The Land Unknown - Deep In The Icy Antarctic ... A Paradise Of Hidden Terrors!


 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey

For most of my young life, I believed that somewhere out there was some undiscovered island, secluded jungle oasis, or even a vast underground cavern that had been preserved for millions of years. The main inhabitants of this primeval world would be none other than real living dinosaurs waiting to be discovered by some explorers or a team of scientists.


This belief of mine was fueled by my desire to actually see a living dinosaur or two and the fact that Hollywood had produced numerous movies about people stumbling upon lost worlds filled with creatures from the prehistoric past.

I am so happy that everyone has been enjoying my movie photo and poster series. Since I first started doing these regularly occurring features, I have gotten nothing but positive feedback ... and I thank you. Today I decided to tweak things just a little bit by combining the photo and poster series. For the foreseeable future, I won't be scouring the internet like I have been for images to share but pulling items from my own personal collection. Some of these images will be studio originals, others will be rare items, and yet others will be copies, that is to say images that aren't original studio photos but copies of said photos.

For my first image, I have chosen a promo advert for the 1957 Universal International release "The Land Unknown". Now what sets this particular image apart from any other movie poster, magazine ad, or lobby card is the simple fact that it wasn't produced for the general public to see. It was instead produced for theater owners via trade publications. The image, which I think is truly amazing, was produced on heavy stock paper to be stapled into a magazine and actually appeared on the back of a two-page (three out of four sides) promo for the release of "Run of the Arrow," a western.

Many of you probably remember "The Land Unknown" and may or may not remember "Run of the Arrow"; anyway, back in the 1950s westerns were way more popular than dinosaur flicks, so this advert got the butt end of the promotion.


I hate to admit it, but I haven't seen "Run of the Arrow," but the poster has a beautiful Indian maiden on it ... plus the movie stars Rod Steiger, Brian Keith and Charles Bronson, so I really should search it out.


As for "The Land Unknown" goes ... well, it wasn't exactly "Jurassic Park," but then again, what movie is?

Above is a still from just such a movie, the 1957 epic The Land Unknown. In this image, we see a gigantic Tyrannosaurus (a Godzilla-inspired man in a suit instead of a stop-motion model) chasing the film's two stars, William Reynolds (as Lt. Jack Carmen) and Shirley Patterson (as Margaret Hathaway) through the jungle.

Plot:

Navy Commander Hal Roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to Little America in Antarctica to investigate reports of a mysterious warm-water inland lake discovered a decade earlier. His helicopter and its small party, including beautiful reporter Maggie Hathaway, are forced down into a volcanic crater by a fierce storm. They find themselves trapped in a lush tropical environment that has survived from the Mesozoic Era. Fighting carnivorous plants, dinosaurs, and a limited time window, they struggle to survive and repair the helicopter, their only means of escape. They are both helped and hindered by Dr. Carl Hunter, a megalomaniac survivor of an earlier expedition, who has learned to adapt to the hostile environment. - IMDB

The film was a low-budget offering, but it is one of my favorites.

As was the case with all of these cinema stills, it was supposed to be displayed at a movie theater where The Land Unknown was being exhibited and then returned to the distributor along with the film.

It is hard to know if this image was displayed in theaters or sent to publications and media outlets for publicity purposes.

"Deep In The Icy Antarctic ... A Paradise Of Hidden Terrors!"

This one is a treasure just for that tagline... "Paradise?" ... "Terrors?" One of these words is not like the other! Gotta love that!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Walmart Life - Trippin in the Air Freshener Aisle

Image
 Written by Ken Hulsey Over the past several months, I've begun to realize that our local Walmart has become a true second home to my wife and me. Hardly a day goes by when I don't find myself popping in to pick up something. In fact, I often find myself popping into Walmart for reasons other than shopping. With the heat and humidity so extreme here in the South, I have actually gone to Walmart to take a walk for some exercise. There I am walking around the store in a pattern, passing the pharmacy, then the hardware department, then electronics. You get the idea. Anyone who may have observed my actions might have thought I was out of my mind, but as anyone who has ever set foot in a Walmart knows, my behavior was not the craziest thing going on in that store at the time. 
Read More »

Rediscovering the Heart of Los Angeles: A Call to Reimagine a City Worth Saving

Image
Written by Ken Hulsey Yesterday, while driving home from work, Randy Newman's 1983 hit "I Love L.A." came up on my Spotify playlist. As I listened to the lyrics, I was hit by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It's amazing how music can transport us back to the time when we first heard a song. These moments become part of our collective memory and carry a sentimental significance that evokes cherished feelings and memories.
Read More »

Why Del Taco Should Be Your Next Fast Food Fix: A Nostalgic Dive into Tacos and More!

Image
 Written By Ken Hulsey Have you ever felt like the universe is trying to send you a message? For me, it’s been all about Del Taco over the past three days. It all started when my wife was reminiscing about Taco Tuesdays, where you could snag three tasty tacos for just $1.49 (I still remember when it was only 99 cents!). Then, yesterday, I was listening to a radio station from Albuquerque, KDRF 103.3 eD FM, and I heard a commercial bragging about how Del Taco now has twenty items for under $2. Crazy, right?
Read More »

Explore the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles | Southern California Adventures

Image
 Photos and Story By: Ken Hulsey Back in 2020, during our whirlwind trip to Los Angeles and Hollywood, we packed up the family into a rental SUV and traversed the winding roads out of Griffith Park to the historical Griffith Observatory. When Terri and I lived in California, we often traveled up to the observatory to soak in the history and enjoy the amazing vantage point where you have an unprecedented view of downtown Los Angeles as well as the famous Hollywood sign.
Read More »

Are Christians Allowed to Be Sexy?

Image
 From Christianity Today Even as Christian women, with our worth rooted in Christ, we still struggle with beauty to some extent. I see it in my mirror, and I see it when I walk into churches, when I talk to youth groups, and when I scroll through online feeds of sexy selfies. We've probably found ourselves leaning to either extreme; sometimes, we fear our beauty, and other times, we feel like we'll never measure up. "Be careful" was the first message I heard from the church about beauty. Being careful meant dressing modestly and hearing constant reminders of the sexual nature of the male mind. I didn't particularly understand the appeal of following rules, and I enjoyed attention, so I threw off the modesty rules and dressed in a way that caused men to notice me. Even though I grew up in church, I didn't truly believe in Jesus until college. After my decision to follow him, my mind soon thought about what meant for my wardrobe, ridiculous as that may sound. I ...
Read More »

Be Sure to Love the Loving

Image
"Most likely you have one in your family—the extremely loving caring person always looking out for others and helping them in every and any way possible. They usually always have a smile on their faces and will stop what they're doing and help you at the drop of a hat. Everyone always enjoys being in their company and loves the feeling of love and happiness they share with those around them. We love them. We're inspired by them to be more loving ourselves, but too often we forget to give back to these people the love that they've given to us. They, of course, would never ask for anything from us, as serving others truly makes them happy, but they need to receive love just as much as they need to give it. Yet too often, we take them for granted, and sadly, sometimes even take advantage of their kindness. Look around at your friends and family and remember to look out for and love the selfless ones. These selfless individuals mirror the love of God to us; we nee...
Read More »