The Alligator People (1959)

"Dirty, stinkin', slimy gators!", 21 February 2005

While honeymooning on a train, a couple receives several telegrams of congratulations. But when the husband, Paul Webster (Richard Crane), receives one telegram that seems to change his mood. He refuses to let his wife, Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland), see the telegram or tell her what the problem is. At the next stop, Paul disembarks to make a telephone call. But as the train gets underway again, Paul is not on board. Frantically, Joyce begins her search for her husband. There are few clues to go on. It's as if he never existed. She finally gets a lead that takes her to a house in the middle of the Louisiana bayou. The people in the house appear to be hiding something. Joyce has to find a way to get past their lies and discover the truth. What is her husband's secret and why is he hiding in the swamp?

Before I saw this movie for the first time, I had read some really bad things about it. I had also seen images of some of the very cheesy special effects. The movie is much better than I had been led to believe. And even though the special effects are laughable, they have a certain charm about them that I find endearing. For such a low budget movie, this is one of the most beautifully shot black and white films I've ever seen. I realize that everything is stage-bound, but it has that look that I love about these older films. The sets in The Alligator People are comparable to those from the older Universal classic monster films.

For the most part, the acting in The Alligator People is a step ahead of most other low budget films. Beverly Garland is completely believable as the heartbroken wife. She creates a character that I found it easy to care about. On the other end of the acting spectrum, Lon Chaney, Jr. gives one of the most embarrassing performances of his that I have seen to date. His drunken Cajun was a little too close to home and makes watching it that much more sad. The attempted rape scene (shocking for a film in 1959) has to be a real low point for Chaney.

The Region 1 DVD features one of the best images I've seen for such a low budget, obviously B film. The widescreen print is simply gorgeous. It's too bad there are no real special features.

7/10