The Giant Gila Monster

[Paul Westbrook]

It's a bird! It's a plane! No. It's a giant reptile-amphibian in a movie, with rotten actors, and a Ricky Nelson wannabe.

[Green Hornet]

It's really a shame that the lizard was blown up in the end. NOW what will that jerk-water town do for a tourist attraction? It would have been a gold mine! What
now? "Lizard Burgers" for a week?

[Dude]

I am still puzzled as to why when the monster blows up there wasn't a shower of lizard guts covering everything

[jim brown]

As much as I liked Kellogs "Attack of the Killer Shrews".

I luved the Gila Monster the best.It was the interaction with the characters that really got me.

Like when the cop helped out the hero of the movie instead of busting him.Because the kid spent his money on his sisters braces instead of replacing his light.LOL!

Kellog knew how to make characters & scenes that you can't help but like.& relate to.:oDJim

[HardPressed]

To clear up the confusion, the instrument in question is called a banjo-uke. Essentially, a small banjo, no resonator, steel strings, tuned like a ukelele, and louder than f**k! In real life, a banjo-uke will completely drown out any unamplified guitar, bass, and human voice around it. A remarkable instrument, in it's own demonic way. My absolute favorite part of the movie--I fast forward through the monster stuff just to get to the banjo-uke bits. (And you thought YOU were twisted....)

[larry]

I loved this movie when it first came out. I thought it was made near Houston so I thought that was so cool. (The DJ was from KILT radio in Houston, a real station here.) Also, Gordon McClendon was a producer of the movie and he also owned KILT. (He also co-starred in The Killer Shrews) I bought the movie on vhs and found I still enjoyed it, even with all the horrible, stupid, dumb acting.  So bad it's good. I even found myself humming along with that song. UUUUGGGGH

[James Perry]

A MST3K favorite.  I couldn't watch this without them.  It's like Daddy-o with a bigass lizard.  Speaking of...a long time ago my dad told me the town drunk's joke (about his car decreasing then increasing in value..and THAT'S when he'll sell it) and I just about fell out of my chair the first time I watch this MST3K episode.  My dad was probably in the drive-in with somebody who was NOT my mom and actually WATCHING this movie!  Ha ha!!  

The worst thing about this film (MST3K version of not) is that stupid, freaking song!  It never leaves your head!  You wish you could climb in there and beat the guy to death with his own ukulele.  

[night heron]

I saw this movie and i can remember the sceen in which the car gose rolling down the embankment and the big lizard paw comming down and i also remember when the big lizard tries to disrupt a dance and how it seemed to be pushing matchbox cars around as it went

[thunderbird]

I saw this movie when i was ether 8 or 9 on KHSL channel 12 from chico calfornia on the afternoon play house it was at 2:00 in the afternoon and i can remember the part of the couple in a car the car rolling down a embankment then the big lizard paw comming down and i can also recall the giant lizard trying to get at the teens in a dance hall

[Dr. E. H.]

I rather liked this film.  Chase is a solid sort of citizen-- setting a good example for the other teenagers, working
hard to buy Missy's braces, and noble enough to sacrifice
his beloved hotrod to save civilization from the dreaded
giant Gila monster.  The sheriff is a paragon of decent,
balanced practicality other law enforcement officials might
benefically emulate.  I must say, however, that when it
comes to ukulele-accompanied vocalization, Chase doesn't
have a patch on George Formy, O.B.E.

[mike52t]

I can take heart in knowing no gila monsters were hurt in the making of this film.
Well, maybe just a little.
Just think, Missy will grow out of leg braces just in time to require braces on her teeth. And just when Lisa announces she's preggers. Poor Chase.

[Mark Radburn]

The Giant Gila Monster was great, how could you not like it. Don Sullivan is one of the best actors ever and he is a great singer in this film. And it has lots of action in it and my god The Gila Monster was Huge. I love this Film and one thing. It's not a B-movie ok.

[Joe]

This was one of my favorite monster movies when I was a kid and I recently watched it again. WTF? How things change.
Well,the hotrods are still cool but that 'Laugh Children laugh' song.How in the world did I get through that as a kid? Maybe there's a reason why I grew up with 'issues'.
Anyways,it's still a fun movie to watch in a lazy weekend.
What I can never figure out is why Chase chose to sing'Laugh children laugh'instead that 'My baby rocks' at the barn dance if he wanted to be discovered by the talent scouts? The movie would've been sooo much better without the music.
A cop that takes advice from a teenager? Wow.The police kicked our butt when we gave them our'advice'.
I wish I could've gotten away with stealing auto parts.We need cops like that in our 'hood.
Grab some popcorn,your favorite girl(boy..whatever)and watch this movie and have fun.

[giant claw]

This was one of those old Black and White B-Movies of the 50s or 60s the big lizard tramping around everywhere you can imagine

[kjw]

Hey it's former Rocky Jones,and Little Rascal,Scotty Beckett under the name of Don Sullivan in this horror abombanation.No wonder Scotty Beckett wanted to have nothing to do with those horror movies he was in,and even changed his name,just to not being associated with these films.


If you look very carefully at him,you can tell that he has aged quite alot,and looks to be drugged out as well.But his voice and eyebrows are a dead giveaway that it is him.The only thing as far as I'm concerned that saves this movie is that he gets a chance to sing some Rock 'N' Roll songs in this movie.But really he didn't really need to do dreck films like this.I guess at this point in his acting career,one can only assume is that he needed the money to support his drug habit,as he was definately a far superior actor to star in a movie such as this.

As bad as this is,I still find it to be entertaing only because of Scotty's acting.The film itself is slow and takes quite awhile for it to move,but it's Scotty's songs and acting that entertains me whenever I watch this film.There should have been much more of the Gila Monster in this,as there wasn't enough to be seen from it.This is far from being a classic,but it's good to watch every now and then,but only in very small doses.