Lon Chaney Jr. tells Beverly Garland alligators are Dangerous. Image: IMDb
We humans have an abounding admiration for Science.
We insist Scientists work in our best interests, and, happily, they’ve provided us with some marvellous discoveries, such as electricity, painkillers, and the periodic table. We trust scientists to come up with Beneficial Answers, but when things go awry – which can happen – we quickly become jaded.
A campy sci-fi/horror flick from the 1950s looks at the healing potential of science and what happens when Things Go Wrong.
The Alligator People (1959) stars Beverly Garland as a young nurse looking for her missing husband (Richard Crane). They aren’t married for a day, for pete sake, before Crane leaves to make a phone call and is never seen again.
If that weren’t enough of a Rip Off, Garland spends the next three years searching for him. Strangely, she finds little evidence to prove he actually existed. This isn’t the only bizarre thing about her husband; he also claims to have survived a plane crash, but, mysteriously, he bears no scars.
Garland’s search leads her to Crane’s Louisiana home, a stately mansion near an alligator-infested swamp. Here she meets Crane’s cold and uncooperative mother (Frieda Inescort, suffering from multiple sclerosis in real life), along with Lon Chaney Jr., a bitter, one-handed labourer who shoots as many gators as he can.
What do the swamp and these alligators have to do with the missing Crane? You’ve probably already guessed.
Richard Crane: Half human, half alligator. Image: Collectors.com
The whole affair begins when a kindly Doctor-Turned-(Almost)-Mad-Scientist (George Macready), discovers a gene in alligators that reverses damage in human bodies. This theory is based on regeneration and the way some reptiles (e.g. salamanders) can regrow their tails.
After Crane suffers his near-fatal plane crash, Macready kidnaps him and injects him with gator hormones. This serum rebuilds Crane’s body and restores it so completely that even scars vanish.
But! The movies always tell us there are nasty Side-Effects, and this one is No Different. Alas, the hormones are aggressively invasive; they take over the host body and turn it into a reptile. Over the next three years, Crane evolves into an alligator.
Macready is sorry for experimenting without researching Long-Term Consequences, but the film doesn’t dwell on it; we’re told these patients are no longer human. (This raises an interesting philosophical questions, but the film sidesteps them.)
Yet, the whole business is somewhat terrifying: A lone doctor recklessly prescribing an untested medical treatment, believing it to be Safe and Effective.
The Alligator People is a brisk, entertaining film at a mere 74 minutes. There are some cheesy effects, such as rubbery alligators, but Crane’s gator makeup is impressive.
The cinematography is fabulous – it was filmed in CinemaScope – and the acting is Top Rate. There’s also a respectable script with an ending you may not expect.
Twentieth Century-Fox bought the film from independent producer Jack Leewood, because it needed a second feature to pair with Return of the Fly (1959), as part of a monster double bill.
The next time you’re looking for a 1950s monster flick, we hope you’ll catch a restored version The Alligator People.
The Alligator People: starring Beverly Garland, Bruce Bennett, Lon Chaney Jr. Directed by Roy Del Ruth. Written by Orville H. Hampton. Twentieth Century-Fox Studios, 1959, B&W, 74 mins.
An old favorite of mine…not least because of my obsession with working through film guides in alphabetical order! I would tend to rate the photography as better than the story or the acting, but Beverly Garland is always easy on the eyes and Lon Chaney, Jr is a gas.
In general, I’m not a fan of monster movies, but there are exceptions, such as (of course) the original KING KONG and the cult classic, Wes Craven’s SWAMP THING (1982)….not to mention monster movie spoofs like Mel Brooks’ YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
Ah, I haven’t seen Swamp Thing. Must see if it’s streaming somewhere. As for Young Frankenstein, I saw it for the first time a couple of years ago & wondered what took me so long.
I wonder what happened to all those slimy monsters that crawled out of the swamps and black lagoons in the 1950s. They don’t seem to be around any more!
I hope to, else these days its getting harder to download stuff, finding classics. Also i need to get in the groove of watching good screenplays again.
Great review of an unheralded movie! Yes, The Alligator People is no classic, but it’s right that it’s a cut-above and entertaining. Beverly Garland gets a lot of the credit; she deserved a better movie and TV career. I like the make-up, too!
Silver Screenings 
Sounds fun! Anyone who’d live next to a swamp is asking for trouble. Especially a swamp in Louisiana.
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I can’t believe I have never seen it. Science-campy is up my alley.
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Haha! I like your sense of humour. I’d love to hear your take on this movie.
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An old favorite of mine…not least because of my obsession with working through film guides in alphabetical order! I would tend to rate the photography as better than the story or the acting, but Beverly Garland is always easy on the eyes and Lon Chaney, Jr is a gas.
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Lon Chandy is fabulous in this, isn’t he? As for the photography, we saw a restored version on Disney+, and it is lovely indeed.
I’m glad to hear this is a fave of yours – it’s recently become a new fave of mine. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
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I haven’t seen Alligator People, but film critic Leonard Maltin thinks it a Croc(k). 😉
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Haha! Well, Leonard M may be right, but what an entertaining Croc(k) it is. 😉
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In general, I’m not a fan of monster movies, but there are exceptions, such as (of course) the original KING KONG and the cult classic, Wes Craven’s SWAMP THING (1982)….not to mention monster movie spoofs like Mel Brooks’ YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
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Ah, I haven’t seen Swamp Thing. Must see if it’s streaming somewhere. As for Young Frankenstein, I saw it for the first time a couple of years ago & wondered what took me so long.
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My turn to ask.. where did you find this film???
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My husband found it on Disney+, and it’s a beautiful restoration. If you can find it, you in particular must MUST see it.
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Me in particular…?? Are you in cahoots with my husband… ??
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Haha! I might be…
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I wonder what happened to all those slimy monsters that crawled out of the swamps and black lagoons in the 1950s. They don’t seem to be around any more!
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Yes, you’re right. Those slimy monsters aren’t really around anymore, and more’s the pity. 😉
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I will remember this. Thank you for sharing.
Nara x
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Thanks! I hope you get the chance to see it.
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I hope to, else these days its getting harder to download stuff, finding classics. Also i need to get in the groove of watching good screenplays again.
Thank you Silver
Nara x
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Brisk? Entertaining? 74 minutes? Beverly Garland? Sold!
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Oh yes – exactly as adverised.
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I’m sure I would love it, as much as I loved Tarantula or Lake Placid or The Fly I guess, I just simply love this kind of things.
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This one is worth it, and I hope you can see a restored version. A great way to spend 74 minutes.
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This sounds awesome! They don’t make them like this anymore, do they?
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Ah, no they don’t make ’em like this any more, which is too bad. It’s an entertaining film that doesn’t take itself too seiously.
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The original sounds great but wouldn’t it be perfect for a remake? Especially one that delves into the morality of it!
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Ooh, that would be Very Good. And with the advances in special effects it could be truly creepy.
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This looks so cheesy, I have to see it. Also, the premise sounds great. A trope for a reason.
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Oh yeah, I hope you get the chance to see it. There’s a restored version on Disney+ if you subscribe to it.
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Oh, my. I’m putting this on my watchlist! (We *just* got Disney+. Because. Marvel.) 😉
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Great review of an unheralded movie! Yes, The Alligator People is no classic, but it’s right that it’s a cut-above and entertaining. Beverly Garland gets a lot of the credit; she deserved a better movie and TV career. I like the make-up, too!
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Agreed – Beverly Garland did deserve a better career. She makes this movie better than it might otherwise have been.
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A Monster B-movie with a Bayou setting, plus Lon Chaney Jr and Beverly Garland? I’m sure I’ll love it!
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Oh yes, I hope you get a chance to see it. It’s really a lot of fun.
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I love shows like this! I use to watch them as a kid and still watch the Sci-Fi channel now. Thank you for reminding me of the classics!
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This is a fun film if you ever come across it.
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It sounds like fun! I will try to find it for my annual October Horror Movie Marathon! Thanks for the review!
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Oh yeah, you’ve got to see this one. Looking forward to your thoughts on it.
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