The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

Director: Ray Kellogg

Starring: Don Sullivan, Fred Graham, Lisa Simone, Shug Fisher, Bob Thompson, Janice Stone, Ken Knox, Gay McLendon, Don Flournoy

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Only Hell could breed such an enormous beast. Only God could destroy it!

Plot:   A small town in Texas finds itself under attack from a hungry, fifty-foot-long gila monster. No longer content to forage in the desert, the giant lizard begins chomping on motorists and train passengers before descending upon the town itself. Only Chase Winstead, a quick-thinking mechanic, can save the town from being wiped out.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

#33 on 42nd Street Forever Vol. 2: The Deuce (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

Of the 50s giant monster movies this one's only so-so.  It's hardly so-bad-it's-good but then it's not all that great.  It sits right in the middle.  The problem is the monster is barely shown and most of the monster action is back ended so you have to wait a while to get to it.  Maybe the giant lizard on a model set in slow motion gets old and cliche or maybe it's just not that good of a flick.  It's only 74 minutes yet the film makers had to pad the film with a music number by Chase (Don Sullivan, at least I think it was Chase) not once but twice AND it's the same cheesy religious kids song!  Twice I tells ya, twice!  And the ending?  Well, it was too easily resolved. But hey, this was director Ray Kellogg's first of four pictures as director and I've got none.  I really should work on that.