Most Dangerous Man Alive
Most Dangerous Man Alive | |
---|---|
Directed by | Allan Dwan |
Screenplay by | James Leicester Phillip Rock |
Produced by | Benedict Bogeaus |
Starring | Ron Randell Debra Paget Elaine Stewart |
Cinematography | Carl Carvahal |
Music by | Louis Forbes |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date | 1961 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Most Dangerous Man Alive is a 1961 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Benedict Bogeaus, directed by Allan Dwan (the final film of his long career), that stars Ron Randell, Debra Paget, and Elaine Stewart. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by James Leicester, and Phillip Rock and is based on The Steel Monster by Phillip Rock, Michael Pate, Leo Gordon. Michael Pate also co-wrote the script.
Plot
A gangster, Eddie Candell, is framed for a crime he didn't commit. He flees to the desert, only to stumble into a nuclear energy testing site. Eddie is contaminated by radiation and his body begins to transform in remarkable ways. In his new mental and physical condition, he sets out to gain revenge against all those who betrayed him.
Cast
- Ron Randell as Eddie Candell
- Debra Paget as Linda Marsh
- Elaine Stewart as Carla Angelo
- Anthony Caruso as Andy Damon
- Gregg Palmer as Lt. Fisher
- Morris Ankrum as Capt. Davis
Production
The film began as a story by Leo Gordon called The Atomic Man. Gordon went to fellow actor Michael Pate to rewrite the story. Needing money, Gordon sold his rights to Pate who took the story to his brother-in-law, screenwriter Phillip Rock.[1]
Producer Benedict Bogeaus had the idea of shooting the film as a television pilot with it being able to be shown on TV as three episodes, should it picked up for syndication; this was a common creative practice of the time. Traveling to Mexico in 1960 to begin shooting, film syndicates in Mexico decided that it was actually a feature film and demanded Bogeaus make it with a full crew, which would have to be paid at feature film rates.[2] With the budget tripled, director Allen Dwan claimed he had to shoot The Most Dangerous Man Alive in one week instead of five; some members of the cast disputed this statement. [3]
Notes
- ^ pp. 202-3 Weaver, Tom Michael Pate Interviewe in It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition McFarland, 26 Oct. 2004
- ^ Warren, Bill Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition McFarland, 12 Jan 2017
- ^ p.310 Lombardi, Frederic Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios McFarland, 4 Apr 2013
Bibliography
- Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89950-032-4.
External links
- Most Dangerous Man Alive at IMDB
- Review of film at DVD Talk
- Review of film at New York Times
- 1961 films
- Films directed by Allan Dwan
- Films shot in Mexico
- Columbia Pictures films
- 1960s science fiction films
- American independent films
- American science fiction horror films
- Films about technological impact
- English-language films
- American black-and-white films
- American films
- Films about nuclear war and weapons
- American crime films
- Science fiction film stubs