Oskado

There are only two aspects to this film that I can praise. First, no matter how many tarantulas swarmed over the ground around our dying heroes, care appeared taken NOT to step on any. Hopefully, none were harmed in the making of the film. Next, there are a FEW screen shots of the Verde Valley area, allowing us a weak glimpse back into the 1970s.

Until the human death rate becomes totally absurd, we can overlook the facts that tarantulas don't "sting" and that they're amazingly slow. Oddly, none are depicted crawling across ceilings (a skill that amazes me), and their modest, seasonal reproduction rate is overlooked. The plot line was MUCH better suited for a comedy - what we needed for real success was the rest of Star Fleet and Mel Brooks!

To me, this "work" appeared as though scriptless, left to a random bunch of actors to adlib as they went - clueless. Their confused attempts at adlibbing their way into some rough sketch of a plot are soon thwarted by the incongruous arrival of a new, scriptless adlibber, (Boddy) looking as though snatched off some rugby field without the chance even for a shower or a shave. What can the struggling others do but quickly adlib his death to get the blatant misfit out of there! But then a new, would-be adlibber/random bumpkin arrives at the door. So what can erupt but more bewilderment among the adlibbers on how to extract him from their still directionless non-plot - or - (here's a big mystery) how to meld another newbie misfit into the chaos.

If stylish, plot less adlibbing through the timeline of a full-length film, through one random obstacle or uninvited intruder after another can amuse you, this is a film you shouldn't miss. We turned it off after about a half-hour. Boredom has limits.

While flipping channels before leaving a hotel room, I caught sight of a screen view of Kingman's court house (Mohave County, AZ) and, moments later, a view of old main street (Beale Street). I hadn't time to watch the film, but as I'd lived in Kingman 25 years, I ordered the DVD out of curiosity to see what other old scenes it might offer.

The film appears, indeed, have been shot entirely in the Kingman area of 1959, and the city is far smaller than the one I moved to in 1982. The Grand Canyon location within the film is today that of Grand Canyon West, a touristic site belonging to the Hualapai Reservation. Remains of the funicular link to what was once a guano mine below, as well as an auto that crashed to the bottom, are still visible as a part of the GCW tour loop. A few scenes appear to have been shot in old Oatman (a picturesque ghost mining town) and some others north of Red Lake on the way to Lake Mead.

In regards to the film, I feel that 1.) its script lacks what might have been some obvious and logical improvements, 2.) its runtime needs extension by about 10 minutes to allow denouement of a number of subplots, and 3.) overall, the film is structured in a rather amateurish, low-budget fashion. Compared to many a Western film of the 1950s, however, this one is not so badly done and provides entertainment.

Despite the above criticism, I - like another reviewer - found myself looking into Victoria Shaw's biography, wondering if I might explore her appearance in other films. Unfortunately, they are very few.