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Maurice Zimring (June 19, 1909 – November 17, 2005), known as Maurice Zimm, was an American radio, television and film writer, whose most famous creation was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The son of Jewish immigrants who settled in Iowa shortly after the turn of the century, Zimring moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s, and wrote for such ...
Maurice Zimm was born on 19 June 1909 in Waterloo, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Jeopardy (1953) and Perry Mason (1957). He was married to Molly Zimring. He died on 17 November 2005 in Westwood, California, USA.
- Writer
- June 19, 1909
- Maurice Zimm
- November 17, 2005
Feb 12, 2024 · With a screenplay written by Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross, Creature from the Black Lagoon is based on a story by Maurice Zimm, which, in turn, builds on an idea by William Alland.
- Carl Rinsch
- Senior Features Writer
Mar 19, 2018 · “The Maurice Zimm creation was powerful, but not predatory, innocent about the motives of those in pursuit of him, but only inclined to use force in self-defense,” writes his son. When he took ...
- Features Columnist
- Introduction
- Story Development
- Creature Design
- Casting
- Filming
- Production Issues
- Music
- Reception and Legacy
Creature from the Black Lagoon(1954) introduced the last of the iconic Universal Monsters, the Gill-Man. This article will discuss the origins of this cinematic creature, and the making of the first movie to feature him.
It all started at Orson Welles’ house. In 1941, William Alland attended a dinner party at the legendary director’s home. Alland had played the reporter in Citizen Kane(1941). At this party, Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa was also in attendance. Figueroa entertained the other party guests with a story about Cipactli, a half-man/half-fish c...
Director Jack Arnold (It Came From Outerspace) wanted the creature to resemble an eel-like monster. The initial design work for the creature came off as feminine. It also, surprisingly, tended to resemble the Oscar statue given out at the Academy Awards. Former Disney animator, Milicent Patrick (Fantasia) was primarily responsible for the final des...
The first person approached to play the Gill-Man was Glenn Strange (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein). However, he wasn’t interested. Instead, Ricou Browning played the Creature for the underwater scenes, and Ben Chapman played him on land. Because Ricou Browning was much smaller than the 6’5″ Ben Chapman, two entirely different suits needed t...
Filming for Creature from the Black Lagoonwas split into 2 units. The main unit was based at Universal Studios, located in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. This was where the majority of the movie was shot. The water location shooting and underwater scenes were shot on location in Florida. Browning was hired after he had driven Arnold out to Wakulla Spr...
Jack Arnold wanted Gill-Man to glide on land. In order to get the desired effect just right, the production team added 10lb weights inside the feet of the costume. This way, Chapman had to drag his feet, instead of lifting them as a human would. Another aspect of the Creature that Arnold wanted to capture was the movement of the gills on the neck o...
Creature from the Black Lagoon features one of the most iconic musical scores in a 1950s Universal picture. It was composed by Henry Mancini, Herman Stein, and Hans J. Salter in a patchwork fashion. Mancini composed the lighter, more romantic music. Stein was in charge of the opening and ending credits, as well as the underwater sequences. Salter h...
Creature from the Black Lagoonwas shot for 3D presentation. However, by the time the movie was released, the 3D fad was on its last legs. As a result of this, the film was primarily shown in 2D in theatres. Only large cinemas in downtown metropolitan areas were actually projecting it in the 3D format. Prior to the movie’s initial release in March 1...
Feb 15, 2024 · This idea was rewritten into a treatment in 1952 by Maurice Zimm, and then fleshed out into a full-fledged script as The Black Lagoon, by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross. While this film was in development, another horror picture hit big at the box office thanks to its central gimmick.
Nov 15, 2014 · Screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross, from a story by Maurice Zimm, is soundly developed, leading to an exciting climax. Jack Arnold’s megging is briskly competent, although too much time ...
