Sirki’s Summons – May 26: The Reluctant Director of Monsters

Greetings from beyond The Veil, my friends.

It was 21 years ago today that Prince Sirki paid a call to the Director of such classic giant monster films as THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953), THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959) and GORGO (1961).  Eugene Lourie had started out as a production manager and designer, assisting Jean Renoir. His directorial debut was BEAST. He also directed THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (1958). GORGO was his final stint as a director, as he’d decided he was being typecast as a science-fiction director. He then did the special effects for CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965) and for KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA (1968) for which he won an Oscar.

It’s sad that he felt it was a bad thing, when they’re looked at so fondly by fans of all ages.