Cast: Dr. William Barton Jeff Morrow Dr. Thomas Morgan Rex Reason Marcia Barton Leigh Snowden Jed Grant Gregg Palmer Dr. Borg Maurice Manson Dr. Johnson James Rawley Captain Stanley David McMahon Morteno Paul Fierro Mrs. Morteno Lillian Molieri State Trooper Larry Hudson Steward Frank Chase Creature (in water) Ricou Browning (uncredited) Creature (on land) Don Megowan (uncredited)
Directed by John F. Sherwood; Screenplay by Arthur A. Ross; Produced by William Alland; Music by Irving Gertz, Henry Mancini, Heinz Roemheld, Hans J. Salter and Herman Stein; Cinematography by Maury Gertsman; Film Edited by Edward Curtiss; Art Direction by Alexander Golitzen and Robert E. Smith; Set Decoration by John P. Austin and Russell A. Gausman; Hair stylist: Joan St. Oegger; Makeup by Bud Westmore; Assistant Director: Joseph E. Kenney; Sound by Leslie I. Carey and Robert Pritchard; Music supervisor: Joseph Gershenson; Creature design by Jack Kevan and Milicent Patrick;Gown supervisor: Jay A. Morley Jr.; Special photography by Clifford Stine. Production date: late August -- mid-September 1955; Premiere: New York: 26 April 1956; Release Date: April 1956; Running time: 78 Minutes. A Universal International Picture.
The Story: Dr. William Barton, a noted surgeon, heads an expedition to capture the fabulous Gill man. His associates include Dr. Tom Morgan, another scientist, and Jed Grant, a professional guide and expert aqua-lung diver. Also on the magnificently equipped yacht is Dr. Barton's young and pretty wife, Marcia.
The scientific party finds and captures the Gill Man in a Florida river after an awesome struggle during which he is rendered unconscious by drugs shot into his body. In an accident during the affray the contents of a kerosene can are spilled over the creature and ignited. Not only are the scales on his body burned off but his gills are destroyed by the flames.
Taken aboard the yacht, the now gill-less monster is dying from suffocation. Quickly developed X-rays disclose a land animal's lung structure, so Dr. Barton performs a tracheotomy, opening an air passage to the lungs, so this sea monster is transformed into an air-breathing, nearly human animal, a transformation encompassing millions of years of evolution.
Clad now in a suit made of sail cloth, the creature is taken to the California estate of Dr. Barton and there penned up in a stockade surrounded by a steel-link fence and an electrically charged outer fence.
While the scientists are engrossed in their task of studying the Creature, Jed Grant devotes his attention to Marcia. She does not encourage his advances, but Dr. Barton sees enough of what is going on to become obsessed with jealous fury.
One night, Dr. Barton pistol whips Grant until he is dead. Then he drags Grant's body to the Creature's quarters, shoots a bullet into the monster, cries for help and declares the Creature has killed Grant.
Wounded and in wild fury, the Creature tears down the chain link fence and goes after Barton, finally corners and kills him. Then he rushes outside, pushes over the concrete fence containing the switch box for the electrically charged fence, climbs over the fence and disappears in the direction of the ocean.
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