The tale of beauty and the beast has probably been around for far longer than it's been in print and without it, most of the classic horror movie monsters wouldn't exist. Maybe none of them. Whether they be vampires, werewolves, or giant apes, they always seem to find themselves fatally falling for a gal they can't have. Late to the movie monster game, the Gill-man emerged in the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon and fell into the same trap. Yes, species be damned, he fell for air-breathing lass Julia Adams. A year later, in Revenge of the Creature, this doomed romantic found himself captured by scientists while ichthyology student Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) captured his heart. This, naturally, leads to nothing but tears in his pillow, or seashell, I suppose. Some guys never learn.

Revenge of the Creature was inevitable after the success of the original and to expand the setting a bit, the creature is caught and brought back to university to study. While there, the "studying him" part becomes difficult because the beautiful Helen Dobson is taking up all of Gill-man's attention. The wrench in the works is Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar), an animal psychologist who's falling for Helen too and has the advantage of belonging to the same species and speaking the same language. What's a creature from the black lagoon to do? Well, if you have any experience watching any of these beauty and the beast stories, I shouldn't have to tell you. If you guessed "abduct her and hope for the best", congratulations, you've cracked the case. From there, monster movie madness ensues.

Revenge of the Creature was directed by Jack Arnold, one of the most experienced and talented sci-fi directors, not only of the fifties, but in all of cinema history. He had directed the original, as well as the great The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and was certainly up to the task here. Filming in 3-D, as with the first, gave Revenge of the Creature the distinction of being the first 3-D movie to have a 3-D sequel. The craze wouldn't last long and, alas, it was the only 3-D sequel of this period.

Producing the film was none other than William Alland, the relentless reporter of Citizen Kane (1941) who won't take "No, I don't know what Rosebud is, stop asking me," for an answer. Back when Citizen Kane was wrapping up he was told stories by cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa of half-men, half-fish living in the Amazon and held onto the idea for well over a decade until he could get the films up and running. Apparently, he was as intent on getting these movies made as his character was about finding out the secret to Charlie Kane's past.

The stars of the movie, John Agar and Lori Nelson, do what they can with what they're given but in a sequel to a successful creature feature, that's not usually much. Still, they do a fine job. The real stars of the movie are Ginger Stanley and Tom Hennesy, as the stand-ins for Dobson and the Gill-man, respectively. Stanley had already subbed for Adams on the first flick and was happy to come back for a second movie. Stanley was an experienced swimmer and a professional mermaid at the Weeki Wachi Springs tourist attraction in Florida. Outside of the creature movies, she also did some double work for Esther Williams in Jupiter's Darling (1955).

As for the creature, Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning had taken on the part of Gil-man, land (Chapman) and sea (Browning), in the first feature but opted not to return for a second go of it. Apparently, being inside the costume was such a miserable experience that neither wanted to do it again, thus opening the aquarium tank door for Hennesy, who most likely regretted it soon after. He was already a successful stuntman in Hollywood when he took on both the land and sea parts of the creature. The suit was difficult to stand in, walk in, sit in, and see in. Basically, it was a custom made sensory deprivation chamber the wearer had to endure. Hennesy did not elect to play the creature again.

Aside from the stars in front of the camera and behind the makeup, there was another star in the making walking around as a lab assistant. He doesn't get any credit on the film but he went on to mega-stardom, iconic status, and multiple Oscar wins. The lab assistant was none other than Clint Eastwood, making his feature film debut.

Revenge of the Creature didn't receive the kind of notices that the first movie did but it did well enough with the public to keep the series going. And they even managed to lure Ricou Browning back for the fourth installment to play the creature again. That's the thing with big silent types like Gill-man: they charm you, whether you know it or not, and you keep going back to them. And if you don't, no worries. He'll come back for you.

Directed by Jack Arnold
Written by Martin Berkeley and William Alland
Cinematography by Scotty Welbourne
Edited by Paul Weatherwax
Music by William Lava and Herman Stein
Produced by William Alland
Cast: John Agar (Prof. Clete Ferguson), Lori Nelson (Helen Dobson), John Bromfield (Joe Hayes), Nestor Paiva (Lucas), Grandon Rhodes (Jackson Foster), Dave Willock (Lou Gibson), Robert Williams (George Johnson), Charles Cane (Captain of Police), Tom Hennesy (Gill-man), Ginger Stanley (Lori Nelson double)

By Greg Ferrara