The Monster That Challenged the World
Encyclopedia
The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) is a science-fiction monster movie
, about an army of giant mollusks that emerge from the Salton Sea
, California
. Directed by Arnold Laven
, the film starred Tim Holt
and Audrey Dalton
.
It was produced by Gramercy Pictures (not related to the former PolyGram division
) and released by United Artists
. The film is currently available on DVD as part of UA sister Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's Midnight Movies collection.
, escape into an underground aquifer
, and proceed to terrorize the citizens of California's Imperial Valley. The navy is called in to battle these monsters. Navy Lieutenant Commander John Twillinger (Holt), teams up with several scientists to battle the threat.
Monster movie
Monster movie is a name commonly given to movies, which centre on the struggle between human beings and one or more monsters...
, about an army of giant mollusks that emerge from the Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Directed by Arnold Laven
Arnold Laven
Arnold Laven was an American film and television director and producer. He was one of the founders and principals of the American film and television production company Levy-Gardner-Laven. Laven was a producer of, among other things, the long-running western television series The Rifleman and...
, the film starred Tim Holt
Tim Holt
Tim Holt was an American film actor perhaps best known for co-starring in the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.-Early life:...
and Audrey Dalton
Audrey Dalton
Audrey Dalton is an Irish television and film actress.-Filmography:*Police Woman as Mrs. Hunter *Family Affair as Mrs. Thompson *Insight...
.
It was produced by Gramercy Pictures (not related to the former PolyGram division
Gramercy Pictures
Gramercy Pictures was a film distributor launched in 1992, a joint venture of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Gramercy, a so-called "mini-major," was the distributor of PolyGram movies in the United States and Canada...
) and released by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. The film is currently available on DVD as part of UA sister Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's Midnight Movies collection.
Plot
An earthquake has led to the hatching of eggs belonging to a prehistoric mollusk. The hatchlings emerge from the Salton SeaSalton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
, escape into an underground aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
, and proceed to terrorize the citizens of California's Imperial Valley. The navy is called in to battle these monsters. Navy Lieutenant Commander John Twillinger (Holt), teams up with several scientists to battle the threat.
Cast
- Tim HoltTim HoltTim Holt was an American film actor perhaps best known for co-starring in the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.-Early life:...
(Lt. Cmdr. John 'Twill' Twillinger) - Audrey DaltonAudrey DaltonAudrey Dalton is an Irish television and film actress.-Filmography:*Police Woman as Mrs. Hunter *Family Affair as Mrs. Thompson *Insight...
(Gail MacKenzie) - Hans ConriedHans ConriedHans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
(Dr. Jess Rogers) - Harlan Warde (Lt. Robert 'Clem' Clemens)
- Max ShowalterMax ShowalterMax Showalter was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. One of Showalter's most memorable roles was as Jean Peters' character's husband in the 1953 film Niagara...
(Dr. Tad Johns) - Mimi GibsonMimi GibsonMimi Gibson is a former child actress. After the early death of her father, her mother took her and her sister to Los Angeles. At only 18 months, she was a popular calendar model, posing with cute animals. By age two she was appearing in movies. During the 1950s and early 1960s she would appear...
(Sandy MacKenzie) - Gordon Jones (Sheriff Josh Peters)
- Marjorie Stapp (Connie Blake)
- Dennis McCarthy (George Blake)
- Barbara Darrow (Jody Simms)
- Robert Beneveds (Seaman Morty Beatty)
- Charles HerbertCharles HerbertCharles Herbert is a former American child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen broody, mature style and wit that enabled him to go one-on-one with some of the biggest names in the industry, and his appearances...
(Boy with Morty's Cap)