#91: YEAWORTH, Irvin S., Jr.: The Blob (1958)
YEAWORTH, Irvin S., Jr. (United States)
The Blob [1958]
Spine #91
DVD
DVD
"Beware of the Blob!" One of the great cult classics, The Blob melds '50s schlock sci-fi and teen delinquency pics even as it transcends these genres with strong performances and ingenious special effects. Made outside of Hollywood by a maverick film distributor, a crew experienced in religious and educational shorts, and a collection of theatrical talent from Philadelphia and New York, The Blob helped launch the careers of superstud Steve McQueen and composer Burt Bacharach.
82 minutes
Color
Color
Monaural
1:66:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2000
Director/Writers
From an original idea by Irvine H. Millgate.
Screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Kate Phillips.
Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. was 32 when he directed The Blob.
The Film
The Film
Beware of the Blob!
It creeps and leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor, right through the door
And all around the wall — a splotch, a blotch!
Be careful of the Blob!
Yes, at the start of his career, Burt Bacharach wrote this little ditty which producer Jack H. Harris inserted just before the end of the opening credits.
Steve McQueen (Steve Andrews) was also just beginning. Here — at age 27 — he plays a teenager, which he manages to do convincingly by just acting naturally.
This film was made for just north of $100,000. The lack of production value is noticeable — nearly every medium shot has nothing but a solid black background in lieu of scenery — but a tight script and barely acceptable acting make for a solid B movie.
Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut is Jane, Steve’s squeeze; Earl Rowe is Lieutenant Dave who has more faith in the otherwise despised teenage delinquents than his cop colleagues. Olin Howlin is the poor old man who pokes the blob and finds that gravity is no match for the silicone.
Ridiculous sequels followed, of course: Beware! The Blob (1972) and The Blob (1988).
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Bruce Kawin.
51
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Bruce Kawin.
“The Blob has a famously open, question-mark ending: the Blob could thaw if the North Pole did. Like the old man who found he could not trust gravity to keep the Blob away from his hand, the surviving characters’ trust in the natural world has been disturbed. Not everything is back to what Steve calls ‘good old yesterday.’”
Commentary
1. By producer Harris and film historian Bruce Eder.
Collector Wes Shank’s rare trove of stills, posters, props (including the Blob itself!), and other ephemera.
Theatrical trailer
Extras Rating (0-40):
Theatrical trailer
Extras Rating (0-40):
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