Farewell, Julie Adams

Julie Adams was the woman who stole the Gill Man's heart. Although she had a long and varied career that included appearances in some 149 films (especially westerns) and TV shows (One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, The Mod Squad, Murder She Wrote, Lost and many, many more...she also had a regular gig on the Jimmy Stewart Show as the star's wife, Martha), she was always most known and loved as Kay Lawrence in The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Sadly, Adams died yesterday at the age of 92 

Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors: #12

Halloween season simply isn’t Halloween season without a regular dose of golden age Universal horror (1923-1963). Every day this October, I’ll be giving you a steady IV drip of it by counting down Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors!

#12. The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954- dir. Jack Arnold)

Just when Universal horror seemed dead in the water, this little gem from Jack Arnold came bubbling to the surface. The supposition that there might be some sort of missing link between fish and person is goofy, but that’s okay since it spawned the Gill Man, and he may be the most interesting looking of all Universal monsters. Good work, Millicent Patrick! The underwater sequences are lovely, though they do tend to go on and on. The film really works best above lagoon level when the Gill Man is shuffling across the deck of the Rita, Nestor Paiva is gnawing his cigar and refusing to take shit from irritating Richard Denning, and Julie Adams is being Julie Adams.