The Giant Claw (1957)
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- For the monster, see La Carcagne.
The Giant Claw is a 1957 American giant monster film distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was released to American theaters in June 1957.
Plot
A seemingly invincible giant alien bird called La Carcagne spreads destruction across the Earth's skies. Two romantically-involved scientists team up with the U.S. Air Force to stop her.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Fred F. Sears
- Written by Samuel Newman, Paul Gangelin
- Produced by Sam Katzman
- Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff
- Cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline
- Edited by Saul A. Goodkind, Tony DiMarco
- Production design by Paul Palmentola, Sidney Clifford
- Assistant directing by Leonard Katzman
- Special effects by Ralph Hammeras, George J. Teague, Lawrence W. Butler
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Jeff Morrow as Mitch MacAfee
- Mara Corday as Sally Caldwell
- Morris Ankrum as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
- Louis Merrill as Pierre Broussard
- Edgar Barrier as Dr. Karol Noymann
- Robert Shayne as Gen. Van Buskirk
- Frank Griffin as Pete - Pilot
- Clark Howat as Maj. Bergen
- Morgan Jones as Lieutenant, Radar Officer
Appearances
Monsters |
Weapons, vehicles, and races |
Development
The Giant Claw was inspired by recent scientific theses relating to anti-matter, and possibly the Samuel Hopkins Adams short story "Grandfather and a Winter's Tale" which centers around the La Carcagne of legend.[1]
Production
The Giant Claw was filmed under the working title The Mark of the Claw, referencing the claw print La Carcagne leaves at Pierre's farm.[2] Stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, who had previously worked with producer Sam Katzman on It Came from Beneath the Sea and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, turned down the project.[2] Katzman turned to effects technicians in Mexico, who produced a pair of risible La Carcagne models. The actors were not shown the monster's design during filming; a mortified Jeff Morrow crept out of a neighborhood screening of the film after the audience erupted in laughter.[2]
Theatrical releases
- United States - June 1957
- Mexico - August 14, 1958
Alternate titles
- The Mark of the Claw (Working title)
- Humanity's Crisis! Claws of the Giant Monster Bird (Japan, DVD; 人類危機一髪！巨大怪鳥の爪)
Video releases
Sony DVD (2007) [Icons of Horror Collection: Sam Katzman]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 2
- Audio: English (Mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Special features: Trailers for the films, Part 2 of the 1951 serial Mysterious Island, 1934 comedy short, Mr. Magoo short
- Notes: Packaged with Creature with the Atom Brain, The Werewolf, and Zombies of Mora Tau
Mill Creek DVD (2014) [Sci-Fi Creature Classics]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (Mono)
- Special features: None
- Notes: Packaged with Mothra, 20 Million Miles to Earth, and It Came from Beneath the Sea.
i-catcher Media Blu-ray (2017)
- Region: B/2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English, German (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0)
- Subtitles: German
- Special features: Audio commentary by Ingo Strecker and Thomas Kerpen, audio commentary by Dr. Rolf Giesen, Uwe Sommerlad, and Ivo Scheloske, introduction by Dr. Rolf Giesen (5 minutes), American opening credits (1 minute), Spanish opening credits (1 minute), American trailer (2 minutes), Super 8 digest version (9 minutes), photo slideshow (3 minutes)
Videos
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References
This is a list of references for The Giant Claw. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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