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The Black Scorpion (1957)
Directed by Edward Ludwig
Starring Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro

1957 really was one of the best year’s when it came to fun sci-fi/horror pictures, with plenty of giant monsters running around causing havoc. And this film is a prime example of that. What would make this giant monster flick even better? How about when it includes stop-animation work from the one and only Willis O’Brien, the one responsible for bringing the original King Kong to life in 1933 (and never even got a screen credit for it!?!?!). So the creature effects in here are everything to make a monster fan out a young kid, or bring back the kid in an old monster fan. Continue reading →

The granddaddy of all monster movies, the one and only original King Kong (1933), celebrates its 85 year anniversary this year. To help commemorate this event, the Park Ridge Library and the Pickwick Theatre are doing something special. At the library, they have a huge display of different items from or pertaining to this classic movie. These items are from the estate of director Ernest Schoedsack and his screenwriter wife, Ruth Rose. This collection is on public display for the first time.

Then on Thursday, March 15th, the Pickwick Theatre will be screening the original 1933 feature, once at 2pm and then again at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $6 for the matinee screening to $10 for the evening one. Advance tickets can be purchased for a little bit less.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see this film in a theater, on a huge screen like it was originally intended, I can’t say enough what you’ve been missing. It really is amazing to see it like this. So make plans to stop by the Park Ridge Library, see the exhibit, then head over to the Pickwick for the screening. You won’t regret it. For more information, just click HERE.

King Kong Display

Tag Archives: Willis O’Brien

Movie Review: The Black Scorpion (1957)

King Kong Celebrates 85 Years!