I have very vivid memories of watching The Last Dinosaur when it premiered on American television back in 1977. I was quite enthralled with the plot, which posited a prehistoric jungle hidden in an Antarctic volcanic crater (I hadn't seen 1957's The Land Unknown then), and the Godzilla-styled, "suitmation" dinosaurs. Hell, I still dig the Rankin/Bass - Tsuburaya Productions co-production, and bought the movie a year or two back on Warner Archive's uncut DVD (reviewed HERE).
You know how certain events stand out vividly in your life?This movie was one of those moments for me.I was with my family at a friends house.The house had just been built, and we were having an impromptu House Warming party.Viewing this movie was an unplanned highlight of the evening that I never forgot.It ranks right up there with watching live WWWF Wrestling(not a typo)at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall on the night Elvis Presley died.
ReplyDeleteI vividly remember watching The Last Dinosaur as a boy in '77. The Trex and the Thrust Polar-Borer vehicle were exciting to see.
ReplyDeleteSGB
I only have vague memories of this one.
ReplyDeleteWhat I remember most about "The Last Dinosaur" is the haunting theme song, which for me ranks up there with "Jennie" from "The Bermuda Depths". I wish somebody would release a CD of Maury Laws non holiday special scores.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I recall the most about this film too was the theme song (lyrics by Jules Bass):
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWG2b1PIyLU
"His time has passed/There are no more
He was the Last Dinosaur"
Sounds like something from a James Bond movie. Richard Boone reminds me of an aged and well-fortified Lon Chaney, Jr. as well. I understand he liked to taste the grape.
I recall being very excited to see this movie when I was a kid around nine years old. I was very sick at the time and was about to go into the hospital to have my adenoids removed so my mom let me lay on the couch and watch "The Last Dinosaur" while eating ice cream to soothe my throat. After my surgery my Uncle Ted came by the hospital to visit me with a couple of airplane models we assembled together, and he wheeled me out of the hospital as we discussed this movie. Fond memories of my childhood.
I was under the impression that the T. Rex was the "Gorosaurus" suit from the Rankin-Bass/Toho co-produced "King Kong Escapes" and from "Destroy All Monsters" but after doing some research it seems to have been only based upon Gorosaurus and is indeed a new suit from another Tsuburaya television production in the late '70s.
I was crazy about dinosaurs and would gleefully watch anything about them. I was a huge fan of "Land of the Lost" and would desperately fight off sleep to watch late night showings of Godzilla films.
Hank
Hank, I'm with you. I too was CrAzY about dinosaurs, Godzilla, Sci-Fi, etc when I was in my youth. I just re-watched this on YouTube of all places a couple of months ago. I haven't seen it since about age 10 but I remembered it vividly once it got going. The sexual themes kinda surprised me back when I was 10 and I didn't quite understand Boone's lusty attitude toward women. Obviously his performance stands out as the obsessed alpha male but I loved it. It pulses with '70's sci-fi visuals and suitmation effects (a bit of cheesy cavemen and over-the-top performances too) but that's what makes it a classic in my opinion. And that theme...those haunting vocals and the T-Rex 'roar' that was mixed in...simply incredible. I remembered every word of the theme once it started playing, just like it was 1977 all over again. I read somewhere that Boone was pretty hard to work with on this film, and that he was pretty ripped for most of the filming. I can see a bit of that now as an adult and re-watching it, but as a kid, I just thought he was a crazy dinosaur hunter who loved his women and would kill anything that got in his way of his final goal. He really had me believed that if this situation would really take place, he WOULD stay behind and just live in that period, hunting dinosaurs and living off the land, taking cavewomen to bed as much as possible. Thanks for posting that TV Guide Ad, Chris; it is pure gold.
ReplyDeleteJim
I remember cutting this out of the TV Guide and hanging it on my bulletin board when I was a kid. Lol!
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorites from my youth as well. Also, the theme song too was something that sticks with me. My problem is that I want to see it, but I am so fearful of raping my childhood. Unless I hear otherwise, I may just leave it as an amazing Friday Night movie on ABC and cherish the memories forever.
ReplyDeleteWell, I enjoyed revisiting it on DVD, and, in fact, just watched it again last night. I reviewed it here: The Last Dinosaur
DeleteI read about this in Cinefantastique back when it came out but never got to see it then, something I have since remedied thanks to Warner Archives. I love love LOVE this film. If only IVORY APE would show up somewhere.
ReplyDeleteYes!! I just bought this dvd on eBay along with War Of The Gargantuas/Rodan and the 1960`s tv series The Invaders.This movie sticks in my mind.I remember I grew up in Chino,California(once a dairy town,now warehouses and tract homes).me and my family,who sadly most are gone now,came back from a dinner at Strawhat Pizza and I was excited(being 10 years old that year)to get home to watch this:).Great site bro and great tv guide pic:)
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