The Monster of Piedras Blancas
The Monster of Piedras Blancas is a 1959 science fictionhorror film written and directed by Irvin Berwick and starring Jeanne Carmen, Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Don Sullivan, Forrest Lewis and Pete Dunn. Influenced by The Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954, the film was produced by Jack Kevan, who had supervised the manufacture of the Gillman suit at UniversalInternational, and created the Piedras Blancas monster costume. Kevan employed several of his former Universal associates on the picture including soundman Joe Lapis and prop master Eddie Keys.
Both Berwick and Kevan toiled in unbilled obscurity as contract employees at UniversalInternational. Berwick had been an uncredited dialogue director at UI and at Columbia prior to that, working with the likes of William Castle and Jack Arnold. Kevan in particular chafed under the stewardship of Bud Westmore, the head of the studios makeup department,who seldom allowed employees like Kevan or sculptors Chris Mueller and Millicent Patrick to receive publicity. Berwick and Kevan formed Vanwick Productions and became independent producers. Their first film, The Monster of Piedras Blancas was designed as a takeoff on UIs popular Creature from the Black Lagoon, whose iconic monster suit Kevan had helped create. For this movies fictional diplovertebron, Kevan cut cost and labor time by using existing molds for the feet cast from those of the Metaluna Mutant from This Island Earth and the oversized hands designed originally for The Mole People. Actorstuntman Pete Dunn wore the greenhued monster suit in the film, and did doubleduty playing the bartender. Parts of the rubber monster suit showed up years later in the TV show Flipper, in the episode Flippers Monster, which was directed by Ricou Browning, who had performed the Gillman swimming scenes in Creature From the Black Lagoon.citation needed Universal gave a great deal of unofficial cooperation to the production, since it was going through a period of budget problems. Vanwick received sweetheart deals for production vehicles and equipment, the studios way of helping the many laidoff technicians who found work on the independent film. The end budget was 29,000. ........
Source: Wikipedia
