Eegah! (1962) starring Richard Kiel, Arch Hall Jr., Marilyn Manning, Arch Hall Sr.
It should be mentioned at the outset that Eegah! is one of the worst movies of all time. It earns that title with bad acting, bad sets, and a bad script.
But Eegah! is one of those movies that’s so bad, it’s fun to watch and make fun of while you do. It’s not surprising that it’s been mocked by Mystery Science Theater 3000, among (many) others.
The basic plot has young Roxie (Marilyn Manning) run into a tall caveman (not literally) while driving her car. None of her “teenage” friends believe her. The actress was actually the producer’s receptionist, so “teenage” is a bit of a stretch. Regardless, her father (Arch Hall Sr.), a famous author, goes out to the desert to look for the caveman. In the desert, he falls and hurts himself, and the caveman takes him to his cave to recover. The father/author is actually the producer/writer/co-star of the movie.
In the desert with Eegah!
Roxie worries about her father since the helicopter pilot that flew him out there can’t go back to pick him up. So her boyfriend Tom (Arch Hall Jr.) volunteers to take her out there in his dune buggy. Tom has the silliest hairdo, an adequate singing voice, and several musical numbers that do nothing to advance the story. So it’s off to the desert, to wait, and wait, and wait …
Eegah! and young … love?
Eventually, the young couple separate, and Roxie stumbles across her father and Eegah — the name her father gave the caveman (Richard Kiel) since that’s what he says most often. Eegah’s the last surviving member of his tribe, and is smitten with Roxie, and introduces her to his family. Supposedly skeletons, they’re very bad mannequins, as the cave is clearly canvas.
But after Roxie gives Eegah a shave (in one of the silliest moments of the movie) they escape, catch a ride in the dune buggy, and make it back to civilization. With Eegah in pursuit.
In summary, Eegah! is a cheaply made ($15,000) movie, with bad writing and bad acting — with the exception of Richard Kiel, who went on to have a long career in Hollywood. More importantly, he actually puts some character into Eegah, and the audience feels sympathy for the poor giant at several times.
Editorial review of Eegah! courtesy of Amazon.com
Eegah! (also known as Eegah! The Name Written in Blood) is a 1962 film starring Arch Hall Jr. as Tom Nelson, Arch Hall Sr. (credited as William Watters) as Robert I. Miller, Richard Kiel as Eegah, and Marilyn Manning as Roxy Miller. The movie was directed by Arch Hall Sr. (writing and directing under the pseudonym “Nicholas Merriweather,” and acting under the pseudonym “William Watters”), and was also written by Hall and Bob Wehling.
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