Evening star., 1953-06-26
The Cast.
By Harry Macarthur

AS anybody knows, man doesn't t
have any business fooling around
that way with the atom and pop
ping off those big f1recrackerS.
An example of what may happen
Is set forth in 1.-THE Beast From
10000 Fathoms." which is romp-
ing tremendously across the new
beast-sized screen at the Warner
What happens is a lot more
than an unreaSonably wet spring
Seems some scientists are con-
ducting atomic tests up in the
polar regions, where they can't
blow up much but ice and snow.
At least that's what they think.
What they do blow un is a 50-ton
lizard of a snecies which has been
extinct for 100 million years.
This one is not very extinct.
It tromps around emitting fear
full roars and swapping at any
thing in sight. which Is natural
considering that it hasn't had
anything to eat for 100 million
years. The trouble is that it is
seen at first by only two men
and one Of them dies when the
monster knocks a mountain OF
ice and snow on him. The other
is politely introduced to a psy-
chiatrist when he reports what
he has seen.
He can't get anyone but a
pretty lsdv paleontologist inter-
ested until a mysterious sea SER
pent starts enawing on fishing
smacks. A crew member OF one
of these identifies the some pic
ture the scientist Identified. This
Is enough for the noted Daleon-
tologist for whom the lady pale
ontologist works.
He deduces that the monster
Is on its way to its old hunting
gound 100 miles of New York,
where it must have lived before
It got encased in that block OF
Ice the atom bomb melted. He
goes down in a diving bell to
look for it. He finds it, becoming
the first paleontologist to be
eaten by an animal extinct for
100 million years. At least he
had the comfort of knowing what
got him.
There is you-know-what to pay
when the beast comes ashore at
New York in search of food. or
maybe companionship. Typically,
nobody waits to find out. The
populace fees. an air raid alert
Is sounded and the Army is called
out, while the monster ambles
about the streets trampling auto
mobiles under foot and clumsily
knocking over buildings.
Things are seldom so bad
they can't get worse in a Warner
Brothers picture about a beast
from 10000 fathoms. This one
turns out to be not only hungry
and clumsy but Typhoid Mary
as well. He, she or it is spread
ing smoe dread disease and con-
tact with its blood (the Army
has managed to wound it) Is
fatal.
What an atom scientist has
done, however, he can undo
This one is prepared. He pre-
scribes a highly radioactive
isotope and has an Army sharp
shooter fire it into the wound
This cures the disease. but kills
the patient.
Paul Christian (the atom
scientist), Paula Raymond (the
lady paleontologist) and Ceci
Kellaway (the eaten paleontolo-
gist) play their roles quite COM
mendably. They are consider
ably dwarfed, though, by this
fearsome prehistoric monster
which towers over the tall build
ings. The technical men have
had a field day here. They have
done a top-notch job on botf
the atomic explosion and on the
beast as it spreads its chaos.
The young and all addicts o.
"King Kong" type picture!
should have a field day, too
"The Beast From 10000 Faith
oms" is one of the best monster
movies in some time.