Killdozer (film)
Encyclopedia
Killdozer! is a 1974 made for TV
science-fiction/horror movie, adapted from a 1944 novella
by Theodore Sturgeon
. A comic-book adaptation appeared the same year, in Marvel Comics
Worlds Unknown
#6 (April 1974).
.
Foreman Kelly (Clint Walker
) and bulldozer driver Mack (Robert Urich
) uncover the meteorite, which emits a strange sound. When the bulldozer is used to try and shift the meteorite it emits a blue light and seems to possess the bulldozer. Mack, standing nearby as this occurs, falls ill and then dies. Chub (Neville Brand
), the team's mechanic, can not find anything wrong with the non-functioning bulldozer, but can hear the odd sound behind the scoop. Kelly orders that the bulldozer not be used.
Beltran (James A. Watson Jr) ignores the prohibition and starts the bulldozer, bringing it to malevolent life. It destroys the camp's only two-way radio and begins a rampage, killing the workers one by one. It seems to run indefinitely in spite of a limited fuel capacity. The machine has some rudimentary intelligence and guile, and hunts down the men.
The crew is soon reduced to just Kelly and Dennis (Carl Betz
). Running out of options they jokingly convict the bulldozer of murder and devise methods of 'executing' it. Too heavy to hang, too big for the gas chamber... until they realize it might be electrocuted. They lure it to a trap consisting of woven metal matting used for temporary runways during World War II, connected to a generator.
As the bulldozer is electrified, the alien entity emerges as an aura around the machine, then finally fades. The men shut down the power and check the scoop: no sound. Kelly realizes his story will not be believed as he is a recovering alcoholic - and this job was his last chance to redeem himself.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
science-fiction/horror movie, adapted from a 1944 novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
. A comic-book adaptation appeared the same year, in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Worlds Unknown
Worlds Unknown
Worlds Unknown was a science fiction comic book published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s that adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon.-Publication history:...
#6 (April 1974).
Plot
An ancient meteorite crashes onto the Earth's surface. Six construction workers later begin work building an airstrip at the site, on an island off the coast of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Foreman Kelly (Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
) and bulldozer driver Mack (Robert Urich
Robert Urich
Robert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
) uncover the meteorite, which emits a strange sound. When the bulldozer is used to try and shift the meteorite it emits a blue light and seems to possess the bulldozer. Mack, standing nearby as this occurs, falls ill and then dies. Chub (Neville Brand
Neville Brand
Neville Brand was an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Neville Brand was born in Illinois. He was born to Leo and Helen Brand as one of seven children. Leo, was an electrician and bridge building steel worker in Detroit, where Neville was raised...
), the team's mechanic, can not find anything wrong with the non-functioning bulldozer, but can hear the odd sound behind the scoop. Kelly orders that the bulldozer not be used.
Beltran (James A. Watson Jr) ignores the prohibition and starts the bulldozer, bringing it to malevolent life. It destroys the camp's only two-way radio and begins a rampage, killing the workers one by one. It seems to run indefinitely in spite of a limited fuel capacity. The machine has some rudimentary intelligence and guile, and hunts down the men.
The crew is soon reduced to just Kelly and Dennis (Carl Betz
Carl Betz
Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
). Running out of options they jokingly convict the bulldozer of murder and devise methods of 'executing' it. Too heavy to hang, too big for the gas chamber... until they realize it might be electrocuted. They lure it to a trap consisting of woven metal matting used for temporary runways during World War II, connected to a generator.
As the bulldozer is electrified, the alien entity emerges as an aura around the machine, then finally fades. The men shut down the power and check the scoop: no sound. Kelly realizes his story will not be believed as he is a recovering alcoholic - and this job was his last chance to redeem himself.
Cast
- Clint WalkerClint WalkerNorman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
as Lloyd Kelly - James Wainwright as Dutch Krasner
- Carl BetzCarl BetzCarl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
as Dennis Holvig - Neville BrandNeville BrandNeville Brand was an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Neville Brand was born in Illinois. He was born to Leo and Helen Brand as one of seven children. Leo, was an electrician and bridge building steel worker in Detroit, where Neville was raised...
as Chub Foster - James A. Watson Jr. as Al Beltran
- Robert UrichRobert UrichRobert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
as Mack McCarthy
External links
- EOFFTV review - a full length review of the film
- Gone and Forgotten- Killdozer comic adaptation
- Worlds Unknown #6 - a review of the comic adaptation
- Killdozer Visits The Holyland! - a loving tribute
- Clip from Killdozer at YouTube.com