Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

source: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

source: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

It's true, we're all wondering how a 50 foot woman can fit in a bedroom, even a big bedroom that is 20' by 20'. But we shouldn't quibble, for obviously the tall girl had her knees bent. Let's get down to cases. I'm not worried about Nancy seeing satellites, or my favorite line in the film, beautifully delivered by the deputy when he's ordered by the sheriff to fire his gun at the towering, vengeful female, "I CAN'T SHOOT A LADY!" What I really want to know is why nobody that has commented on this film, from the experts to the fans, has wondered aloud why philandering Harry Archer prefers a slim blond in Honey Parker, to his rich, sultry, curvy, gorgeous wife, Nancy. Allison Hayes is so sexy, so leggy, and so hot in her black dresses and black high heels that Yvette Vickers looks like a pale, washed out blond in comparison. Yes, Yvette Vickers is pretty, but she's not a former Miss America contestant with the raw sex appeal that Allison Hayes has. In conclusion sci-fi fans, when I watch this movie its because I get to see Allison Hayes walk around a lot in tight dresses, and to see all that leg and cleavage she shows while walking through the countryside and when she's busy demolishing the roof of that seedy little bar and grill where Harry & Honey hang out. For those who get the latest DVD for this film with the commentary by Tom Weaver and Yvette Vickers, be advised that the whole commentary is a showcase for Vickers career. They spend about two minutes total talking about Allison Hayes, which I found infuriating. Meanwhile, let me get back to looking at this movie one more time, so I can see my favorite, dark-haired bombshell, Allison Hayes, swing those hips and strut her stuff while she knocks down another drink and twirls that 'Star of India' diamond around her graceful fingers.

This film has to be one of my all time favorite bad movies. I used to watch it often as kid on New York City's WPIX Channel 11's Chiller Theater. The special effects(ha!) are dreadful, the dialog laughable, the acting non-existent, but I still loved it! Sultry knockout Allison Hayes wasn't a terrific actress, but she sure looked good! As a kid I remember thinking that her husband HARRY! was a big dope. Why would he want that pinch-faced blonde, when he had gorgeous, sexy and stacked Nancy to come home to every night? What a moron. Finally available on DVD after many years (Warner Bros. has distributed it but I was hoping for a better restoration--oh well)....it's still a pleasure to watch.

Rich recovering alcoholic Nancy Archer (a marvelously fierce performance by the gorgeously statuesque Allison Hayes) transforms into an angry and lethal roaring behemoth after she has a run-in with a giant bald alien (leering chromedome Michael Ross). Nancy breaks free from her chains and goes looking for both her faithless no-count dirtbag husband Harry (a perfectly slimy William Hudson) and his sexy floozy mistress Honey Parker (a deliciously naughty portrayal by the yummy Yvette Vickers). Competently directed by Nathan Hertz (who amazingly enough also helmed the magnificent "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" around the same time!), with a blithely silly script by Mark Hanna (who also wrote Roger Corman's fantastic "Not of This Earth"), a nonstop brisk pace, stark black and white cinematography by Jacques R. Marquette, hilariously hokey (far from) special effects (the tacky back screen projection is absolutely sidesplitting; ditto the cheesy big rubbery hand), a tight 65 minute running time, a fabulously brassy overwrought orchestral score by prolific 50's B-flick composer Ronald Stein, a simply astounding last reel mondo destructo rampage (Hayes looks incredibly sexy clad in her bed sheet bikini!), and admirably sincere acting from a game cast that includes Roy Gordon as the kindly Dr. Isaac Cushing, Ken Terrell as loyal butler Jess Stout, George Douglas as the stalwart Sheriff Dubbitt, Otto Waldis as wise Dr. Heinrich Von Loeb, and Frank Chase as amiable goofball Deputy Charlie, this legendary cult item totally deserves its sterling status as a positively gut-busting kitsch gem.

I like 50s sci-fi movies a lot. I like the really good ones (such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, When Worlds Collide, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and many others) and sometimes the really bad ones because they can be really funny and great to watch with friends (such as Plan 9 From Outer Space). However, when a sci-fi movie is bad but not bad enough to be fun, it really should be avoided. This movie is just such a film. The posters make it appear as some sort of sexy she-beast is attacking mankind, whereas the real plot is a lot less interesting. A woman is married to a womanizer. She is contaminated and begins to grow to a HUGE size and decides to track down this worm and kick his tail and that's about it. Also, many of the special effects really stink--especially the gigantic papier mache hand that comes into the room to grab the wicked hubby.

Next to Citizen Kane, this is my favorite movie. It has all the elements a film could have. It has a man doing the most stereotypical drunk, a group of hick sheriffs, a couple bimbos, and a transparent woman who ranges from 8 feet in height to about 75 feet, depending on where the camera is. When she was transformed, she also became quite single minded in her pursuit of her errant hubby. She began to speak in three or four word phrases which were directed by her monomania. As large woman films go, this has to be a classic. I first saw this film when I was in high school. Some local TV guy hosted a show where we got to see these kinds of films. Bless his heart. This was a time of great fun and just plain awful stuff, but it was so much fun.

This is a fair movie, good for one-off viewing. The plot itself is fairly well worked for a picture of this kind which is a pleasent surprise as is the acting, which although a little hammy, is better than normal for these types of flick. The 'special effects' are hilarious - a translucent giant and a blatantly polystyrene/papier mache hand wobbling unconvincingly on a bit of wire. Definitely to watch once for kitsch entertainment value. 5/10.

Surprisingly this late 50's Sci-Fi feature isn't all that bad. Decent acting and filming make it one of those Black and White science fiction numbers that's entertaining and fun to watch. The last line in this motion picture is an underrated classic among closing lines. Superior to the 90 something remake.

Rich socialite Nancy Archer encounters an alien UFO with a giant while driving on a desolate road. Her husband Harry Archer is cheating on her with Honey Parker. None of the cops believe her but they still have to investigate because of her wealth and power. Some suggests that she should go back to the sanitarium. She drags Harry out to search for the UFO. The giant takes her while Harry gets away. He tries to run away with Honey but the sheriff is suspicious of the missing Nancy Archer. They find her and put her away into the sanitarium. There she grows to be a giant 50 foot woman. This is more notable for the poster art and the amazingly cheesy title. There isn't anything quite like it. Others come close like 'Snakes on a Plane' or 'Sharknado' or 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes', but this one has the best title of them all. As a movie, this is strictly B-movie horror material. The special effects are almost laughable from the terribly fake giant hands to the badly done optical effects of the giants. The acting is kind of interesting. These actors are trying so hard and taking it so seriously. Sometime they overact, but they never let the silliness of it all take over. It's safe to say that this is a classic bad movie.