Girls, it all started with John Gnagy and "Learn To Draw." This was a famous 50's interactive TV show, where this flannel shirted, goatee-wearing artist type named John Gnagy, would teach viewers techniques for drawing. He even went into such things as shading and depth. I remember he once drew a picture of a tropical island, with a moon. I tried to follow along, but, honeys, you should have seen the results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nevertheless, because of this show, whenever I was asked, back then, what i wanted to be, when I grew up, I would say with absolute certainty, "I want to be an artist!" Meaning I wanted to draw and paint, like John Gnagy.
Not long after that, I discovered horror and monster movies, the magazine "Famous Monsters Of Filmland," and a new ambition was born--I was going to be a movie poster artist. Especially for this genre. I would cut the ads out of the papers, save them in a shoebox, and try to draw them. My inability to replicate proved I was never going to make it in this line of work. But it demonstrated that I had an eye for a good poster, when I saw one. Which brings us to "Reptilicus."
This was an English-dubbed, Scandinavian-made film, about a giant prehistoric monster that ravages Copenhagen, Denmark. Its locale was about its only novelty. When it was released to theaters, in 1962, its poster was so enticing, I just HAD to see this movie, because I just KNEW it was going to be SO scary. And I learned an important part of movie poster art, especially for the genre--the poster was not a success, unless it featured a cowering, cleavage endowed, barefoot beauty. This goes all the way back to Fay Wray in "King Kong," in 1933. And wouldn't you know I wanted to be the helpless, barefoot beauty, at least in terms of acting it out?????? I practiced a lot, darlings, I can tell you!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine MY horror, three years later, when I actually saw "Reptilicus" on TV!!!!!!!!
Though still prepubescent--i was around 10 or 11--I was smart enough then to spot a piece of crap, when I saw one. "Reptilicus" looked like one of those paper Chinese things you put on your fingers--with a dragon's head, attached to it. It spat this glop that looked SO artificial I thought it was painted onto the film. But the terror--there was none!!!!!!!! Because the film was SO poorly made, you could see all the sets were miniatures, and the monster no larger than a toy!!!!!!! PLUS--there were times when--and there was no attempt at concealment, here--when you could see the monster was on a dolly, being hauled across the set by techies off screen, pulling it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only poster to equal "Reptilicus," was the one for the 1957 film, "The Deadly Mantis!" I just love those words--"THIS WAS THE DAY THAT ENGULFED THE WORLD IN TERROR!" And the poster was SO busy, with a menacing insect advancing, two lovers clinging, and militia shooting away!!!!!!! Again, it looked SO frightening and exciting, but when you see the finished product, all you get are shots of a real preying mantis up against microscopic slides, making artificially dubbed "Zzzzzzzz" noises, as it supposedly flies through the air! And wait till you see it demolish the Washington Monument--what a hoot! Especially when they keep saying it is headed for New York City--he probably could not get a room at the Plaza, or tickets to "The Music Man," with Robert Preston and Barbara Cook!!!!!! Then, for all this, it is destroyed in a climactic scene that, visually, at least, looks like it comes crashing through a car wash!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, the days of the great movie posters!!!!!!! And all I wanted was to be a part of it!!!!!!!!! And so I am!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have immortalized it all, here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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