from the North Pole, bringing with him a small sample of a mysterious frozen substance uncovered by a bulldozer on a job site. Prior to taking the blob to a lab to be analyzed, he places the storage container with the substance in his freezer, but he and his wife accidentally let it thaw, releasing "the Blob". It starts by eating a fly, then a kitten, Chester's wife, and then Chester himself (while he is watching a television broadcast of the film The Blob
The Blob
The Blob is an independently made 1958 American horror/science-fiction film that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania...
).
Lisa (Gwynne Gilford
Gwynne Gilford
Gloria Gwynne Gilford is an American actress. She appeared in several television series in the 1970s and 1980s, including A New Kind of Family, The Young Lawyers and The Waverly Wonders, and had a role in the 1987 film version of Masters of the Universe.Gilford was born in Los Angeles, California,...
), a friend, walks in to see Chester being devoured by the Blob. She escapes, but cannot get anyone to believe her, not even her boyfriend Bobby (Robert Walker, Jr.). Meanwhile the rapidly-growing creature quietly preys upon the town. Some of its victims include a police officer and two hippies (Cindy Williams
Cindy Williams
Cynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of "Shirley Feeney", and for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.-Early life:Williams was born in Van Nuys,...
and Randy Stonehill
Randy Stonehill
Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
) in a storm drain, a barber (Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
) and his client, transients (played by director Hagman, Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
and Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
), a Scout Master (Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
), a farm-full of chickens, and a bar full of people (off camera).
At one point Lisa and Bobby find themselves trapped in Bobby's truck with the creature attempting to find a way inside. In the panic the truck's air conditioning is accidentally switched on and the Blob retreats, establishing its vulnerability to cold as in the original film (though the characters, also as in the 1958 original, do not immediately make the connection).
The now-massive blob then invades a bowling alley and a skating rink (consuming dozens more people in the process). It is finally stopped when Bobby activates the rink's ice mechanism, freezing it.
While the frozen blob is being filmed by a television crew, one of the crew's bright lights is positioned on the ground, melting a small portion of it, which oozes toward the sheriff and envelopes his feet as he is speaking on camera. The movie ends with a cliffhanger, not knowing if the Blob is stopped, as it is about to engulf the local sheriff.
Production
Filming occurred in and around Diamond Bar, CaliforniaDiamond Bar, California
Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 55,544 at the 2010 census, down from 56,287 at the 2000 census. It is named after the "diamond over a bar" branding iron registered in 1918 by ranch owner Frederick E...
and Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, both 30 miles east of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In an interview in Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
magazine, screenwriter Anthony Harris stated that a good portion of the filmed material was improvised on the set and that the script was ignored.
As in the original 1958 film, the Blob was largely portrayed by gallons of dyed red silicone. In this film, in certain scenes the Blob was alternately created from other materials including a large red plastic balloon, semi-transparent red plastic sheeting, and a large rotating red drum of hard silicone placed in front of the camera lens (referred to among fans as the "Blob-Cam" shot).
This is the only feature film directed by Larry Hagman. His other directorial credits include several television shows.
Dean Cundey
Dean Cundey
-Life and career:Cundey was born in Alhambra, California, United States. As a child, he used to build model sets, suggesting an interest in films from an early age...
, who would later go on to be a cinematographer on such films as Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
, The Thing, the Back to the Future series and Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
, worked on Beware! The Blob as one of the three special effects technicians (alongside supervisor Tim Baar and Conrad Rothmann) responsible for creating the blob effects. Cundey was also the camera operator on second unit shots of the blob eating the fly, the kitten, etc.
Cast member Del Close later appeared in the 1988 remake of The Blob
The Blob (1988 film)
The Blob is a 1988 American monster horror film distributed by Tristar Pictures. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, which starred Steve McQueen. The film was written by Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont and directed by Russell. The shooting took place in Abbeville, Louisiana.-Plot:A...
.
Release
In 1982 the film was re-issued with the tagline "The film that J.R. shot!" in an attempt to capitalize on the success of Hagman's television series DallasDallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
.
Cast
- Robert WalkerRobert Walker Jr.Robert Hudson Walker, Jr. is an American actor.He was born in Queens, New York and is the elder son of actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. A younger brother, Michael Walker, died in 2007 ....
as Bobby Hartford - Gwynne GilfordGwynne GilfordGloria Gwynne Gilford is an American actress. She appeared in several television series in the 1970s and 1980s, including A New Kind of Family, The Young Lawyers and The Waverly Wonders, and had a role in the 1987 film version of Masters of the Universe.Gilford was born in Los Angeles, California,...
as Lisa Clark - Richard Stahl as Edward Fazio
- Richard WebbRichard Webb (actor)Richard Webb was a film, television and radio actor. He was born in Bloomington, Illinois.He appeared in more than fifty films, including many westerns and films noir including Out of the Past , Night Has a Thousand Eyes , I Was a Communist for the FBI and Carson City...
as Sheriff Jones - Marlene Clark as Mariane Hargis
- Gerrit GrahamGerrit GrahamGerrit Graham is an American actor and songwriter. He's appeared in such films as Used Cars, TerrorVision, National Lampoon's Class Reunion, and Greetings, where he worked with Brian DePalma for the first time...
as Joe, Ape-Suited Party Guest - J. J. JohnstonJ. J. JohnstonJ.J. Johnston is an American theatre and film actor and boxing historian and writer.-Books:Johnston, a former amateur boxer, is the author of several books on the history of boxing....
as Sheriff's Deputy Kelly - Dick Van PattenDick Van PattenRichard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
as Scoutmaster - Tiger Joe Marsh as Soviet Dong
- Fred Smoot as Pinsetter Repairman
- Randy StonehillRandy StonehillRandall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
as Guitar player, singer - Cindy WilliamsCindy WilliamsCynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of "Shirley Feeney", and for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.-Early life:Williams was born in Van Nuys,...
as Hippie - Preston Hagman as Preston, a Boy ScoutBoy ScoutA Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
- Larry NormanLarry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
as Party guest, coffee shop customer - Bill Coontz as William B. Foster
- Shelley BermanShelley BermanSheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
as Hair Stylist - Godfrey CambridgeGodfrey Cambridge-External links:*...
as Chester Hargis - Larry HagmanLarry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
as Hobo - Carol LynleyCarol LynleyCarol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Life and career:Lynley was born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, the daughter of Frances , a waitress, and Cyril Jones. Her father was Irish and her mother, a native of New England, was of English, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Native...
as Leslie - Burgess MeredithBurgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
as Hobo (uncredited) - Conrad Rothmann as Fireman (uncredited)
- Danny GoldmanDanny GoldmanDanny Goldman is an American actor, voice artist, and, more recently, casting director. Among his many notable credits include a small role in Young Frankenstein, the voice of Brainy Smurf, Ozzie the Answer in the 1980s detective drama Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and as Dr. Denton on Get Smart,...
as Party Guest, coffee shop customer (uncredited - Goldman is often confused for similar-looking actor Bud CortBud CortBud Cort is an American film and stage actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his portrayals of Harold in Hal Ashby's 1971 film Harold and Maude and the titular hero in Robert Altman's 1970 film Brewster McCloud...
, who does not appear in the film) - Rockne Tarkington Sheriff's Deputy
- Tim Baar
- Del CloseDel CloseDel Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
as Hobo (uncredited) - John Houser
- Robert N. Goodman
- Patrick McAllister
- Byron Keith
- Margie Adleman