Museum welcomes unspeakable secret of the sea to First Friday
May 29 , 2007
RALEIGH—What exactly is a comic-crime-horror film? And why was this flick named one of the 50 worst movies ever made? Find out for yourself when "Creature from the Haunted Sea" washes up on the steps of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Friday, June 1 at 7 p.m..
American crook Sparks Moran sees a chance to make a bundle following a Cuban revolution. He plans to help loyalists (and the national treasury) escape on his boat, then kill the men and blame their deaths on a mythical sea creature. Trouble ensues when the real creature shows up -- and he looks like the cookie monster on steroids. "C is for Cubans, that's good enough for me!"
One of infamous director Roger Corman's notorious, no-budget quickies, "Creature" was made in only three days. Corman had just finished filming "The Last Woman on Earth" and decided that the tropical locale of the film would be great for a monster movie, so he took the money he had left over (presumably not very much) and the film's cast and hurriedly threw the production together.
With a cast of characters including a Bogart wanna-be named Renzo, General Tostada, Government Agent XK342, Happy Jack Monahan and a hoodlum that only communicates in animal sounds, this crew has more potential comic energy than Gilligan and the Skipper ever did. A note to trivia buffs: the role of Sparks Moran is played by Robert Towne, future screenwriter of "Chinatown."
The Museum stays open from 5 till 9 p.m. Come early for live music from Master Blues Harpist Steve Harvell and guests (starting at 6 p.m.), and enjoy snacks and beverages from the Acro Café. Additionally, the Museum Store offers after-hours shopping and the opening reception for a new Nature Art Gallery exhibit, titled "The Ocean World," which highlights the work of award-winning nature photographers Todd Pusser and Charles Rawlings. All exhibited art is for sale.
The Museum of Natural Sciences is located in downtown Raleigh at 11 West Jones Street. Parking is available on the street and in surface lots along Wilmington and Edenton streets. For more information, contact Steve Popson at 919-733-7450, ext. 379.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 am to 5 pm, and Sun., noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the Web at naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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