Movie You're Watching Tonight

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The fortunes of Hollywood - tonight's movie is Tarantula, a 1950's classic "big bug" movie. In this case a big spider terrorizes the usual isolated dusty western town. I recall being a kid and finding a printed ad for this at our local theater. I went and it scared the crap out of me.

It stars John Agar, a star whose career was derailed when his marriage to none other than Shirley Temple ended. He found himself consigned to big bug movies after that. It co-stars Leo G Carroll, a dignified British actor who also found himself in big-bug movies. This one also has a big guinea pig, but the big spider is much more scary.

As a sideline, it also features a short, early appearence of Clint Eastwood as a pilot in an Air Force plane that shoots the big spider.




I really liked this movie. Hope you enjoy it, as well!
my 3rd time viewing it.. Im sure I will.

I saw it right after it first came out, twice.



The fortunes of Hollywood - tonight's movie is Tarantula, a 1950's classic "big bug" movie. In this case a big spider terrorizes the usual isolated dusty western town. I recall being a kid and finding a printed ad for this at our local theater. I went and it scared the crap out of me.

It stars John Agar, a star whose career was derailed when his marriage to none other than Shirley Temple ended. He found himself consigned to big bug movies after that. It co-stars Leo G Carroll, a dignified British actor who also found himself in big-bug movies. This one also has a big guinea pig, but the big spider is much more scary.

As a sideline, it also features a short, early appearence of Clint Eastwood as a pilot in an Air Force plane that shoots the big spider.
Great suggestion! I watched it again last night. Like you, I saw it when it came out. My grade school buddy and I always went to every '50s horror movie. Another good one with John Agar is The Mole People (1956).

I've seen Tarantula again since the '50s, but I love the way they put those stories together. Them! was good too, but in Tarantula the technical guys made the tarantula scenes life like and believable-- moreso than the ants in Them!.

Agar's problem was booze. He had great supporting roles in a few John Wayne movies, notably She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Sands of Iwo Jima, both in 1949; but after getting DUIs and some jail time, the big studios dropped him.

Wasn't Mara Corday, who played Carroll's lab assistant, a knock out? One of her many credits was as Playmate of October, '58 in Playboy Magazine. What a dish!



Great suggestion! I watched it again last night. Like you, I saw it when it came out. My grade school buddy and I always went to every '50s horror movie. Another good one with John Agar is The Mole People (1956).

I've seen Tarantula again since the '50s, but I love the way they put those stories together. Them! was good too, but in Tarantula the technical guys made the tarantula scenes life like and believable-- moreso than the ants in Them!.

Agar's problem was booze. He had great supporting roles in a few John Wayne movies, notably She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Sands of Iwo Jima, both in 1949; but after getting DUIs and some jail time, the big studios dropped him.

Wasn't Mara Corday, who played Carroll's lab assistant, a knock out? One of her many credits was as Playmate of October, '58 in Playboy Magazine. What a dish!
I'll have to recheck The Mole People, have it on a disk set. As for Them! it's somewhat of a classic outside the world of old monster movies, being one that actually has credible acting, not to mention the little girl who screams THEM! and gave the movie its title. I have to wonder just what they did to that girl to get that blood curdling scream out of her.

And yeah, Mara Corday was quite a looker. If you need more detail on that, Google Images can inform you.