The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) in '50s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)

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Aupperle		#201	[-]
Feb 1 11 11:42 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tim Smyth wrote: Getting back to the big puppet, and why it doesn't walk there are really only four options I can think of, the puppet couldn't walk, the animators couldn't make the puppet walk, they just liked the replacement animation better, or it was just faster than traditional animation. These armature puppet remarks are assumptions on my part. You never did mention what assumptions that I was making before. Ted's answer sums up my answer to your comment. Looking at the attached photos of the big Beast puppet I'd say that the legs are not well attached and don't even look large enough to support the animal. My guess is that from the beginning they intended the large puppet for close shots only but perhaps once they had it built they saw it wasn't going to be able to walk and that's when they might have brought Henry Lion in to do his replacement puppets. Willis O'Brien did storyboards for THE BEAST that are fairly close to the action we see in the film but it goes without saying that he would have approached the animation much differently. For some reason I do find the big dumb Beast rather endearing. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 1 11 11:45 AM. Edited 1 times.
Bill Warren		#202	[-]
Feb 1 11 11:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Boy howdy I wish I could find my ancient scrapbook; the Beast in the photo with Sheena (the one I clipped from a newspaper, not the one above) seems, at least in my memory, to be more likely to have been the animation model rather than a replacement statuette--it had individual teeth. But it also tilted at that angle that the replace models were molded in. If the filmmakers originally planned to use a stop-motion model throughout, is it possible the replacement models were built for EMILIO AND THE MAGIC BULL? I ask because that might explain the statuette of the Beast on his back--he's just been rammed by the bull.
Aupperle		#203	[-]
Feb 1 11 12:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Bill Warren wrote: If the filmmakers originally planned to use a stop-motion model throughout, is it possible the replacement models were built for EMILIO AND THE MAGIC BULL? I ask because that might explain the statuette of the Beast on his back--he's just been rammed by the bull. The replacement puppets for EMILIO are a bit different from those used in BEAST, They could have just been modified but my guess is that they were not from the same original. I don't know which of the two projects even came first, anyone know when EMILIO was started? I have a script from another Nassour cowboy/dinosaur picture called RING AROUND SATURN and I think that one was dated 1952. As far as I know there is no film footage from RING though they did get far enough with that one to start picking out locations. Perhaps the T-Rex on his back does date back to RING AROUND SATURN because there's a fight with a bull in that story too. BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN EMILIO AND THE MAGIC BULL Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 1 11 12:42 PM. Edited 1 times.
Gaira		#204	[-]
Feb 1 11 1:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Seeing the photos of all those replacement models reminds me of those figurine collections. How cool would it be if a company like The Danbury Mint issued a "Beast Of Hollow Mountain" replacement model collection. Each month a new beast would be shipped to you completely authentic down to the animation sequence numbers on their feet or tails. Of course, the collection wouldn't be complete without the "included at no extra charge" collectors case to proudly display your beasts.
Tim Smyth		#205	[-]
Feb 1 11 3:54 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: Bill Warren wrote: If the filmmakers originally planned to use a stop-motion model throughout, is it possible the replacement models were built for EMILIO AND THE MAGIC BULL? I ask because that might explain the statuette of the Beast on his back--he's just been rammed by the bull. The replacement puppets for EMILIO are a bit different from those used in BEAST, They could have just been modified but my guess is that they were not from the same original. I don't know which of the two projects even came first, anyone know when EMILIO was started? I think Edward Nassour was a friend and fan of both Willis 'Brien and George Pal, so that might explain his fascination of both techniques, but I agree with you maybe the armatured puppet was just planed for close ups, and couldn't really take the animation. That is a good theroy Bill, but I think the Emilio puppets are bigger than the Beast puppets, as they had to interact with people puppets. I don't think that sculpting a new set takes that long as there are very few sculpts, just a case of modifying the pieces which takes a while. That one on it's back for instance is like many of the others, they just sanded away it's back to lay flat on the set. Great pictures Jim, thanks for sharing. Tim
Tim Smyth		#206	[-]
Feb 1 11 4:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: For some reason I do find the big dumb Beast rather endearing. Jim Aupperle I agree Jim, and I think that the Beast might have been the inspiration for this beast. Sorry could not find any better pictures. Tim
Aupperle		#207	[-]
Feb 1 11 4:41 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tim Smyth wrote: Aupperle wrote: For some reason I do find the big dumb Beast rather endearing. Jim Aupperle I agree Jim, and I think that the Beast might have been the inspiration for this beast. Sorry could not find any better pictures. You might be right about that, there is a resemblance. Does anyone have this Beast kit? Not bad, though the legs look stronger here on the kit than the real Beast puppet. The dead steer in the kit is a great likeness of the one in the movie. Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 1 11 9:21 PM. Edited 6 times.
horrorfilmx		#208	[-]
Feb 1 11 5:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: Does anyone have this Beast kit? Not bad, though the legs look stronger here on the kit than the real Beast puppet. Yeah, but the tongue sure looks shorter.
Aupperle		#209	[-]
Feb 1 11 5:50 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: Aupperle wrote: Does anyone have this Beast kit? Not bad, though the legs look stronger here on the kit than the real Beast puppet. Yeah, but the tongue sure looks shorter. ...but not by much. or were you talking about the dead steer? Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 1 11 5:52 PM. Edited 1 times.
horrorfilmx		#210	[-]
Feb 1 11 6:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I seem to recall shots in the movie where the Beast's tongue looked about six feet long.
Tim Smyth		#211	[-]
Feb 1 11 7:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	My copy is not that great. but I think the Beast was just lazy. I'm sure if he tried he could have grabbed the two people in the house with his tongue. On the second picture just the red part is his tongue. Something else I noticed the other night, not sure if this was mentioned before, but if you liked westerns, and was flipping channels and landed on this a minute or so into the movie, and watched it not knowing what it was, you would be real surprised by a dinosaur appearing in the last 15 minutes. I can't recall a monster movie quite like this, where there are no sightings, and no talk about the monster, even the audience is not let in on it, except the opening credits, and narration. Still with all it's faults, I do kind of like this film, and I'm sure Eddie Nassour would love the fact that we are discussing it 50 years later. Tim
Bill Warren		#212	[-]
Feb 1 11 8:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: I have a script from another Nassour cowboy/dinosaur picture called RING AROUND SATURN and I think that one was dated 1952. I thought RING evolved into EMILIO. They were both from O'Brien projects, as was BEAST, but I don't know how >many< O'Brien projects they included--three, two or just one? Last Edited By: Bill Warren Feb 1 11 8:31 PM. Edited 1 times.
Aupperle		#213	[-]
Feb 1 11 8:41 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Bill Warren wrote: Aupperle wrote: I have a script from another Nassour cowboy/dinosaur picture called RING AROUND SATURN and I think that one was dated 1952. I thought RING evolved into EMILIO. That could be right, the stories are very similar. RING AROUND SATURN was planned as a live action production with a stop motion dinosaur rather than the all puppet animated film that EMILO became. Willis O'Brien's name is on the RING AROUND SATURN script for original story and I think he gets a credit for story on BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN too. Wondering... were there three O'Brien stories (RING; EMILO and BEAST) purchased by the Nassours or did they all branch off of one story which, being the earliest, must have been RING. I know there is O'Brien art for RING AROUND SATURN and BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN but I can't recall ever seeing any connected to EMILO. O'Brien turned out so many stories and so much art during the 1950s that I've wondered if he seriously thought they would ever be produced or if selling treatments was just another source of income. While we're at it, I wonder if VALLEY OF MIST fits into this at all. This is some Harryhausen art but I think it was an O'Brien project that was started sometime just after JOE YOUNG. Well, I guess they're all variations on GWANGI. Interesting how much the RING AROUND SATURN art (above) resembles the O'Brien storyboard to GWANGI (below) Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 1 11 9:18 PM. Edited 4 times.
horrorfilmx		#214	[-]
Feb 1 11 9:48 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Valley of the Mist was a project O'Brien pitched to Jesse Lasky, who optioned the material and had his son Jesse Jr. (whose very entertaining autobiography makes no mention of the project) write a screenplay. I believe Harryhausen was to have done the animation. I wrote to Lasky Jr. asking if he could provide any further information. I got back a very polite letter telling me he couldn't remember a damn thing about it.
Cueva Muerte		#215	[-]
Feb 2 11 12:30 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I once had a shot of the "full-size" model on tour, pulled by a truck, but the photo seems to be on tour at present.
Aupperle		#216	[-]
Feb 2 11 8:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: Valley of the Mist was a project O'Brien pitched to Jesse Lasky, who optioned the material and had his son Jesse Jr. (whose very entertaining autobiography makes no mention of the project) write a screenplay. I believe Harryhausen was to have done the animation. I wrote to Lasky Jr. asking if he could provide any further information. I got back a very polite letter telling me he couldn't remember a damn thing about it. In his book "An Animated Life" Ray Harryhausen mentions that VALLEY OF MIST was first started as an outline in 1944 by Willis and Darlyne O'Brien which they called Emillio and Guloso and later El Toro Estrella (The Star Bull). Ray gives an outline of the story that sounds very much like RING AROUND SATURN and EMILLIO AND HIS MAGIC BULL. He then goes on to mention the part you covered about Jesse Lasky and Jesse Lasky Jr. being involved. I'm not sure of how BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN fits into this history but I think it's safe to say that it's somehow related to these other stories as well as THE BRAVE ONE, which won the Oscar in 1957 for Best Screenplay (though without any dinosaurs). http://www.profilesinhist...g-around-saturn-dp1.html "The Nassour brothers sued its (THE BRAVE ONE) producers, the King Brothers, over plagiarism. It seems the script for The Brave One bore an uncanny resemblance to that for Ring Around Saturn. The King Brothers settled the dispute by paying out to Nassour the sum of $750,000 in an out-of-court settlement. To add to the drama, on April 15, 1957, Life magazine reported that Fred Zinnemann credited documentarian Robert Flaherty with the original idea, which Orson Welles, then bought, and in 1944 and tried to produce. In the same article, Willis O’Brien alleged that The Brave One’s story should be credited to him, because years earlier he sold the Emilio And Guloso story to Jesse Lasky, Jr., who sold it to Orson Welles, who then sold it to the Nassours. Following Edward Nassour’s death in 1962, his brother William, working from these original story boards, released it in a re-edited replacement animation version called Emilio and His Magical Bull in 1975." Hope this isn't getting too far away from our ol'Beast but I find this convoluted history rather interesting. If BEAST is related to the other stories it would seem that the brave bull was reduced to a quick snack in that story. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 2 11 8:20 AM. Edited 1 times.
horrorfilmx		#217	[-]
Feb 2 11 10:56 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: Hope this isn't getting too far away from our ol'Beast but I find this convoluted history rather interesting. If BEAST is related to the other stories it would seem that the brave bull was reduced to a quick snack in that story. Jim Aupperle I'm sure O'Brien lifted ideas and themes from one unproduced movie to another, and why not? No point in wasting them, and after all Howard Hawks not only made Rio Bravo three times under three different titles but reused some of the same ideas in The Big Sleep and Hatari, and those were movies that actually saw daylight. But as you point out it makes for a rather convoluted history.
Aupperle		#218	[-]
Feb 2 11 11:09 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: I'm sure O'Brien lifted ideas and themes from one unproduced movie to another, and why not? No point in wasting them, and after all Howard Hawks not only made Rio Bravo three times under three different titles but reused some of the same ideas in The Big Sleep and Hatari, and those were movies that actually saw daylight. But as you point out it makes for a rather convoluted history. Sure, nothing at all wrong with recycling some good story ideas. One possible O'Brien connection I've wondered about is DINOSAURUS (yes, I know, we have a DINOSAURUS thread). The Tyrannosaurus attacking the bus and then being knocked over a cliff by tractor shovel are both right out of O'Brien's original GWANGI story. I guess if the connection turned out to be true that could make BEAST a distant cousin of DINOSAURUS by way of GWANGI but I don't see any way to prove it. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Feb 2 11 11:25 AM. Edited 2 times.
horrorfilmx		#219	[-]
Feb 2 11 11:25 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	And O'Bie also had a hand in The Land Unknown, which was also an idea that someone pitched to Harryhausen early on. The mind reels. But O'Brien's possible input on Dinosaurus! just feels right, you know? Because there's a sense of fun and adventure typical of O'Brien projects which accounts for why Dinosaurus! is popular all out of proportion to it's actual quality and which is otherwise a little hard to explain.
Aupperle		#220	[-]
Feb 2 11 11:45 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: And O'Bie also had a hand in The Land Unknown, which was also an idea that someone pitched to Harryhausen early on. The mind reels. True? I wasn't aware of that one. Do you know how much of a hand O'Brien had in The Land Unknown?

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The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)